Sorted by date Results 1160 - 1184 of 2084
Dear Savvy Senior: Can men get osteoporosis or is it primarily a problem for women? When I fell and broke my wrist last winter the doctor that treated me told me I might have osteoporosis, but I never got it checked. What can you tell me? — Bony Bill Dear Bill: Many people think osteoporosis is a woman’s disease, but men can get it too, especially in their later years. Here’s what you should know. Osteoporosis in men Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones to become weak and brittle and more susceptible to fractures. Though women are f...
Perhaps your 65th birthday is approaching, signaling that you are approaching your Initial Enrollment Period to sign up for Medicare. Meanwhile, you may be getting postcards and other mail informing you that you need to sign up for Supplemental Medicare or Medigap. You may also be getting phone calls with the same message – that you should purchase a plan right away! What is that all about? There are some people who may not want or need a Medigap plan. For instance, if you will have Medicare a...
For years, folks have been afraid of eggs, and how they are “bad” for cholesterol and LDL. Long gone are the days where people drank them raw like Sylvester Stallone did in “Rocky” and, no, I don’t recommend you do that. Rocky did it to build muscle mass, but just so you know, the practice of eating raw eggs is about 120 years old. Today, some bodybuilders use liquid egg whites to avoid salmonella contamination. Today’s focus is on eggs and whether or not they raise risk of heart disease or stroke. The rationale is that eggs are high in cho...
Researchers in England are reporting that they have grown heart patches in the lab that are safe to move into trials in people with hearts damaged by a heart attack. These patches could one day cure debilitating heart failure, which is a major killer in the United States. At Imperial College London, scientists have developed a way to grow thumb-size patches of heart tissue (3cm x 2cm) that contain up to 50 million human stem cells. The stem cells are programmed to turn into working heart muscle...
Support meetings allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program is taking a break for July; its caregiver support meetings in Kenai, Soldotna and Sterling will return in August. Homer Family Caregiver meetings take place on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month...
Why has the cost of health care risen so dramatically in the United States during the last few decades? Could be mergers, buyout, and concentration of ownership in the industry world-wide – a new version of the old robber barons. Could be lax federal regulation of the cost of health care due to industry-influenced politics. Might include collusion and price-fixing among corporate players. Perhaps it involves the health care dynamics of an aging population. Maybe it is located in the very nature of capitalism itself – a consequence of the dri...
Veteran Stand Down is an event providing supplies and services to homeless veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. It is a collaborative event, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers. This year’s Stand Down is Aug. 17 at the Pioneer Park C...
Years of declining oil prices and increased spending of state funds came to a head for a number of state-subsidized senior assistance programs this legislative season. After taking office in Dec. 2018, Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed operating budget for FY20 sought to match state revenue to state expenses and asked Alaskans to look at the hard truth of the financial situation the state is currently facing. While a fiscally responsible budget is desired, programs that benefit low-income seniors in need, such as the Office of the Long Term Care O...
Being surrounded by grandchildren and children from the community is a blessing for anyone, and especially when you are given an opportunity to share what you have learned in your life. While we are doing interviews in Elders’ homes across Alaska, we are always surrounded by children and the joy visible on the Elders’ face, in their stories, and passion for their futures and learning what it means to be a healthy Native person. This desire to share your knowledge, stories and to teach the youth, is a stage of human development we achieve in...
The Dunleavy administration has brought unprecedented threats to Alaska Seniors. From Senior Benefits to Medicaid health insurance, the governor has put elders in the crosshairs. Fortunately, legislators are working together to defend Alaska’s Pioneer and Veteran Homes from the governor’s attacks. The Dept. of Health and Social Services has proposed massive rate increases for Pioneer Home residents. His proposal would more than double rates for many residents. According to the non-partisan Division of Legislative Finance, proposed rate inc...
While leaving a recent nonprofit meeting another member was muttering aloud, obviously annoyed. I questioned why. He said: “Ugh, ‘A’ means ‘Ally’, it has always meant ally, not ‘Alternative.’” I agreed; he was correct. What frustrated him was discussion with a younger volunteer who insisted the “A” in LGBTA meant one thing; in essence negating the other “A” which stands for straight allies. This discord reminded me of a recurring thought. The initials “LGBT” became common in the 1980s to combine gender identities and create an inclusive fra...
Caregiving provided by grandparents serves as a safety net for children in need of parenting regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Approximately 2.9 million grandparents make breakfast, organize their grandchildren's activities, arrange doctor's appointments, help with homework, and worry about how they are going to afford college coupled with their everyday household expenses. Since the 1970s, the number of grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States has rapidly...
Macho American men are not getting enough zinc in their diet, and far too many procrastinate until their prostate is the size of a bowling ball before they visit their family physician for the dreaded one-digit “test.” Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men. One new case of prostate cancer occurs every 2.25 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related death among American men, and more than half of all men over 50 years of age...
June is the month seniors can start using Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program coupons. Each recipient gets six coupons, worth $5 each, which can be used through Oct. 31. Coupons are issued to low-income seniors and can be exchanged for fresh Alaska-grown fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut herbs and honey at farmers’ markets and authorized farms and roadside stands. The program distributes the coupons to senior centers and other agencies, which pass them on to seniors age 60 or older who meet the program’s income guidelines. Call your local...
Balance billing is when a provider bills you for the difference between the amount he charges for a product or service and the insurance company’s negotiated amount. For example, if the provider’s charge is $100 and the allowed amount or the amount the insurance will cover is $70, the provider may bill you for the remaining $30. This amount can include deductibles, co-insurance and copayments. There are certain Medicare beneficiaries who providers are not allowed to balance bill. This is als...
My Grandma Tillie, born in 1893, was on to something. Her son, my dad, made fun of his mom. He laughed at her admonitions to eat fiber-filled whole grains, saying, "Tillie was always telling us to eat brown bread for our bowels." My dad was a scientist, but in the science of fiber consumption, Grandma was the authority. Harvard.com's Nancy Ferrari agrees with Grandma Tillie. She quotes Dr. Harvard Med School's Frank Hu, who says fiber diets help to prevent type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular...
If you’ve missed attending a local community or worksite health fair or are seeking an additional blood test, we want you to be aware that our staff provides high quality office draws (on an appointment basis) on select Tuesdays each month. These are not walk-in services. To schedule an appointment, please call our local offices – Anchorage at (907) 278-0234 or Fairbanks at (907) 374-6853. The summer season schedule varies for both offices. All test availability, pricing and payment methods remain the same as at a health fair except we cha...
Have you heard of adult day services and if you have, what does it bring to mind? Hopefully not a group of seniors sitting in recliners, napping. Adult day services (sometimes also referred to as “day care”) provide quality care and companionship for older adults who need assistance or supervision during the day. Often it is used by family caregivers as respite services, providing a place they can bring their loved one and not have to worry. Forget-Me-Not Adult Day Center is located in Kenai and is operated by Frontier Community Services. Forge...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s topic is “When is it time for a long term care facility?” Understandably, many family members want to care for their loved one at home for as long as possible. However, what does “for as long as possible” really mean? What factors indicate the time may be right to consider placing someone into an assisted living or nursing home? Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver...
A new study is suggesting that more than half of Americans report problems with affordability, stress or delaying care because of medical costs. The study, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, estimates more than 100 million people in the U.S. experience medical financial hardship. High out-of-pocket spending for medical care is an increasingly critical issue. It can lead to a depletion of assets and medical debt, as well as distress and worry about household...
Ah, retirement -- the “golden years.” Visions of fit youngish-looking seniors cavorting on a white-sands beach. Beautiful perfect-teeth smiles glowing on their faces, palm trees swaying in the breeze, and brilliant blue-green waters glistening in the background. This is how retirement is portrayed in the travel brochures and the financial products advertisements. Alas, the economic realities of retirement are less uniformly euphoric. According to the recently released 28th Annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) conducted by the Employee Ben...
Update, May 3, 2019: Our print edition version of this story went to press as the legislature debated reversing the Senior Benefits cuts discussed in this story. After the paper was printed, the House and Senate both agreed to restore the funding, however the final budget has not been approved. When that happens, it will go to the governor for his approval. Stay tuned for updates. Senior Benefits payments to some Alaska seniors will be suspended in May and June, according to the Dept. of Health and Social Services, which oversees the program....
This is the first in a series of articles by Jordan Lewis, PhD, with comments and reflections on “Alaska Native Successful Aging - What it means to be an Elder,” which are two studies completed in 2009 and 2019. Jordan is an Associate Professor with the WWAMI School of Medical Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, and Director of the National Resource Center for Alaska Native Elders at University of Alaska Anchorage. A huge smile across Mary’s (not her real name) face, the deep wrinkles show she has lived a full and healthy life. That hear...
It was an extraordinary historical event in the history of Alaska. April 30, 1993, KUAC-TV in Fairbanks brought together five current and former Alaska governors to discuss Alaska’s future. Governors Keith Miller, Jay Hammond, Bill Sheffield, Steve Cowper and Walter Hickel were all sitting at the same table at the same time. In light of the contemporary interest in the question of personal income taxes in Alaska, let’s take a look at what our Alaska “founding fathers” had to say about it. But first, a brief historical review. In 1989 the Ala...
