Sorted by date Results 1235 - 1259 of 2084
As I write these words, it has been only a few days since the recent earthquake. By the time you read these words in the Senior Voice, though, it will probably be at least a month out, and most people will have forgotten about it. I don’t want to forget. Earthquake preparedness is a good thing. When something like this happens in a third world country, thousands of people can perish. We didn’t lose a soul. I’m convinced that part of that is the mercy of a loving God on our undeserving souls, but...
Have you wasted lots of time looking for stuff you know you have, but can’t find? Where is the manual for the washing machine? What the heck did I do with the business card from the guy I met on the plane? Where is that recording I made of the nephew’s graduation speech? How do I find those websites I saw about crafts? You get the idea. Truth be told, I still have lots of drawers and boxes with stuff in them, but a number of years ago I discovered the joys of what are commonly called “note-taking” applications for smartphones and tablets...
Q. When I open Safari on my iPhone, I am always forwarded to Apple’s website. Is there a way to choose a different home page? A. Apple removed the custom home page setting on iPhone for some mysterious reason, but there is a work-around. I set up my favorite sites as “apps” by adding their icons to the home screen. When you are on a Safari page you want to access again, with the bottom toolbar visible, tap the square with the arrow pointing upwards. A menu will slide up from the bottom of the screen. Swipe sideways on the row of grey icons...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., held its annual membership meeting Nov. 15 in Anchorage. At the meeting, board members nominated and voted-in the following officers: Yvonne M. Chase, president; Pam Yeargan, vice president; Leonard T. Kelley, treasurer; Jan Carolyn Hardy, secretary. Other OPAG board members include Sharon White-Wheeler, Robert Bracco, Christian Montana, Anne Gonzalez and Susan LaBelle. Directory release Also in November, OPAG released the 2018-2020 edition of its Directory for...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This meeting will be held by videoconference and teleconference at the locations below. Public comment, scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., can be presented by going to the group videoconference or teleconference sites or by calling 1-800-315-6338, 53250#. Videoconference Locations Juneau - Senior and Disabilities Services, 240 Main Street, 6th floor videoconference room (907-465-3372) Anchorage – Senior and Disabilities S...
The Alaska Training Cooperative and Rural Alaska Health Professions Foundation present “Alaska Native Storytelling: Teaching 10,000+ Years of Evidence,” as part of the Behavioral Health Continuing Education series. This is the time of year for Alaska Native storytelling, 10,000-plus years of evidence-based practice that has been taught and passed through generations. Stories teach beliefs and practices that support wellness, healing and survival of life’s challenges while often informing contemporary science. The class will be offered Dec....
Elders are among those most vulnerable to dehydration, and African American and Hispanic adults are more likely to become dehydrated than whites, researchers have found. In a patient-care advisory last February, staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., explained that dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in, causing a shortage of fluids needed for normal functions. While everyone is susceptible, dehydration is especially dangerous for older adults and young...
You sit in the exam room waiting for the doctor. She enters, smiling, trying to put you at ease. She explains that your medical condition can be stabilized with a prescription drug she is going to give you. Maybe she said it was called “Overpricium,” or possibly “Bilgestuffex.” You were not really sure since you were stressed out, and all those prescription drugs are nonsense words anyway. You pop over to your friendly pharmacist to pick up your new prescription. You take home the cute little white paper bag containing the prescription and the...
Dear Savvy Senior: I will turn 65 in a few months and will be enrolling in Medicare, but I am concerned about Medicare’s coverage of dental care. Does Medicare cover dental procedures? And if not, where can I get dental coverage? - Almost 65 Dear Almost: Medicare’s coverage of dental care is extremely limited. It will not cover routine dental care including checkups, cleanings, or fillings, and it won’t pay for dentures either. Medicare will, however, cover some dental services if they are required to protect your general health, or if you n...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in December. This month’s training focus is “Ten Keys to Creating Healthy Holidays”. Bring a snack to share and canned or boxed goods to give to the food bank. Dec. 4, Caregiver support meeting and Christmas Tea at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 11, Caregiver support meeting and Christmas Tea at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 18, Caregiver support meeting and Christmas Tea at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to sh...
I was eating dinner with my husband Sam and having homemade chicken soup with a slice of sourdough bread and melted butter. It was simple and delicious. We ate silently. Toward the end of the meal, he said, "We always eat our soup and bread silently because we are mentally calculating how to time the last bite so it's perfect." So true. We usually chatter during meals, and tell funny stories, but when soup and bread hit the table, it all goes to silence. I like to time my last bite so it's soup...
Know your vitamin D levels For the holidays, give yourself a present. Make sure you get your vitamin D levels checked and if they are low, get treatment. A new study now shows that vitamin D levels in the blood are linked to cardiorespiratory fitness. “Our study shows that higher levels of vitamin D are associated with better exercise capacity,” said Dr. Amr Marawan, who is an assistant professor of internal medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia. “We also know from previ...
Q. As a longtime iPhone user, when I needed a new phone I would just get the latest model. Now the lineup has so many choices I’m confused. How do I pick one? A. The 2018 iPhone models create an array of choices, yet choosing among them can still be simple. There are three new designs: the iPhone Xs, which comes in two different case sizes, and the iPhone Xr, the least expensive model. Unlike most tech products, iPhone customers are not saddled with older technology when they step down from the most expensive model. The iPhone Xr is by far t...
Older Persons Action Group will hold its annual membership meeting Nov. 15 in Anchorage, at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave. The board business meeting starts at 11 a.m., followed immediately by the membership meeting, with refreshments and live country and western music by Frank Jerue and the Stomping Moccasins. RSVP requested. Candidates for board of director officers are: President: Yvonne M. Chase Vice President: Pam Yeargan Treasurer: Leonard T. Kelley Secretary: Jan Carolyn Hardy Call 276-1059 or 1-800-478-1059 to R...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center will hold its second in a series of monthly forums on Nov. 13, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The series, “Age Smart – Let’s Talk,” is a monthly forum that focuses on a topic of interest and importance to Alaskans who want to be thoughtful about how to make good choices as they grow older. The series is developed to provide working age adults with information necessary to plan and fulfill a secure, healthy and satisfying “life After...
In Fairbanks, the North Star Council on Aging’s new Aging and Disability Center (ADRC) is going “full blast,” said Beth Grey, program coordinator for senior services. “We just opened October 1,” Grey said. “We weren’t supposed to open until January 1, but with the new regulations we opened early. We call it a soft opening phase, but it doesn’t feel like that.” There should be an open house in January, Grey said, once the program gets solidly on its feet. For the last 10 years, Fairbanks was served out of the Soldotna ADRC office, Grey said. Add...
The formidable pharmaceutical industry wants to recoup the $11.8 billion hit it took earlier this year in Congress’s 2018 budget deal. The drugmakers rarely lose, able to use clout and pressure in every House and Senate district to get what they want. Now they are flexing their muscles and you can expect a relentless push to get back that money which essentially comes out of pharmaceutical industry profits. When Congress approved that budget, the final deal required the drugmakers to shift billions of dollars in Medicare drug costs away from s...
"Well - he doesn't hit me." It's a phrase I hear when talking to older women through Humble Warrior, a free compassionate listening service aimed at providing support to those in distress. While the women recognize they are miserable in their marriages, they often believe that if they aren't being hit, they have no legitimate reason to leave. Somewhere along the line, they've come to accept that emotional, verbal and financial abuse are just part of the marital package. Indeed, for many older...
You may have seen or heard a lot of buzz about the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for Medicare Part D. And you may think to yourself, “I am perfectly happy with my current prescription drug coverage and I don’t want to make any changes so I will stay with the plan that I have.” This decision could cost you money and here’s why. The (OEP) is a six week opportunity for those who have Medicare to review their coverage. Persons who have not had prescription drug coverage may join a plan and those w...
Alzheimer’s disease is daunting. The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s affects over 7,500 Alaskans and 5.7 million Americans today. Research is being done around the world to detect and stop the disease in its earliest stages. At the same time, specialists are working to provide individuals and families with an arsenal of techniques and resources to ensure comfort, dignity and purpose as the disease progresses. Alzheimer’s disease can be found throughout history in stories of elders losing their memory. Until recently, this was thoug...
November is our final month of health fairs for fall 2018, with several events held around the state. Remember that the events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable, comprehensive and private blood tests (starting at $20). These tests can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be the most effective. Try to take time out of your busy schedule and take advantage of our team of medical and non-medical professionals when...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s training focus is “Holidays or Holy Cow Days? Destressing the Holiday Season”. Nov. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 27, open house and workshop at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office in Soldotna, Blazy Mall, Suite #209, 11 a.m. to 2...
Using new technology to get a better night’s sleep A whole new approach to getting a good night’s sleep just a click away. A new study from the University of Oxford and Northwestern Medicine has found treating insomnia with digital programs can improve insomnia symptoms. In a year-long study involving 1,711 people, researchers found online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improved not only insomnia symptoms, but functional health, psychological well-being and sleep-related quality of life. A m...
Dear Savvy Senior: Does the VA provide any special burial benefits to old veterans? My dad, who has late-stage Parkinson’s disease, served during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. - Only Child Dear Only: Most U.S. veterans are eligible for burial and memorial benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration. Veterans who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible. To verify your dad’s discharge, you’ll need a copy of his DD Form 214 “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Ac...
The Alaska Department of Public Health and Social Services has awarded two grants totaling $10,000 to the Anchorage Senior Activity Center to initiate new physical fitness programs for Alaska seniors - programs to keep seniors active both indoors and outdoors. The grants include $7,000 to enable the senior center to offer the Go4Life Program, an innovative approach to developing an exercise and physical fitness program at indoor facilities, and $3,000 for an outdoor trail-walking groups project...
