Sorted by date Results 1210 - 1234 of 2084
We sat waiting in yet another medical exam room, my mother perched on the exam table, legs dangling. A nurse came in wheeling a device. She began circling my mom’s forearm with the blood pressure cuff. My blood pressure rose: “Her feet have to be supported and her arm should be chest high,” I said, my strained voice betraying the stress of telling a nurse her business. “That’s true with a manual cuff,” she said. “I have the IVAC automated device here.” Later, I checked with two doctors. The protocol for taking blood pressure is the same, manua...
Self-powered knee implants Researchers at State University of New York are now developing self-powered knee implants that could reduce the number of knee replacement surgeries. They are working on implants that can provide physicians with regular activity updates and are powered by the patient’s movement. Knee replacement surgery is the most common joint replacement procedure, with the number of surgeries increasing every year. Many of these surgeries are done to replace an older implant or o...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s training topic is “The Power of Music in Caring for People with Dementia.” Come, learn more about the therapeutic effects of music such as connection, remembering happier times, comfort, sense of belonging, lifting of spirits, and relieving boredom. March 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. This meeting will acknowledge Sleep Awareness Month, with a discussion on sundowners and restful sleep. March...
I’m not a big fan of the adult guardianship system. I realize it’s necessary; there are a lot of cases in which guardianship or conservatorship is absolutely needed and there isn’t a reasonable alternative. But there are things that bug me about the guardianship system, and one of them is that it sometimes results in someone who is minimally competent, having a lot of their rights taken away. The statutes say that if someone needs a guardian, the judge is supposed to leave the person with as mu...
The 31st Alaska State Legislature gaveled in on Jan. 15 with many new faces and a host of old challenges. The Senate quickly elected Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anch.) as Senate President, with a 14-6 Republican majority caucus (one Democrat caucuses with the Republicans). On the House side, as of this writing, there is no chosen leadership. Despite having a Republican majority, the House does not follow party lines so clearly. There is a Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Neal Foster (D-Nome) until the House is able to achieve either a 21-19 majority caucus, or...
In elementary school, my day started with getting breakfast from the cafeteria window, where I got to choose a cereal box along with a small carton of milk from our cafeteria lady, Angie. She had short curly silver hair and always happily provided us our breakfast, along with a great smile. For lunch, I lined up with the rest of my classmates to get lunch from Angie, too. Each of us carried a small envelope with our names on it. I didn't realize, though, that my envelope was different from the...
Alaska Health Fair’s Spring 2019 health fair season is starting, so check out their earliest fairs, listed below. Make it to one of the spring events in your local community before the end of the season and you’ll find a variety of resources to help meet your family’s health needs and take time to enjoy some great community gatherings. These events offer great rewards for your highly prized and limited free time, with free health screenings, health and safety education, plus many affordable blood tests and other services. These tests can help...
Dear Savvy Senior: What are the warning signs for glaucoma? My 65-year-old brother lost some of his vision because of it but never had a clue anything was wrong. Could I be at risk too? - Concerned Sister Dear Concerned: It’s called the “silent thief of sight” for a reason. With no early warning signs or pain, most people that have glaucoma don’t realize it until their vision begins to deteriorate. Here’s what you should know. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss and blindness if it’s not...
While slipping on ice may be a common affair during the slick, wintry months of the new year, falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in Alaska, according to the Alaska Brain Injury Network (ABIN). “Falls that result in a TBI occur across all age groups, but we definitely see a lot of this in the older population,” said Julie Davies, resource coordinator and executive director of ABIN. “With the ice and weather, a lot of people slip and fall, banging their head. Most think that if you don’t lose consciousness, you don’t n...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s training features part two of a DVD presentation with Teepa Snow, “Progression of Dementia: Seeing Gems, Not Loss.” Teepa Snow explains the appropriate levels of care needed during different stages of dementia, which types of behaviors to expect, appropriate activity and much more. Feb. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m....
There is some good news in the fight against heart disease. In the last decade, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is down almost 30 percent. Through intense efforts at educating the public, agencies like the American Heart Association with programs like Go Red for Women, have made great strides in spreading the word. Studies show that this education is effective in actually reducing the incidence of heart disease. Even so, certain segments of the population are not getting the message. Heart disease remains an enormous problem for women in general,...
Dancing your way to a better life Grab your dancing shoes and put them on daily. A new study published in The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports examined the potential effects of 16 different exercise types for reducing disability for activities of daily living (ADL) in older women and found that dancing may be just the right ticket. The prospective study enrolled 1,003 women without ADL disability. All participants were asked in person whether they performed any of 16...
The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919, as a patriotic veterans’ organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. Hundreds of local American Legion programs and activities strengthen the nation one community at a time. American Leg...
Editor's note: Some of the times and dates for the Black History Month events changed after our print deadline and have been updated in this online version of the story, below. This month, nine Alaskan African Americans and members of the Black Corps of Engineers will be saluted as Trailblazers by the Shiloh Community Development, Inc.'s Media Justice Project. This recognition is for achievements and contributions to the state over the last 75 years that are not often found in history books,...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will meet Feb. 11-13, in Juneau for their quarterly board meeting. The meeting will also include visits with legislators and their staff to provide information on topics related to the Alaska senior population and the programs that serve them. The commission’s meeting is open to the public both in person and via teleconference at group teleconference sites including the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, Ketchikan Pioneer Home, Mat-Su Senior Services, Soldotna Senior Center, Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center...
Perhaps I have been reading too much Sherlock Holmes (again!), but I couldn't resist thinking about this article as "The Case of the Ignorant Caregiver." It could also be titled "How I Discovered Access Alaska," a wonderful non-profit with several offices around the state. Here's what happened. A few years ago my wife, Christy, was told that she would eventually need surgery to correct several problems affecting her right foot. That day finally arrived and she had surgery mid-December, 2018....
When the next Congress begins its work in January, lawmakers from both parties will try to work with the Trump administration to pass vital health care legislation. But getting a political advantage and maneuvering for the 2020 elections will help determine just how much cooperation can be found. Democrats and Republicans have significantly different political agendas they want to advance. The easiest issue on the health care agenda should be making sure people with pre-existing conditions do...
The question of limiting the profits of health insurance companies is sparking renewed national debate. The nation’s biggest health insurers have reported robust growth in recent years, due in large part to Medicare. All of the “big five” insurers, United Health Care, Anthem, Aetna, Cigna and Humana have seen increases in enrollment growth and revenues, with profits rising. At the same time, a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries report that Medicare premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are consuming an increased share of their...
A series of online geriatric health care trainings will be available via virtual classroom on the internet beginning in January. The series is sponsored by the Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce -- Alaska’s AHEC and The Alaska Training Cooperative. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Center and will offer 10 weeks of trainings from Jan. 8 through March 12, 2019. Only the Winter Series will be offered in Alaska for 2019. The series is designed to give community-based providers working i...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s training features a DVD presentation with Teepa Snow, “Progression of Dementia: Seeing Gems, Not Loss.” Teepa Snow explains the appropriate levels of care needed during different stages of dementia, which types of behaviors to expect, appropriate activity and much more. Jan. 1, no meeting at Sterling Senior Center due to holiday. Jan. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 15, Caregiver suppo...
Pulsed radiofrequency may help relieve back pain and sciatica A minimally invasive procedure in which pulses of energy from a probe are applied directly to nerve roots near the spine is safe and effective in people with acute lower back pain that has not responded to conservative treatment, according to a new study presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Lumbar disk herniation is a common, often debilitating condition that affects the disks that act as cushions between the...
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake took Southcentral Alaskans by surprise the morning of Nov. 30, 2018. The quake is the second largest the area has seen since the Good Friday earthquake of 1964, a magnitude 9.2 quake that destroyed parts of Anchorage, sunk trees into the earth and killed over 125 people statewide. Wild tales of the most recent shake abound for many, with seniors that survived the Good Friday earthquake making comparisons between the two. Senior centers across the region and the seniors they serve responded to the most recent disaster...
Note: The print version of this story incorrectly listed the Monday through Friday hours as noon to 6 p.m. The correct hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a new partnership in the Fairbanks area, called the “H.E.L.P. Center for our Neighbors in Need.” H.E.L.P. (Health Education Learning Project) is a pilot partnership started with three local non-profits and United Way of the Tanana Valley member agencies with each having long and successful histories (right at four decades each) in the Tanana Valley community. This team effort includes the Fa...
I used to have a fitness class instructor who liked to say about workouts, “Once you turn 40, it’s all rehab.” It brought chuckles, but it’s true that over the years we will inevitably subject our bodies to wear and tear. Various mishaps lead to injuries, some minor, some worse, some that will scar and haunt us forever. Our stories of how we’ve acquired these hurts may be humorous or downright horrific. I have my share of colorful tales – a spinal injury on the beach in Hawaii; a leg-crushing snowmachine wreck on the Yentna River. But I’m afr...
The Christmas season may be over, but last December held special significance for Joan Dangerfield, who married comedian Rodney Dangerfield 25 years ago on Dec. 26. The pair had dated for 10 years following a chance meeting in 1983 when Rodney strolled passed Joan's Santa Monica flower shop. "Being a die-hard fan, I recognized Rodney immediately," Joan recalled from her West Hollywood home. "I was 16 when I first saw him on 'The Tonight Show' and suddenly there he was, 14 years later, walking...
