Sorted by date Results 1365 - 1389 of 2084
February marks the opening of Tax-Aide sites around Alaska. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns and anyone can use the service regardless of age or income. Sites are staffed by volunteers who are trained and certified by Internal Revenue Service and AARP Foundation instructors to prepare basic tax returns. By using AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, these taxpayers also avoid tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest tax credit or refund loans. And the service is free. Below are the dates and hours for...
Q. Are recent reports of iPhone battery problems serious or much ado about nothing? A. The truth lies somewhere in between. When it comes to the battery strength, your smartphone “lies” to you all the time. At first glance the battery-level icon seems to work like a gas tank. The first gallon of gas in the tank is as powerful as the last. The dashboard gauge shows a good estimate of how much gas remains. This simple metaphor works reasonably well when the battery is young. But as a lithium-ion battery ages, the little white lies told by the...
Will Social Security be in your future? The short answer is “yes.” The other short answer is “maybe.” Let’s start at the beginning. Who cares if Social Security has a future? About 61 million people, or more than one in every six U.S. residents, currently collect Social Security benefits. They care. About 40 percent of Americans age 65 and older would have incomes below the poverty line without Social Security benefits. With Social Security benefits, 9 percent do. They certainly care. The median retirement account balance is $2,500 for all w...
In the nation’s capital, where politicians are always wearing partisan political jerseys, the nomination of Alex Azar to be the new Health and Human Services Secretary may offer the hope of a fresh start on health care issues. President Trump’s recent nominee to run HHS, the largest agency in the federal government, has steadfastly opposed President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), which Azar often describes as “circling the drain.” So the 50-year-old Indiana native is not likely to get many Democrats on his side when the Senate votes on...
The American Lung Association Mat-Su Office is recruiting participants for a pilot project aimed at improving lung health through simple changes. The Healthy Homes Mat-Su Program focuses on seniors with chronic lung disease like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Our trained staff will conduct an in-person assessment of the air quality inside your home to identify health hazards such as mold and mildew, dust mites and ventilation issues. Based on our findings, we recommend simple, low-cost solutions to improving the air...
Dear Savvy Senior: If the prescription label says “take with meals,” does it matter what you eat? I currently take eight different medications for various health problems and would like to know if there are any foods I need to avoid. -- Over Medicated Dear Over: It depends on the medication. Many meds should be taken with food – any food – to increase their absorption and reduce the risk of side effects. But some foods and medications can interact, reducing the medications’ effectiveness or increasing the risk of harmful side effects....
Some of the costs for Medicare will hold steady in 2018 and others will see some increase. Medicare Part A Also known as Hospital Insurance, Part A covers in-patient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, skilled home health care and hospice care. Premiums. Most people pay no monthly premium for Part A because they have 40 credits on file with Social Security by paying FICA taxes through their employment. However, some people will pay for Part A. If you have between 30 and 40 credits, you...
The holiday season is a joyous and festive time of the year for most folks. But some in our community don’t feel celebratory due to depression. Be it because of long term illness, the loss of a spouse or, worst, a child, the loneliness of deep winter could be the tipping point for someone considering ending their life. September was National Suicide Prevention month, but the holiday season and its aftermath are a particularly vulnerable time for our relatives and neighbors who are going t...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s meeting topic: “Financial Fraud and Today’s Senior.” Jan. 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 9, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 16, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 17, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Jan. 23, open house at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program...
3-D printed implants may help with hearing loss The New Year is ushering in some significant new medical advances. Researchers using CT scans and 3-D printing have created accurate, custom-designed prosthetic replacements for damaged parts of the middle ear, according to a new study. The technique has the potential to improve a surgical procedure that often fails because of incorrectly sized prosthetic implants. Hearing works partly through the transmission of vibrations from the ear drum to...
In a world seemingly full of dangers, it might be best to turn to countries where there have been civil wars and its people moved on to a more stable society. One place would be Ireland, the ancestral home to many Americans. Aside from peace there's also the convenience that English is spoken here, there are familiar foods and they brew most excellent beer. It was not always so. "The Troubles" (1969–1997) was a conflict between nationalists (mainly Roman Catholic) and unionists (mainly B...
By JACQUELINE GARCIA Diverse Elders Coalition Every morning, Eduardo arrives at a day laborer center in Los Angeles to pick up his crew for the day. Depending on the working schedule, the 52-year-old man takes between two and four men to work in different projects, mainly in construction. "Sometimes other [day labor workers] laugh at me because I often take the older men," said Eduardo. "But I take them because they have less opportunity to be hired," he said. For many years Eduardo also worked...
After the death of a family member, the holiday season can be particularly tough. Here are some pointers to keep in mind. Family get-togethers will be different ·Be honest with each other about your feelings. Share your concerns, feelings, apprehensions, etc. with a relative or friend as the holiday approaches. Tell them that this is a difficult time for you. Accept their help. You will appreciate their love and support at this time. · Sit down with your family and decide what you want to do for the holiday season. Set realistic expectations fo...
Wheelchair marathoners fly to the finish at 20 mph before this runner is half done with the race. I don’t call them athletes – I call them daredevils, who jet down hills at head-cracking speeds, sometimes dump, vault back into their chairs, and surge on with arms of steel and guts few others possess. What about typical people, confined to a chair? A friend, with severely limited use of limbs, operates a joystick, smiling radiantly while spinning to music. She breathes enthusiastically as the music guides her moves. Another friend, with cer...
I consider myself an expert in the areas of retirement and personal finance, but I admit that I’ve put review of my Medicare coverage on autopilot. I am the author of the Washington Post bestseller, “AARP Roadmap for the Rest of Your Life,” and have written many other books and articles on the subject. Yet health insurance can be challenging to understand for me too. There is a new survey that was recently released called The “Cost of Complacency,” that was conducted by Kelton Global on behalf of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. The survey fo...
Diabetes is one of the most common and costly chronic diseases in the U.S. Over 30 million adults (12 percent) have diabetes, and total medical costs and lost work and wages for people with diabetes totaled $245 billion in 2012. Another 84 million adults (34 percent) have prediabetes, putting them at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is a serious health condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. Diabetes progresses over time and can lead to serious health...
The Remembrance Tree is an annual memorial ritual provided by Hospice of Anchorage that has been a part of the Anchorage community since the 1980s. It initially began as one tree at 5th Avenue Mall for many years until the last few years a second location was added at the Dimond Center. The Remembrance Trees allow individuals an opportunity around the holidays to honor the memory of a loved one or memorialize a friend, while supporting the work of Hospice of Anchorage. It begins on Black Friday...
I bet you feel like you used to be smarter and quicker at making decisions. I hear you, and at 52, I feel like my brain is still fairly sharp but not like it was at 30. Let me ask you some personal questions: • Do you forget things easily? • Do you get derailed from a task easily or distracted by sounds and noises? • What about your IQ? When my now 24-year-old son was just 9, a doctor thought he had ADHD, and I came this close to putting him on a stimulant. Even though I declined the medicine, I used natural fish oils high in DHA. He turned o...
Exercise as a Christmas present Taking up a new exercise program or joining a health club may be one of the best Christmas presents for older adults in 2017. That’s because the United States is now in the midst of an “inactivity epidemic.” This inactivity reportedly is the fourth leading cause of death nationwide and is responsible for 3.2 million deaths each year. No matter one’s age, when combined with a commitment to healthy eating, regular physical activity can provide a wealth of health ben...
CarFit is an educational program created by the American Society on Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA (American Automobile Association), AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association. The program is designed to help older drivers find out how well they currently fit their personal vehicle, to highlight actions they can take to improve their fit, and to promote conversations about driver safety and community mobility. A proper fit in one’s personal vehicle can greatly increase not only the driver’s safety but also the saf...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in December. This month’s meeting topic: “The Rock Movement.” Painting rocks has become a movement, including locally in Kenai and Soldotna. Attendees will paint and hide rocks in the community as an act of random kindness. Dec. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 20, Caregiver suppo...
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Senior Center directors meet bi-annually to discuss common issues in senior services, sharing challenges and successes. Together, we create efficient and unduplicated senior services, assisting seniors in maintaining independent and quality lives. October's meeting brought three new leaders to the table, after long time directors Jan Fena (Soldotna), Rachael Craig (Kenai) and Ron Sloan (Cooper Landing) retired, taking with them an accumulation of 70 years in senior se...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 12 via videoconference and teleconference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The videoconference sites for the quarterly meeting are: Anchorage: Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 143 (907-269-3666) Fairbanks: Senior and Disabilities Services, 751 Old Richardson Hwy., Suite 100A (907-451-5045) Juneau: Senior and Disabilities Services, 240 Main Street, 6th Floor Conference Room (907-465-3372) Kodiak: Kodiak Public Library, 612 Egan Way (907-486-8688) Group...
The tragedies that befell singer Connie Francis throughout her life would challenge the most resilient of souls. Nevertheless, she navigated each dark, engulfing personal tunnel with unwavering tenacity, always eventually emerging aided by her sense of humor. "It never failed me and kept me going," she said from her home in Parkland, Florida. "From the age of 10, I worked on TV with many comedians like Don Rickles and developed a sense of humor." While her professional breakthrough came in the...
