Sorted by date Results 1613 - 1637 of 2084
Editor's note: This is an expanded version of the story appearing in the April 2016 Senior Voice print edition. The next big health crisis is the battle over chronic care and long-term care. Patient advocates, policy experts and lawmakers call it the “silent crisis” – one that potentially will affect every American family: the inability to plan and pay for long-term care. Some modest bipartisan cooperation to find a solution is emerging, despite it being a contentious election year. A bipartisan group of senators are trying to find actua...
Shiitake (shih-TAH-kee), used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years, is a symbol of longevity in Asia for its health-promoting properties. Ancient Egyptians treasured mushrooms as the sons of gods, sent to earth riding thunderbolts. Medieval English lore claimed mushrooms were umbrellas for the leprechauns and had to be gathered under the full moon. A current adage holds: How they are commercially grown is similar to working for a large corporation – they keep you in the dark a...
A limited income can trap some Alaskans in nursing or extended care, even when they're ready to return home or transition to assisted living. Fortunately, a state program can help people move to a lower level of care. The Nursing Facility Transition Program can pay one-time costs to remove barriers to returning home, such as the need for a wheelchair ramp, or a deposit to move into an assisted living home. To qualify, Alaskans must be 65 and older, or 21 and older with a physical disability,...
Alaska Health Fairs’ spring series of health fairs are underway, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 different tests for c...
I know the winter sports enthusiasts will not be agreeing with me, but I am glad we have had a short winter and an early spring and (knock wood!) my roof is still intact. March 23 was the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the Obama Care Act, or ultimately as “Obama Cares,” and we know he does. For those in Congress who have tried to eradicate this bill (law) over 62 times, I would again like to inform you of the benefits it has brought to you: • since the bill...
Services from geriatric care managers should be something that every family takes advantage of, but in reality very few families use them. Care managers could go a long ways towards helping the family with cost containment and finding better and more efficient ways of providing care for a loved one. The concept is simple. The family hires a professional adviser (care manager) to act as a guide through the maze of long-term care services and providers. By providing consumer education and advocacy, reducing costs by avoiding inappropriate...
Public Law calls for VA to provide you hospital care and outpatient care services that are defined as “needed.” VA defines “needed” as care or service that will promote, preserve, and restore health. This includes treatment, procedures, supplies, or services. This decision of need will be based on the judgment of your health care provider and in accordance with generally accepted standards of clinical practice. The following three categories contain a list of health care services that are provid...
This year’s “Mission of Mercy” free dental care event, takes place April 29 and 30 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Dentists and other health workers provide free dental care for up to 2,000 patients in two days. Both children and adults are accepted on a first come, first served basis. There is no application process and no income limitations. For more information, including a list of procedures that are provided and not provided, visit www.akmom.org or call 563-3003....
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body is unable to control the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, and left uncontrolled, it can result in dangerous health conditions. One in five Alaskans age 65 and older has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and one in 10 has pre-diabetes, which puts them at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Many other Alaska seniors have not been tested and are unaware that they have either of these conditio...
Combating prostate cancer in a new way Investigators in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Queen’s University are now testing a whole new approach to treating aggressive prostate cancer. They are conducting the world’s first ever trial of a new combination of cancer therapies for men with advanced prostate cancer with the hope of prolonging their lives. If the trial goes well, this two-pronged approach may be adopted for men in Alaska. The researchers are conducting a trial with 30 patients and it...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in April. This month’s focus: Proper body mechanics and back safety. April 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 21, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. April 26, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to s...
Registration is open for a series of online trainings on geriatric health care topics that will be available through May, sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Alaska Training Cooperative and Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Center, and will offer trainings March 29 through May 31, to Alaska via virtual classroom on the Internet. The series is designed to give community-based providers working in the field of aging – physicians, nurses, p...
With the state anxiously seeking ways to cut costs, one idea being discussed is privatizing its Pioneer Home assisted living facilities. The state recently took another step in exploring this possibility, and issued a request for letters of interest for potential privatization of the six Pioneer Homes. “We’re in a horrible financial situation,” said Vickie Wilson, director of the Alaska Pioneer Homes, Division of Health and Social Services. “The legislature is asking us to consider what’s out there for privatization. All 24-hour facilities owne...
If retirement means "to call it quits" or "pack it in," as my dictionary suggests, that is not at all what Sandy Harper has in mind. It is a time of transition for her, of new perspectives, as she hands over the lead position of producing artistic director of Cyrano's Theatre Company to Teresa Pond, representing a younger generation. Sandy calls this transition a passing of the torch and the beginning of a new era for Cyrano's, but since the theater has become very much a part of who she is,...
Editor’s note: The ACOs discussed in this national story have not reached Alaska, but the emphasis on outcomes for patients and reimbursing for coordinated care will become increasingly relevant to the health care system as a whole. Big changes are coming for most seniors as the Obama administration aggressively pushes to change the way doctors are paid – moving from tying their fees for every service provided to payments based on the quality of the care patients receive. This means a big expansion in an effort by Medicare to keep seniors hea...
“I just can’t sleep,” grumbles 77-year-old Charlie. “No matter when I go to bed, I’m awake at 3 a. m.” Charlie isn’t alone. Our National Institutes of Health estimate 50 to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from one of some 90 different sorts of sleep disorder. Their symptoms include inability to fall asleep or stay asleep, resulting in daytime sleepiness. Poor sleep has a greater cost than many people realize. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates at least 100,000 annual police-reported crashes are t...
I wanted to share some of my Frequently Asked Questions from people that come in to see me for the first time. Am I too old to start an exercise program? Absolutely not! No one is too old to start a regular, consistent, and progressive exercise program. Everyone begins where they are and builds from there. The older you get the faster you lose your fitness. It takes only two weeks of not doing anything to lose all that you’ve built up, especially if you are over 60. You cannot store fitness: you need to lead an active lifestyle to prevent d...
We are not afraid of the ides of March anymore, since the IRS beckons us now to the ides of April. For the many questions I have been asked about the differences between Medicare and Medicaid, I will explain. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs like nursing home care and personal care services, for some people with limited income and resources. You may be eligible for extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D), even if your income...
Calcium carbonate nanoparticles may help combat cancer Researchers have now found a way to keep a cancerous tumor from growing by using nanoparticles of the main ingredient in common antacid tablets (calcium carbonate). Investigators at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, have created nanoparticles from calcium carbonate and injected them intravenously into an animal model to treat solid tumors. The compound changed the pH of the tumor environment from acidic to more alkaline. It also...
Alaska Health Fairs’ spring series of health fairs are underway, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 different tests for c...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s focus: National Nutrition Month. March 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. March 29, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to share your e...
The 15th Annual Full Lives Conference takes place March 30-31 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. The conference features national and Alaskan experts on key issues that affect direct service professionals and the people they support, including but not limited to: developmental disabilities; behavioral health/mental illness; chronic alcoholism and other substance abuse; traumatic brain injuries; FASD; and Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementia. Attendees choose sessions based on their personal and professional interests. E...
The annual Cama-i Dance Festival, bringing together Native dance groups from all around the state, takes place April 1-3 in Bethel at the high school. The festival also showcases performances from guest dancers from outside Alaska, dance clinics, a Native foods dinner and more. For information and the impressive schedule, visit www.camai.org. Also in Bethel, this year’s annual Tribal Unity Gathering takes place April 6 and 7 at the Piciryarait Cultural Center. This is the 23rd Tribal Unity Gathering, sponsored by the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health C...
As the 2016 presidential primaries and the nomination fights move to the political front burner, a look at the health care and Medicare policies of the candidates raises questions of how far the candidates and their parties want to go in pushing for changes. Republican presidential candidates are sharply divided over whether to seek drastic changes to Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement funds at the same time as Congressional Republicans continue to push repealing Obamacare. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is...
Ketchikan Pioneer Home’s administrative director, Julie Sande, has been around the home long enough to see various rate increases. Sande was a social worker when the first big rate increase was implemented, when residents went from paying $700 a month to $1,500 a month. “It was a tremendous jump and was very painful,” Sande says. “There was a lot of pride involved with the residents being on a fixed income and expecting set projected prices.” The state’s six Pioneer Homes serve over 400 Alaska seniors, according to the Division of Alaska Pion...
