Sorted by date Results 1638 - 1662 of 2084
You've heard of omnivores, vegetarians and vegans and you probably have an idea of what these terms mean. But, a newer term "locavore" may be unfamiliar. Actually, the word locavore has been around for 10 years and current momentum promoting sustainable communities by "eating local" has pushed the locavore movement. The locavore chooses to eat only locally grown and produced food or as much locally produced food as possible. "Local' is often defined as grown or produced within a 50 mile radius...
I had an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a job I really liked, an automobile and property. That was all before I became disabled with schizophrenia. Over a five year period I lost everything. I went from being happy to often being humiliated and traumatized in institutions and psychiatric ER’s with no way to complain or effect changes. After getting out of the psychiatric institutions, thousands of dollars were spent treating me for PTSD that was the result of institutional trauma. Here are some stories of my encounters with...
February marks the opening of TaxAide sites around Alaska. The AARP Foundation TaxAide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns for most low and middle income taxpayers, with an emphasis on seniors and disabled taxpayers. 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....
Pill Splitting: A Two-fer Deal Whatever your opinion about health care reform and Obamacare, you’ve probably noticed that health care is getting more expensive and harder to find. And chances are, it’s only going to get worse. The fact is, the number one cause of bankruptcy in America is medical bills. For most of us, the older we get the longer the line of pill bottles on the shelf grows. Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC “Today Show” and the author of “Savvy Living,” has information that could help you reduce the money you spend f...
People with Medicare can get off to a healthy start in the new year. Medicare covers a full range of preventive services to help keep you healthy and find problems early, when treatment is most effective. If you have Original Medicare, you’ll be able to get a yearly “Wellness” visit and many preventive services at no cost to you. Talk with your doctor or health care provider to find out what tests or other services you may need. Medical assistance and your taxes If you are one of the milli...
Benefits from eating chocolate Historically, chocolate has been recognized as a vasodilator, meaning that it widens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure in the long run. However, chocolate also contains some powerful stimulants. Now, researchers are reporting that adults who eat chocolate receive immediate brain benefits. They have found that the brain is more alert and attentive after consumption of chocolate and blood pressure also increased for a short time. “Chocolate is indeed a s...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s focus: National American Heart Month. Feb. 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 9, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 16, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 23, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If y...
I walked in cold. Although I've been a regular lap swimmer at the Anchorage Community YMCA for decades, ever since the day the pool opened back in the 1970s, I had not attended land classes. So there I was, a true klutz, in the Y's SilverSneakers® class. "I know why you love to swim," my husband has told me, kindly but pointedly, many times. "You can't trip when you are swimming." There's much truth in that. I spotted a friendly face. I'd often been in the pool with Alis Schmitt. She would b...
A hugely popular singer and actress throughout the 50s and 60s, Doris Day first became interested in animal issues on the set of a 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film. "One of my first profound experiences working with animals in my films was in Morocco on the set of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much,'" recalled Ms. Day from her long-time Carmel, Calif., home. "I was never one to make waves when working on my films, but was appalled at the condition of the local animals used in this film and refused to...
The currency exchange with Canada has gotten even better – now it's 72 cents on the U.S. dollar. Oops, that was a couple of weeks ago when I first started on this column, but as of Jan. 20 it was 69 cents on the US dollar. Reminds me of the time in 1999 I bought a 24 x 28-foot timber frame package, complete with structural insulated panes and windows for $18,000. At that time in 1999, the Canadian dollar was 75 cents. With the exchange rate this low, there are bargains to be had! When I lived in...
A new law signed by President Obama will help shield some 17 million Americans from steep premium hikes. But many will continue to see changes in the amounts they pay for Medicare next year. About 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were facing a 52 percent increase in their Medicare Part B medical insurance premiums and deductible in 2016. But Congress and the Obama Administration worked out an agreement so beneficiaries will pay about $119 per month instead of $159.30 for Part B. The remaining 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries will contin...
What do you do when you need an extra hand for a household chore and neighbors, friends or kids aren't available to help? In Fairbanks, there's a new organization for older adults that can be the answer. Aging at Home Fairbanks (AAH Fairbanks) has launched this month after a year of preparation, as part of the national Village movement. Susan Poor, co-chair of the board of Village to Village Network, spoke about the national movement at the Fairbanks kickoff event in November. In 2005, the NY...
Dear Senator Murkowski: The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) is gravely concerned about the proposed 42 percent reduction to the federal State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), from $52 million to $30 million, at a time when Alaska and our nation has witnessed unprecedented growth in our older adult populations. Alaska’s population of people age 65 and older, who number 71,080 and growing at an annual rate of 6 percent, is projected to more than double by 2030 to 152,740. Alaska’s growth rate of the 65+ population is more than 2.5...
I became President and CEO of the Foundation for Hospice and Homecare earlier this year, because I understood the home care and hospice community is committed to every person’s right to receive care in the setting of their choice. Simply put, people prefer to receive high quality care in the convenience of their own homes near family and friends. This is especially true in Alaska, where the challenges of traveling to receive hospital care can be prohibitive for many. A new study released by the Foundation for Hospice and Homecare sheds light o...
I used to think multivitamins filled a nutritional gap, but today I think differently. There’s no way that 1.7 mg of any B vitamin will boost energy, or 20 mg of magnesium could improve mood. I’m beginning to realize that multivitamins are an absolute joke. It’d be funny except the joke’s on us, and you spend good money on them. Here’s my rationale: Negligible amounts There are so many nutrients in a multivitamin that the amounts of each become negligible. For example, 1 mg of pyridoxine (B6) doesn’t impact you, metabolically speaking. I...
A series of online trainings on geriatric health care topics will be available beginning in January, 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 Geriatric Education Center, and will offer 10 weeks of trainings from Jan. 5 through March 8, 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, physical and o...
Diabetes drug may help combat fatty liver disease New research published in The Lancet is showing that a drug currently used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes can be effective in clearing fatty liver disease from some patients. The researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK believe that the findings present the possibility of new therapies for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Currently, there are no licensed treatments. The trial was the first of its type t...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s focus: “What topics would you like discussed in 2016 support meetings?” All caregivers should attend and help direct the support program by sharing your training needs and areas of interest to your situation. If you are unable to attend, please call and give your input. Jan. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m.. Jan. 19, Careg...
What are the physical effects of religious faith? A study tracking 20,000 Americans found that white people who attended church regularly lived an average of seven years longer than their counterparts who didn’t go to church. And churchgoing black people lived an average of 14 years longer. The relationship between religious faith and health has been analyzed in thousands of studies in recent years, according to Harold G. Koenig, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University. “People who feel their life is part of a l...
Dear Jonathan: My financial advisor is pestering me to create a trust for the purpose of holding my assets for probate avoidance. However, I am really not interested in creating a trust and I am not all that concerned with having my estate being probated. The only thing that matters to me is that my children get whatever is left of my estate in equal shares, and if my assets have to be probated first before that happens, so be it. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Jonathan Says: Not necessarily; there is no right or wrong answer here. What’s m...
After more than 30 wonderful years as a writer, I have decided to retire. I know what you’re thinking, “He’s much too young to retire.” Okay, so maybe you are not thinking that, but it’s my final column, so would it kill you to work with me here? Thank you. All kidding aside, I have been the beneficiary of a long, rewarding career as a writer and I remain grateful to all newspapers and magazines that considered my work worthy of publication. As “Mr. Modem,” my words of occasional wisdom have appeared in The Reader’s Digest, The Wall St. Journa...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 9 in Juneau, with the meeting videoconferenced at sites around the state. Public attendance is encouraged. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services; Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; the Pioneers’ Home Advisory Board; Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education; the Long Term Care Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services; UAA Geriatrics and the Ala...
The numbers associated with food waste are nothing short of staggering. Americans waste 35 million tons of food per year. This isn't just a loss of food that might otherwise feed us. Growing, harvesting, transporting and storing of that 35 million tons also consumes fuel and degrades our air and water. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the National Resources Defense Council estimate that "as much as 40 percent of the U. S. food supply ends up in a dumpster." This is a 50...
Many of you are convinced that prescription medicine is the best way to heal. As a pharmacist, I would agree with that at times, but not every time. Don't forget that before man pulled the plant from the ground, took it to a lab and attached a synthetic chemical by force to the plant (just to get it patented), we all used Mother Earth. Last week, I did a health segment with television evangelist Pat Robertson on "The 700 Club," and I showed viewers how ancient herbs were used to improve health....
I cannot believe that this year is almost over. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! It is ironic to me that although I have helped so many people in all the years that I have been working with AARP and the Older Persons Action Group this is the first year I will have been alone through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Due to my advanced age I have lost all my friends, who have either moved out of Alaska or are deceased. My small family lives a thousand miles away and will not be...
