Sorted by date Results 1688 - 1712 of 2084
The 23rd annual Stand Down for Veterans in Need will be held on Friday, October 23, at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, North Terminal. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to officials, “Stand Down is an annual program to provide ‘Veterans in Need’ with various types of assistance to include but not limited to medical, dental and vision screening, housing assistance, employment assistance, and financial assistance.” “We’ll have more than 50 social service agencies, including federal organizations, State of Al...
No more reading glasses? It may now be possible to get rid of your reading glasses permanently. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now approved a new inlay procedure that can correct presbyopia. This is a condition that develops around age 40 and involves the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Until now, you had to wear reading glasses, bifocals or undergo surgical procedures. The problem with the surgical procedures were that they could compromise a person’s d...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in October. This month’s topic is “Proper Body Mechanics and Back Safety.” Oct. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, 5 p.m. Oct. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Cente...
Long-time Anchorage fitness expert and frequent Senior Voice contributor Bonnie Murphy has released her book, "Young Longer: Functional Fitness to Renew Your Strength, Balance, and Energy for Your Best Years Yet." Murphy, a certified Functional Aging Specialist from the Functional Aging Institute, says she wrote and published the book in partnership with the Institute to help seniors learn about the benefits of "functional" training and learn how to do the workouts themselves, in their homes. Fu...
Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center and Services in Anchorage is expanding its DEAP program to seniors in the Mat-Su Valley, thanks to a grant from United Way. The program provides small grants, up to $900, for dental emergency care for seniors age 55 and older who do not have insurance coverage for dental work. Applicants must meet maximum income guidelines, but do not have to be members of the Mabel T. Caverly program. Payments are made to the service providers. The program used to also cover eyeglasses, hearing aids and prescriptions, but...
I have traveled with my mother when she was sighted and then not, and I wish this book, "Planes, Canes and Automobiles," had been available to me after she was hit with temporal arteritis, a rare autoimmune disease where the temporal arteries are destroyed, often causing blindness. The author, Valerie M. Grubb, first started traveling with her mother when she was 64 and continued for the next 20 years. It's true that as we age we become more set in our ways, so making travel plans with someone...
Editor’s note: Staying on top of breaking news can be challenging in a monthly newspaper. Here’s the most recent information available when this edition went to press. The Alaska Legislature announced Aug. 18 it will sue the governor to block Medicaid expansion, calling the decision the Legislature’s to make. Legislators also said they want more time to study the issue. Governor Walker has said he plans to expand Medicaid in September for two main reasons: 1) to meet the health care needs of Alaskans without coverage, and 2) to bring milli...
Heroin is killing Alaskan children and grandchildren at alarming rates, and unless we do something to address the problem now, it will only get worse. Heroin-related deaths in Alaska tripled between 2008 and 2013. In 2012, the rate of heroin overdose deaths was 42 percent higher than the national rate. Alaskans are no strangers to the heroin and opiate abuse crisis killing Alaskan’s children and grandchildren. We read reports weekly of heroin seizures, ruined lives, overdose deaths and grieving families. Recently, we read that heroin is t...
Typical estate planning techniques involve bequeathing wealth and valuables from one generation to the next. Many people, however, view wealth as something more than money and possessions. Their view is that some of the most valuable items one can pass on can not be measured financially. Wealth, for them, includes passing on guiding principles, blessings, spiritual beliefs, and family stories. If this is true for you, consider the benefits of writing an ethical will in addition to a traditional will of inheritance. Ethical wills have a long...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. kicks off their fall series of health fair around the state this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These 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...
September, what a terrible month with the loss of the David Letterman and Jon Stewart shows. Well, now I can get to bed an hour earlier. We could be paying much less Why do Americans pay a lot more for prescription drugs than people in other advanced countries or even those with certain private insurance plans? In case you don’t know, Medicare is not allowed to negotiate with drug companies to get lower prices, according to the Part D prescription drug program. This is one of the reasons I w...
You are probably asking yourself, what is functional fitness and how does that differ from any other type of fitness program? Functional fitness by definition is: movements and programs that lead to greater enhancement in performance or human function. If you compare functional movements with traditional weight training, you’ll find that they are entirely different and functional fitness can and will enhance your everyday activities because in functional fitness training we do things that simulate daily tasks. Traditional weight training r...
Much has been written about the governor’s attempt to expand Medicaid in Alaska and the debate has yet to be settled. While I am sure some of the stakeholders like the working poor, social service non-profits, medical providers, and small businesses are in support of the expansion, seniors and veterans are the big losers. I have been admonished that it is selfish of me to deny coverage to someone who cannot afford health insurance when I have coverage. This line of justification does not wash w...
Iodine is not just for your thyroid and there’s mass confusion on this topic. Iodine is used all over your body, in all of your organs, especially your breasts and prostate (if you have those). The truth is trillions of cells have a receptor site for iodine and need it, and sadly, many of you are starving yourself of iodine because you assume it is radioactive. Natural iodine is not radioactive, that is silly. It is as natural (and needed) as other minerals like magnesium, lithium, potassium, selenium, etc. Natural iodine is not the same as r...
You are not getting older, you are getting better New research is suggesting that blood vessels can actually get better with age and arteries adapt to oxidative stress caused by aging. These new findings contradict earlier theories and they may point to new ways to improve heart health and extend successful aging. Oxidative stress is thought to be the main cause of many age-related diseases. It has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in September. This month’s topic is “Medication Management.” Sept. 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 10, Caregiver support meeting at Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, 5 p.m. Sept. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. Sept....
Join hundreds of walkers to recognize those who have survived cardiovascular disease, remember those we have lost, celebrate our own pledges to live a healthy lifestyle and support a meaningful cause, Sept. 26 in Anchorage. Participation is free; donations welcome. The event takes place downtown on the Delaney Park Strip (near N Street). Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the Walk begins at 10. Other activities will include health checks, a concert with a live band, scavenger hunt, Kids Zone, more. Call the American Heart Association, 865-5300 or...
Doctors are different than you and I. They know how to die. They do not tell family and colleagues to do “everything you can” to save them. This may surprise you, but doctors often choose less end-of-life care for themselves than the average patient – an important lesson for seniors as they discuss end-of-life care decisions with family members. In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers Medicare, announced it will change its longstanding policy and begin reimbursing doctors and other health professionals,...
Dear Jonathan: My wife and I know the importance of each of us having a durable power of attorney for health care, so each of us has one. However, we own all of our assets jointly, so we know we don’t have a probate problem and we really don’t see the need to have a will, a trust, or even a durable power of attorney for financial matters. Do you agree? Jonathan Says: No. Let’s take a look at why a will and trust are important. First of all, you are partially correct when you say that you don’t have a “probate problem” because you and your wife...
Editor’s note: This press release was received July 14. On the 50th Anniversary of the Older Americans Act (OAA), The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — is calling on Congress to reauthorize this vital legislation, which supports programs and services for approximately 11 million individuals and their families. Through a national network of aging services and funding, the OAA offers a wide range of supports, including home-delivered and congregate meals,...
Millions of seniors are struggling to put food on the table, a dramatic spike in the problem, according to two new reports. Despite the recent uptick in the U.S. economy, an astonishingly large number of Americans – 9.6 million over the age of 60 – could not reliably buy or access food at least part of the year. That’s one in every six older men and women. And those numbers are much lower than the reality. Analysts say that large groups of seniors aren’t even being included in those numbers because it’s hard to reach them to find out they aren...
9 fires have been identified around Alaska this season, with about 27 of the fires worked by firefighters. The degree of challenge and loss Alaskan seniors have experienced is as varied as our geography. Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Keys subdivision area near Sterling was heavily affected by fires, including many seniors being evacuated from their homes, according to Sandy Clark-Bailey at the Sterling Senior Center. The center offered a place to hang out, she said, and the Sterling Community...
We had been having a wonderful summer and I always expect a colorful autumn here in Anchorage. That is, the summer started out well, but I had an unexpected problem. I wasn’t feeling well and when a friend stopped in to see me, I must have looked very bad because he immediately called 911. The EMTs thought I needed to go to the hospital and that is where I ended up. I was standing next to a nurse, who for some reason was holding on to me. She let go and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor,...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The August meeting is Aug. 12, hosted by Mountain-Pacific Quality Health at an off-site location. Begins at 8 a.m. For location information, please RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group at 276-1059....
