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The White House, after an aggressive pushback from seniors, patients, pharmaceutical companies and lawmakers from both parties, recently scrapped most of a proposed plan to limit Medicare coverage for certain classes of drugs including those used to treat depression and schizophrenia. In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed broad changes to the Medicare Part D prescription-drug program that covers medicines for about 39 million beneficiaries. Medicare officials had said the proposal would save money and reduce the...
Alaska’s senior population has grown 7 percent since 2000. The publication Alaska Economic Trends states the number of Alaskans over the age of 70 will grow 60 percent in the next several years. More than 130,000 baby boomers will reach retirement age (65) in Alaska over the next 16 years. (Alaska Economic Trends, 2014). In fact, Alaska ranks first in the nation on a per-capita basis of states with a resident population 65 years or older, according to the Alaska Commission on Aging. As seniors age they become increasingly susceptible to c...
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Senior and Disabilities Services Division has placed a six month moratorium on certifying new agencies which provide personal care assistant (PCA) services funded by Medicaid. Lynne Keilman-Cruiz, Director of Quality for the Division, emphasizes that the moratorium does not affect individuals seeking to enter the program for the first time as personal care assistants. Nor does it affect recipients – clients who are currently receiving PCA services from or through an established agency. Or w...
Visiting family members and friends is a time-honored and valued tradition. Being with others in conversation or in companionable silence, in laughter or even in tears reaffirms our need for connection and belonging. We want to be with people we care about. We need to be with people who care about us. Desire and need are at the heart of every visit. A diagnosis of dementia does not diminish the desire or the need for being with others, but it does change the “how” of a visit. With a progressive dementia like Alzheimer’s disease, gradual chang...
You can’t watch television for more than an hour without being exposed to pleas to use either Viagra or Cialis to deal with erectile dysfunction. Now testosterone is being pushed. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), however, warned of severe dangers in using testosterone supplements. The new research examined more than 8,000 male veterans with low testosterone. Researchers compared the rates of cardiovascular ills among those who had testosterone supplementation and those who had not had supplements. The study found that m...
This month I decided to delve into some Older Persons Action Group archive documents, recently discovered in an old file cabinet. At the beginning of year its 10th year, Senior Voice’s circulation was 6,000 and it was the only newspaper in the state dealing exclusively with senior citizen problems, needs and desires. In 1983, in its first try entering its writers’ work in professional competition, Senior Voice staff submitted three entries to the statewide Alaska Press Women communications con...
If someone in your family needs hospice care, this column explains what it is and what Medicare covers. What is hospice care? Hospice care is a program of care and support for patients who are terminally ill. These patients may no longer want to try to cure a terminal illness, or their doctor may have determined that efforts to cure an illness are not working. To qualify for hospice care, the patient’s regular doctor and a hospice medical director must certify that the patient is terminally ill and has six months or less to live. A decision a...
It’s an alarming and disturbing fact but older veterans have a higher suicide rate than the general public, including returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. In fact, veterans over 50 years of age have a 70 percent higher suicide rate than the non-veteran general population. According to Tom Berger, executive director of the Vietnam Veterans of America national health council and a Vietnam Navy veteran, “You know, ‘We’re just old guys, and we’re going to die, so why pay much attention...
Color-coded tags may signal food’s freshness Scientists have now come up with a color-coded smart tag that can tell consumers whether a carton of milk has turned sour. This technology could also tell you if a can of green beans has spoiled, all without opening the containers. “This tag, which has a gel-like consistency, is really inexpensive and safe, and can be widely programmed to mimic almost all ambient-temperature deterioration processes in foods,” said lead researcher Chao Zhang, who i...
Gov. Sean Parnell has named nine Alaskans to serve on the Medicaid Reform Advisory Group, which was created by the governor to bring in stakeholders and craft a proposal for meaningful reforms to the state’s Medicaid program. Specifically, the group will engage stakeholders such as physicians, specialists, pharmacists, dentists, the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, community health centers and other non-profit health care providers, behavioral health providers, tribal health leaders, veterans affairs, insurers, and c...
In March, the Alaska Medicare Clinic in Anchorage announced the affiliation of Dr. Virginia Haskell and Cynthia McGinty, ANP with the clinic. With this additional staff, the clinic is adding new patients to their service and expanding the ability to see patients with urgent needs on a same day basis. Located in the O’Malley Square building at 11260 Old Seward Highway, the clinic is open Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The clinic offers in-house lab and x-ray services. Call the clinic at 433-5100 to s...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will offer “Savvy Professional” training workshops this month in Ketchikan, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer. Sponsored in part by the Trust Training Cooperative, the workshops are designed for those who have a working knowledge of dementia and are in roles that support individuals, families and/or direct care workers. Learning objectives include: • Compare the current state of one’s personal and organizational practices with those identified as best practice in person centered care. • Identify quality indicators...
Multitalented actress Jane Powell celebrated her 85th birthday in April. She and husband Dick Moore purchased a home in Wilton, Conn., about 30 years ago, dividing their time between Connecticut and New York. "We found this perfect house which was built in 1875 and didn't have to do much remodeling," said Ms. Powell from Wilton. "I love to cook, so we added a new kitchen, built an office in the back and put a gazebo in the garden." And at 85, she could be considered a role model for seniors heal...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting April 30 and May 2 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center in Anchorage. The commission has provided the following draft agenda: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 8:30 a.m. Good Morning & Welcome All! Breakfast snacks will be provided. The public may call in to listen on April 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on May 2 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Public comment is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The toll-free number is 1-800-315...
Anchorage seniors who use the AnchorRIDES transportation program can expect new policies about hours of service and fares effective May 1. Weekday senior transportation service hours will be expanded for the core service area, with the earliest pickups available at 5:45 a.m. and the latest dropoffs at 11:30 p.m. This increases by over six hours the Monday through Friday availability in areas where the pickup and dropoff is within three-quarters of a mile of a bus route. The Municipal Department of Transportation, which administers AnchorRIDES,...
When do you fix a government program that’s not broken? That’s the question many in Washington are asking, after Medicare recently proposed a series of changes to its Part D prescription drug program – a program that, by most everyone’s view, is working very well. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed new rules recently that would fundamentally change the program's private insurance coverage for certain drugs, alter the pharmacy networks that some plans cover and limit the number of policies available to benefic...
You are invited to the Power of Aging in Alaska Symposium on May 1, 2014, at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. This event is sponsored by the Alaska Commission on Aging, in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services, ConocoPhillips, AARP Alaska, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, University of Alaska and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. The purpose of this conference is to provide Alaska’s seniors and those who care about them with the knowledge and tools to have a strong voice and empower seniors to s...
My mom loved her own home - a wooded, two-acre property on a rural country road. She liked caring for her home and relaxing on her small, screened porch with a view of birds at the feeder and flowers in her garden. She liked having friends and family come for visits. Her own dishes, her own bed, her own music, eating when and what she wanted. As her vision declined and she stopped driving, she did think that it would be sensible to find a new home in town where she could walk to the library, hairdresser or grocery. Dad, on the other hand,...
On April 11 and 12 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, 600 West 7th Avenue, the Alaska Dental Society, in collaboration with Anchorage Rotary and over 1,400 volunteers will provide a free clinic for people who have no access to dental care or cannot afford dental care. This is the first year for the Alaska Mission of Mercy. Its goals are to provide free dental care for patients suffering from dental infections or pain; to raise awareness of the increasing difficulty low-income adults and children face in accessing critical dental care; and t...
The calendar says that it is spring but my calendar says , “Where?” Well soon, maybe. I can’t stress this enough, because I have had so many questions about it: If you are on Medicare, you do not have to buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act. You already have insurance. However if you are not on Medicare and do not have health insurance, you cannot get any through the ACA until November 15, 2014, unless you have a qualifying life event such as moving to a new state, have a change in in...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. continues its spring health fairs this month, 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...
“I am shocked — shocked— to find that gambling is going on in here!” This much-paraphrased line of Claude Rains that he said to Humphrey Bogart in the great film Casablanca should be the tagline of this monthly article on Veteran’s healthcare. I am shocked – shocked – to find the federal government has promised more than they can deliver! Yes, I hope you were sitting down when you read that line but sadly for all veterans this is true. It was easy to promise to provide Veterans healthcare coverage for life when the money from taxpaying bab...
Spine patients are often surprised to learn that surgery is not the only option for spinal conditions. As a neurosurgeon with 30 years of experience, I am a firm believer in a holistic approach to spine care that utilizes a team of health care experts including pain management specialists, physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. Some neurosurgeons consider surgery to be a cure-all for any spine condition, but for seniors in particular, alternative approaches can be equally beneficial and may even offer a...
The truth about spring allergies Every year we hear about how it may be the worse allergy season in years. But how true is it and are allergies a big problem than ever before? It turns out that several factors determine the severity of allergy season, such as weather patterns. While allergies are on the rise, affecting more and more Americans every year, each spring isn’t necessarily worse than the last, according to allergist Dr. Michael Foggs, who is the president of the American College of A...
The North American Brain Injury Society and the Alaska Brain Injury Network will join together to host the second quadrennial Alaska Brain Injury Conference at the Anchorage Marriott Hotel, April 30 through May 2. The conference, entitled “Shining a Light on Everyday Heroes; Supporting Brain Injury in Your Community,” will have a strong focus on rural and underserved communities. Attendees will benefit from nationally and internationally recognized authorities on the subject of brain injury research, rehabilitation and long-term care. From gro...
