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Is vision loss causing you to have trouble keeping up with activities you used to enjoy? This March in Kodiak, find out how a functional low vision screening and daily living tips can improve your life. Discover specialized magnifiers and other devices as well as safety techniques that can help you enjoy those activities again. The low vision clinic will be held March 4-7 at the Kodiak Senior Center, 302 Erskine Ave. You can schedule a screening at the clinic with Charity Son, Low Vision Coordinator, Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually...
Tomatoes potent in fighting breast cancer Eating a diet rich in tomato and tomato products may help protect against breast cancer. A new study by researchers in Ohio has found that eating a diet high in tomatoes had a positive effect on hormone levels that play a role in regulating fat and sugar metabolism. The researchers conducted a study with older women who were at high risk for breast cancer. “The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, w...
In an effort to encourage more Alaskans to get immunized against the flu, the Alaska Division of Public Health will continue waiving the standard $28 administrative fee for the flu vaccine at all state public health centers in Alaska and at the Municipality of Anchorage Public Health Center. The fee waiver is in effect through the end of March 2014 for certain Alaskans. As of Dec. 28, the state had recorded 242 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu. H1N1, or swine flu, is the dominant strain this season. Protection against the strain is...
Judging by the complaints to the Long Term Care Ombudsman, many Medicare beneficiaries and their families do not realize they have rights during the hospital discharge process. These rights are meant to protect seniors from being discharged from the hospital too soon and from being placed in a facility that cannot meet their care needs. Maybe you don’t need to know your rights as a Medicare beneficiary today, but file this column away for later. It may come in handy. When you are admitted to t...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in February. Because this is National Heart Month, caregiver trainings will focus on being heart healthy. Feb. 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 17, no meeting, President’s Day Feb. 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Training sessions provide 2 hours of C...
For Alaska Native Elders and those with disabilities living in nursing and assisted living homes in Anchorage, the holidays are often spent away from family, friends and loved ones. Thanks to a partnership between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Elder Outreach Program and the Southcentral Foundation (SCF) Waiver Care Coordination Program, along with the generosity of ANTHC and SCF staff, 150 Alaska Native Elders and disabled people received gifts this past holiday season....
Dear Jonathan: I am naming my sister as one of my beneficiaries in my last will and testament. I am signing the will at my home since it is hard for me to get out. I know I need to have two witnesses. My question is whether my sister can act as one of those witnesses. Jonathan Says: It depends upon the law of the state in which you live. Some states allow interested parties, i.e., someone who is named as a beneficiary in the will, to also act as a witness without invalidating the gift to that individual; some states do not. You need to check wi...
The Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is offering a free “Brown Bag” educational series, with guest presentations from various senior-related agencies. The presentations take place on the second Tuesday of each month, noon to 1 p.m., at the Anchorage Dept. of Health and Human Services Bldg., 825 L Street, in the Jewel Jones Conference Room on the fourth floor. Bring a lunch and learn something new. The presentation schedule: Jan. 14, Alaska Legal Services Feb. 11, Medicare Fraud March 11, Alzheimer’s Resource of Alask...
A new study involving several universities indicates that research into the delay of aging would have a better payoff than advances in such fatal diseases as cancer and heart problems. Even modest gains in the scientific comprehension of how to slow the aging process would mean 11.7 million more healthy seniors over age 65 in 2060 than even optimistic advances in cancer and heart research. This is according to analysis by scientists from the University of Southern California, Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Illinois...
Prior to construction of the Alaska oil pipeline, Alaska’s economy was principally financed with federal monies. The federal government still provides substantial funding to the state in the form of federal land control, military personnel and facilities. The federal government also funds veterans health care, Indian health care, Social Security benefits, Medicaid, Medicare benefits, not to mention the Housing and Urban Development agency, environmental protection and other federal agencies. Alaska has always received more federal monies than A...
Beginning with the next issue of Senior Voice, I will contribute a monthly article on veteran health care in Alaska. As a current consumer of VA, Medicare and Tricare, I am in a unique position to report from the ground on the quality of care afforded our senior veterans. Over the course of this year, I will highlight new services, funding (or the lack of) and the delivery of long-earned veteran health care benefits in the hopes of empowering this large and deserving segment of our Alaskan senior family so they may enjoy the health care they...
Advocacy efforts for AARP state offices cover national, state, and local issues in accordance with AARP’s established policy guidelines. While the national office sets priorities for all state offices, each state also has flexibility to define priorities for local issues. Advocacy also goes beyond policy and lawmaking to include development of community coalitions, organized for specific purposes and shared goals. Most significantly, AARP Alaska advocates with the voices of its more than 90,000 members in the state. National priorities S...
Governor Sean Parnell’s refusal to expand Medicaid that would cover 41,000 Alaskans is a bitter pill for older Alaskans. Of the 41,000 people who would have gained health coverage under this opportunity, over 11,000, or nearly 30 percent, are between the ages of 45 and 64. These individuals who are aging but not yet eligible for Medicare are left in a precarious spot if they don’t have other insurance coverage. These are people we know. They are helping to raise their grandchildren or nieces and nephews. They cannot work full time because of...
Early registration is open for a one-day workshop on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, to be offered in February in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Sitka. Sponsored by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, the interactive workshop, titled “Accepting the Challenge,” will feature Teepa Snow, a renowned expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Snow is an occupational therapist currently working as a dementia care and dementia education specialist with an independent practice. She has clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its next series of health fairs (we won’t call them spring health fairs yet) with four events in February, 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/hemat...
Taking care of a parent or aging family member is part of daily life for thousands of Alaskans; it is a task that poses great challenges but also rewards those who accept the challenges with many memorable moments. In a writing contest held by the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, Alaskans were given the opportunity to share some of their most memorable moments while caring for loved ones. Dozens of entries were received from across the state with winners in five age categories and one grand prize winner of 40,000 Alaska Airline miles. The g...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its next series of health fairs (we won’t call them spring health fairs yet) with four events in February, 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/hemat...
It’s the start of a new year, which is a time of review and reflection for many people. Now is also a good time to look at the Medicare changes that will happen this year, and a good time to talk about Medicare as an important source of health coverage for readers who’ll be turning 65. Q. What will 2014 bring for Medicare beneficiaries in terms of changes in out-of-pocket costs? While prices for everything seem to go up every year, the good news for Medicare beneficiaries is that premiums for Medicare Part B will remain the same for 2014, holdi...
Lowering your risk for dementia A good New Year’s resolution may be to simply exercise more and make sure you do not have high blood pressure. Just taking those two simple steps may significantly help lower your risk for developing dementia. It’s rare to hear good news about dementia. But that’s what a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective article is now reporting. The article discusses several recent studies that show dementia rates in older adults are on the decline. It is believed to be...
How much information can the human brain absorb? The answer may be put to the test at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center’s Third Annual Brain Olympics, Jan. 15. The event has proved very popular and gets bigger every year, organizers say. This year’s schedule is chock-full of special speakers giving presentations on a variety of brain-related topics: • “Music as Therapy: How Music Rocks Your Brains,” Laura Debenham, MSW • “Thoughts About the Brain,” Shirley Fraser, MD, neurologist • “Let’s Talk About Memory,” Marilyn McKay, Education Specia...
Only six percent of centenarians say they wished they had more money. This is indeed surprising because most people don’t expect to live to age 100, so many have run short of retirement savings before reaching this advanced age. This small proportion who indicated they were okay financially was among the findings in a survey conducted last spring by the GFK Roper firm for UnitedHealthcare insurance company. Having a longer life doesn’t mean having a longer list of regrets either. When asked what these centenarians would have done differently if...
More than once have my well-intentioned suggestions for maintaining health been dismissed as not worth the effort. Even my wonderful mother, at 89 years, will sometimes say, “I don’t care if I live longer so stop telling me to exercise and eat right.” Other things I’ve heard are “we’ve all got to go some time” and “getting old is just a natural part of life so why resist it.” One of my latest suggestions to mom was that she improve her sleep. Living longer maybe isn’t the goal but living well while you are here certainly is worth some attentio...
Menopause, or change of life – as women become too old to bear children – can frequently be an agonizing and stressful time. But did you know there is male menopause? It’s one of the “most under-diagnosed” ailments among older men, according to Dr. Charles Cartwright of Urology Associates of Lake County, Florida. Cartwright is part of a group of central Florida urologists who have been trying to find new and better treatments for male menopause. He has diagnosed and treated hundreds of cases in his practice. As men age, their productio...
Time is running short December 7 is the last day you can change your plan for the Medicare drug program Part D, unless you are also on Medicaid or new to Medicare or need financial help. Some good news regarding Medicare costs The good news is that the 2014 Medicare premium, for those whose annual income is under $85,001, will be the same $104.90 and the Part B deductible will be the same $147 as in 2013. More about the insurance ‘Marketplace’ If you are on Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare, Ind...
