Sorted by date Results 1958 - 1982 of 2084
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...
If you need to sit down face-to-face with a certified Medicare counselor, there will be a “Last Chance Medicare Prescription Enrollment Clinic” at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, December 2 and 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The address is 3200 Providence Drive (Elevator A to HIM training room near the Subway sandwich shop). There also will be a clinic at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If those times don’t work for you, call the Medicare Information Office at 269-3680 in Anchorage or toll-free from anywh...
Most people take for granted the ability to communicate through speech and gesture. From birth, much of our life is dedicated to first acquiring the ability to speak, and then improving it through continual use. The “Matthews Effect” explains how the more you read the better your reading skills become. Repetition is the guiding light to learning to speak, as we learned as infants and has been reinforced throughout our lives. For a stroke victim, at a time when he or she is already disoriented and afraid, the loss or impairment of language is...
SENIOR VOICE STAFF A series of online trainings will be available beginning in January, sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), UAA Office of Health Programs Development, and the Trust Training Cooperative. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatric Education Center, and will offer 10 weeks of trainings from January 7 through March 11, 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...
Cranberries and chronic infections Go ahead and have an extra helping of cranberries over this holiday season. The latest studies show that cranberries pack a major nutritional punch and may help prevent chronic infections. In addition, researchers are now proposing the use of cranberry derivatives for preventing bacterial colonization in medical devices such as catheters. Cranberries are among one of the healthiest fruits and their history can be traced back to Native Americans who used to eat...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in December: Dec. 3, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “Living Old: Modern Realities of Aging”. Dec. 10, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 11, Peer support meeting at Seward Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m Dec. 23, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. “The Power of Forgiveness.” Dec. 31, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Note: the Homer Support Group w...
Imagine your family is far away. Strangers bathe and dress you, but you’ve had a stroke, so it is hard to explain that your roommate is stealing your things. You’re a senior in a long term care home. You need someone to speak for you. You need an ombudsman. The best kind of ombudsman is the one who lives nearby and visits your home often. The ombudsman will get to know you and take the time to listen to your concerns. She or he can step in, with your permission, and work out solutions that mee...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 11 and 12 in Anchorage. The first day will be an orientation for new commission members at the BP Energy Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Dec. 12, the meeting takes place at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Public attendance is encouraged. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services; Senior Benefits program; Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education; A...
Q. How can I upload a video from my iPhone or iPad to YouTube? Do I have to save it to my computer first and if so, in what format? A. If you create a video using your iPhone or iPad, you do not need to save it to a computer in order to place it on YouTube. Simply tap the Send button (the square with a little arrow), then tap the YouTube option. Q. Sometimes I long for the days of the floppy disc because they had labels on which I could write the disk’s contents. These days I use several USB flash drives which are too small to write anything o...
Seniors in Yakutat and Saxman will soon have new staff available to help link them with supportive services, thanks to federal funding. Catholic Community Services announced in early October that HUD had allocated funding to the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority to hire "service coordinators" in Yakutat and Saxman to work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with services available in their community. The goal is to promote independent living and aging-in-place....
"Our objective is helping people to live as independently as they would like. Confidence is our goal." Lowell Zercher, Manual Skills Instructor for the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, chooses these words to explain the mission of the center. "We want our clients to be involved in life, to meet their life and work goals and contribute their talents to others, to the community." Lowell has worked at the center in Anchorage for 14 years. He is often found in the shop at the...
We seniors are natural scam targets and very susceptible to fraud. As we get older we are less likely to consider the downside of the financial risks – we are more apt to look at the upside. We are less critical in our decision making, which makes us vulnerable. The scammers are perceived as trustworthy helpers. They may be a family member, financial advisor or another senior. The National Council on Aging, AARP and OPAG suggest you watch out for the following scams: Prescription drug scams. Seniors often take a myriad of prescription medicatio...
“It was hard to see him go, he could hardly speak. I was so glad to have him here at home. One night I watched the kitty jump up on the bed near his head and Dick said very clearly ‘Hi Zackie.’ I knew then Dick knew he was home”. – June Juelson, widow of Richard Juelson, Anchorage. At any age, we must all face the possibility of a serious illness that we or our family and friends will not survive. Hospice helps patients and families focus on living by offering a family-centered team of trained professionals who provide care in the home, hos...
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, I've had several wake-up calls about safe food handling practices (actually these were calls to my Cooperative Extension Service office where I was not sleeping). Within a period of a couple days, I received calls requesting information about two separate types of food-borne illness or food poisoning. One was a fairly common culprit – salmonella from chicken. The other – a very rare case in Alaska though more common in the Lower 48 – toxop...
I bring you some details about the Medicare Part D drug program for 2014. Enrollment started October 15th and will continue until Dec. 7, 2014. The lowest premium is $12.50 per month but there is a deductible of $310 with that plan, which you must pay before the insurance kicks in. There are 25 different plans with the prices for the monthly premium running from the aforementioned $12.50 up to $136. You can see a chart of the Alaska Medicare Part D plans for 2014 on page 10 of the November...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. winds up its fall series of health fair events 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 panels 27 di...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in November: Nov. 5, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “Guide to a Restful Sleep”. Nov. 12, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 14, Caregiver training at Homer Friendship Center, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Topic: Holiday stress Nov. 25, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. “Sunset Story: Change the Way You Think About Aging.” Nov. 27, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center,...
In observance of Alzheimer’s Awareness month, Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will be offering free, confidential memory screenings at the following locations: Anchorage Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Rd., November 19, 1 to 5 p.m. Anchorage Senior Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave., November 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fairbanks ADRAA Office (by appointment), Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valdez Connecting Ties Office, 128 Chenega St., November 19, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Palmer ADRAA Office, November 19, 10 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Juneau Junea...
Adding more pumpkin to your diet may have beneficial effects This month a new crop of seasonal nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable “superfoods” will be harvested. Superfoods increase our overall wellness and nutrition, and help support a healthy lifestyle. Nutritionists say November is a good time to try new recipes with pumpkins, cranberries and pomegranates. “Superfoods are brimming with nutrients and antioxidants,” said Kari Kooi, who is a registered dietician at Houston Methodist Hospita...
