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The Social Security Administration partners with locations throughout Alaska to offer a secure video service option. Video service is a convenient and no-cost way for people to talk directly to a Social Security employee through a secure computer link that includes two-way video and sound. The video service locations are available at: In Nome, Norton Sound Health Corporation, located at 1000 Greg Kruschek Ave. Video service is available for walk-ins on a first come, first served basis, on the second and fourth Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai...
The 33rd Alaska Legislature concluded its first year of the two-year session on May 18—one day after its 121-day constitutional regular session limit. The governor called a special session, asking the legislature to agree to a balanced budget funding state services and permanent fund dividends (PFD) for fiscal year 2024 beginning July 1, 2023. The budget impasse during the regular session focused on the size of the PFD. The Senate Majority favored a 25/75 split of the annual 5% Percent of Market Value (POMV) draw of the Permanent Fund E...
"Ah, look at all the lonely people." -The Beatles You hear him talk or you read his words and you think, "Now, this guy's a real mensch." It's all the more amazing considering that Dr. Vivek Murthy has served as the 19th and 21st surgeon general of the United States under Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden. That's right, a high-level bureaucrat and a good soul. Dr. Murthy just released a ground-breaking study entitled, "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation." Just plug that title into your...
Q: I will be moving to a smaller apartment soon and am not sure if I should take my dog with me. What do you think? A: Our relationship with animals is an interchangeable one, as they can provide a source of comfort and support for us, and we give love and attention in return. They create opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities, better cognitive function in older adults, and more occasions to socialize with others. Research has found that animals reduce our stress and anxiety, and the...
Adopting some self-care techniques may reap huge health benefits. Self-care is defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself. It is about taking the time to really understand your true needs beyond just impulses. We all engage in some form of self-care daily with food choices, exercise, sleep, reading, and so forth. However, self-care also involves a person's spiritual and social well-being. Origins and concepts The concept of self-care has ancient...
Medicare includes Part D, the prescription drug benefit, offered through private health insurance companies. Each prescription drug plan meets federal requirements as managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Insurance companies enter into agreements with both drug manufacturers and drug distribution networks. Some of the costs associated with Part D drug coverage are: Premium: The monthly amount that you pay to your Part D plan for coverage. Premiums vary by plan, and the...
As we joyfully bask in the extended daylight hours of the Land of the Midnight Sun this July, let’s not forget that this month is also UV Safety Month. We Alaskans cherish our unique summers but it’s crucial to remember that the risk of harmful UV radiation exposure is real and can increase, especially for those enjoying the outdoors or planning trips to sunnier locales. Exposure to UV radiation, whether from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds, can cause significant health issues. It’s the leading cause of skin cancer, inclu...
New pill may help prevent knee and hip replacements A new study is suggesting that a low dose of colchicine may be associated with lower incidences of both total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries. The analysis, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests this might be a simple and safe way of lowering the risks for knee and hip replacements. Osteoarthritis is an increasingly common joint disease that can be associated with low-grade inflammation in response to...
Do you know an Anchorage senior living in a household having difficulty paying a utility bill? Starting up again on July 1, the Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) may be able to help. We all know sometimes life just isn’t easy and doesn’t always go the way we want. Dealing with the unexpected is difficult and can sometimes impact our ability to pay the bills. The Anchorage ADRC may be able to help. If you find yourself in a hardship situation, are an Anchorage resident (residing between Girdwood and Chugiak), age 60 years or...
Family Caregiver Support Programs offer free support meetings to allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, or support someone who is a caregiver. If you are helping a family member or friend by being a caregiver, learn what kind of help is available. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, S...
Why should I get screened for lung cancer? Current and former smokers have a higher risk for lung cancer. Screening could save our life by catching lung cancer early when it’s more likely to be treatable. Who can get screened for lung cancer? If you meet all the criteria below, you are eligible for lung cancer screening: Age 50 to 80 years old Have a 20-pack year history of smoking, such as smoking one pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years, or two packs per day for 10 years Currently smoke cigarettes or quit smoking within the past 15 y...
Staying active is crucial for physical and mental health. Walking is a low-impact exercise that provides numerous health benefits. As we all head outdoors for our walks, we need to take every chance we can to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Know your route Like going on a drive across country, a walk across the neighborhood means first picking the right route. Use well-lit paths and trails. Look for routes with pathways separated where possible and stick to the main routes so you...
In May, the Juneau AARP Community Action Team (CAT) and the Juneau Commission on Aging (JCOA) joined forces to celebrate National Older Americans Month with three listening sessions to gather information for Age-Friendly Juneau. Earlier this spring Juneau became the second Alaska Age-Friendly community, joining the AARP Age-Friendly Network shortly after Anchorage. Co-chairs of Age-Friendly Juneau, Dr. Emily Kane (cChair of the Juneau Commission on Aging) and Linda Kruger (lLead for the AARP Juneau Community Action TeamAT), announced the...
First, I'm going to tell you a true story. Then we'll talk about how your public transit driver can pick you up and take you where you want to go for free, or sometimes for just a buck or two. In the late 1990s Christy (my wife) and I lived for nearly a year in Huntsville, Alabama, while I did research for a book I was writing. On weekdays she took our car to her job, and I took a city bus to the law office where I was doing the research. After a few months I got to know the bus drivers pretty...
The LGBTQ+ organization, SAGE Alaska, is now Alaska Rainbow Elders, or ARE for short. This change was made at the request of the national organization, SAGE USA, hoping it would encourage all its partners to concentrate on issues unique to their area. Under the new structure, ARE continues to partner with SAGE USA but will no longer use its name or logo. It will retain access to SAGE USA’s many resources. Alaska Rainbow Elders was created after using community input to guide the rebranding. ARE joined the national SAGE USA in 2016, having opera...
What does it mean to be a Livable Community? As defined by the AARP Livable Communities project, a Livable Community supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and rural areas to be great places for people of all ages. Communities should supply safe, walkable streets, affordable housing, safe transportation options, access to needed services and opportunities for residents of all ages to take part in community life. How does that translate to life in Anchorage? This is the first in a...
Q: When I was younger, my uncle gave me a copy of his manuscript detailing his life. Now in my advanced years, I am thinking about writing my own life summary. Where do I start? A: Chronicling your story can be a way to leave memories for your family, record information for historical purposes, or just be remembered. It can be a way to capture your lifetime of experiences, lessons learned, failures, triumphs, and share memorable moments with others. While a written legacy may seem daunting, it...
Most of us seniors have grown into adulthood "knowing" that total cholesterol levels over 200 "cause" premature death from cardiovascular disease. Like most medical facts, the truth is complex, nuanced and dependent on multiple variables. It is intuitively obvious that cardiovascular disease is more complex than the number 200. I hope we can agree on that. I have a family of Finnish patients who are hearty athletes (the type that skin up the mountain for spring skiing long after the lifts are...
Mental health care can diagnose and treat mental illnesses or mental health conditions. A mental illness or mental health condition may affect your thinking, feeling or mood. Examples of mental health conditions include depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. Some also consider addiction, like opioid use disorder and alcoholism, to be mental health conditions. Mental health conditions are typically not the result of any single event or circumstance. Rather, they are complicated conditions involvi...
In 2018, Medicare updated the Medicare card from containing a person's Social Security number to a random identifier that includes numbers and letters. That was the last time the card was updated and there is no plan to update it again. What does the card look like? The card from Medicare is a paper card that has a blue banner on the top, a white middle, and a red banner on the bottom. However, you can print your own in black and white. Examples of Medicare card scams Someone calls you...
June is Men’s Health Month, a time to raise awareness about the unique health issues men face and to encourage early detection, treatment and prevention. Alaska Health Fair, Inc. is proud to support this important initiative, and we’re here to help you take control of your health. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of men’s health and highlight the blood tests we offer that can help detect potential health problems. Men’s health issues can often go unnoticed or undiagnosed, which is why it’s crucial to prioritize regular checkups an...
Forget about dieting. A new electrical “pill” may be able to regulate a person’s appetites without any drugs or invasive medical procedures. It is a promising advance in treating eating disorders and other medical conditions that benefit from adjusting someone’s food intake. Developed by a research team from NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the pill has been dubbed FLASH. It delivers electrical impulses to the stomach lining once it’s sw...
COVID-19 transmission continues to occur in many communities across Alaska, although overall case counts continue to slowly decline, according to state officials who are tracking the virus. Most COVID-19 infections in Alaska at this time are caused by viruses belonging to either the XBB.1.5 lineage or to BQ lineages. While many infections with the virus that causes COVID-19 are not detected or reported, changes over time in the number of reported cases still provide useful information about the...
The term "malnutrition" is used when a person has an inadequate diet. This diet does not allow them to obtain the necessary nutrients for their body and organs to function properly. In older adults, malnutrition manifests itself in increased fatigue due to a lack of vitamins and minerals. The body seeks to maintain the rhythm of a healthy organism and uses energy reserves to function properly. Changing needs Due to the changes in this stage of life, older adults have different nutritional...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) organizes caregiver support meetings around the state, including Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau/Southeast, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Mat-Su Valley, Seward, Sitka, Soldotna, Talkeetna, Willow. Call 1-800-478-1080 for details. ARA also hosts a statewide call-in meeting on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of every month, 1 to 2 p.m. For information, call Gay Wellman, 907-822-5620 or 1-800-478-1080. The Homer caregiver support group meets at the Homer Senior Center on the second and fourth T...
