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The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in December. Support meetings 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. Call with suggestions and ideas for upcoming trainings or follow on Facebook, @KPFCSP. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is...
Dear Savvy Senior: What are the most common scams today that target elderly seniors? My 75-year-old mother has been swindled several times over the past year, so I’m being extra cautious. –Paranoid Patty Dear Patty: Great question. While many scams today are universal, there are certain types of fraud that specifically target older adults or affects them disproportionately. And unfortunately, these senior targeted scams are on the rise. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in 2021 there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resu...
One of the most poignant exercises I have experienced was during hospice training in which participants envision, and write down, four favorite people, four favorite places, four favorite activities and four favorite objects. In the exercise, we strike off these precious parts of our life one at a time, saving the most well-loved until last. The objective is to understand the process of loss, which is an inevitable part of life, and certainly of aging. Most of you reading this will acknowledge that, in the grand scheme of things, we are the...
Q: I own too much stuff, and it is daunting when deciding what to do with everything. None of my children nor grandchildren want my memorabilia, collections, furniture, or vintage kitchenware. Any suggestions? A: For many of us, our homes are full of things we do not need or use anymore. As we get older, it’s not uncommon for our living spaces to start feeling a bit cluttered. From clothes to trinkets to outdated electronics, it can be tough to let go of things we once held dear. We hang onto t...
With the fall and winter holiday season already upon us, we are planning menus and stocking up on ingredients to make family favorites. You may already intentionally plan for leftovers, using "cook once, eat all week" strategies, or you may just know that there will be more potatoes, peas or pie than your nutritionist recommends consuming at one meal. In either case, storing and creatively using the excess may daunt a weary cook. Studies on food waste in America suggest that most households...
Here is some good news for older adults who are worried about long COVID. A new study has found that most people infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus recover within 12 months, regardless of the severity. The study showed that 75% recovered at the 12-month mark after becoming ill with the virus, and 25% of patients still had at least one of the three most common symptoms (coughing, fatigue and breathlessness). Researchers found that patients with persistent symptoms also had antibodies associated with autoimmune illnesses, as well as raised levels...
Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit, is the part of Medicare that covers most outpatient prescription drugs. Part D is offered through private companies as a standalone prescription drug plan (PDP) for those enrolled in Original Medicare. Sometimes a Part D plan's costs change or the plan no longer covers your medications. Today I will discuss how you can review your current plan, or choose to enroll in a new Part D plan. The goal is to ensure you have the lowest cost coverage that...
Walking away from breast cancer Boosting physical activity levels and curbing sitting time are highly likely to lower breast cancer risk, according to a newly published study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The findings were generally consistent across all types and all stages of breast cancer. Observational studies show that physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are linked to higher breast cancer risk, but proving they cause breast cancer is another matter. The researchers used...
PicnicHealth is a business with a new approach to medical studies. It will take the information from your medical history through an online portal and share it with researchers. All of your records, no matter how many times you move, will be organized for your, your doctors’ and researchers’ convenience. The researchers will only receive records stripped of any information that could be used to identify you personally. Outside of that, no one—including your doctor or insurance company—will be able to see your medical records unless you choose...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. 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. Call with suggestions and ideas for upcoming trainings or follow on Facebook, @KPFCSP. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205. You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseni...
Alaska Health Fair is approaching the end of our fall event schedule with our final community events. Nov. 1 and 15, There are two Fairbanks Office Draw dates that are filling fast for Nov. 1 and 15, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., by appointment only. Nov. 5, Talkeetna Community Health Fair at Upper Susitna Senior Center, 16463 E Helena Dr. Covid boosters and flu shots available at Talkeetna, and the Providence Mobile Mammogram available by appointment. Call 907-212-4184 and mention Talkeetna. Nov. 5, Fairbanks University Park Community Health Fair,...
Richard Sewell came to Alaska in 1981 for a job at the Municipality of Anchorage as Regional Economist. He owned a couple of seafood businesses, and subsequently went to work in 2004 for the Dept. of Transportation Division of Statewide Aviation. Recently, he was hired as the Merrill Field Airport Manager in Anchorage. Interested in buying an electric vehicle, like many Alaskans, Richard had questions about how it would work in our cold, remote location. Quite nicely, it turns out. Here are...
Here we go again: another celebrity estate mess. You have probably heard of Anne Heche. Even I knew who she was, and I don’t follow celebrity gossip or go to the movies that often. But even I have seen “Men in Trees”. And anybody who has been to the movies in the last 20 years has probably seen her on the screen. And if you don’t remember seeing her on TV or in the movies, you can’t help but have heard about her stormy personal life. She had significant mental health issues, including one very p...
Senior Voice has been recognized for excellence, winning four awards in the annual contest sponsored by the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA), a nationwide network of publishers focusing on boomer and senior readers. Awards were announced Sept. 12, 2022, at the annual NAMPA conference, held this year in Las Vegas. Entries were independently judged by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri, who gave awards in categories based on the circulation size of the publication. Senior Voice entries...
Dear Editor, Seniors should vote Nov. 8 against a convention to revise our state constitution. We could lose a lot in a convention. Article XII, Section 7 says benefits that state, borough, city and school district retirees have accrued “shall not be diminished or impaired” but, even with that protection, the Retired Public Employees of Alaska has had to sue the state repeatedly to roll back diminishments. The retiree trust funds are underfunded by billions, so in a convention there’d probably be a drive to eliminate that debt by killing the ...
AARP Alaska wants to insure that people in later life have opportunities to contribute to their communities. AARP volunteers serve throughout Alaska and across the nation to create better places for people of all ages. With deep local knowledge, they are well-positioned to make communities more age-friendly. Anchorage’s membership in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities is a commitment to make community improvements over a five-year period. The first two years will be spent engaging the Anchorage community, establishing a t...
Combating seasonal affective disorder (SAD) requires a multi-prong approach that may include light therapy, psychotherapy, antidepressant medications, or vitamin D. Known as "the winter blues," Alaskans face the highest risks due to a lack of light in the winter and now is when treatment needs to begin. In most cases, SAD symptoms start in the late fall or early winter and go away during the spring and summer. This is known as winter-pattern SAD, or winter depression. Some adults may experience...
October is one of our busiest months for Alaska Health Fairs. We continue to provide pre-scheduled appointment-based services to communities and worksites. October community events include many in Anchorage and Fairbanks, plus Delta Junction, Girdwood, Houston, Juneau, North Pole, Prince of Wales Island, Two Rivers and Valdez and lots of worksite events (not listed). We continue to ask for masking of event volunteers and participants, as we work around ever-changing circumstances in our communities, state and nation in a safe and effective...
Another autumn is upon us, and one thing that means is that Medicare's Open Enrollment Period (OEP) will be happening soon. Each year from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, you can make changes to your Medicare sponsored Prescription Drug (also known as Part D) coverage in order to meet your needs for calendar year 2023. As long as you make your decision and request any coverage changes by Dec. 7, then that insurance coverage will be effective, Jan. 1. You may be able to receive better drug coverage at a...
Oct. 18, 2022, is Alaska Day. It marks the formal transfer of Alaska from the Russian Empire to the United States of America. 2022 is the 154th anniversary of this transfer that changed and impacted the history of our state. It is something we can celebrate. We can also celebrate when we take the time to take care of ourselves. A part of this includes making sure we are current on our Medicare enrollment. People do have questions regarding Medicare. It is a large federal health insurance program and can be complex due to the unique needs of...
My name is Denny Darby. I work for the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation as the Resource Coordinator for the state of Alaska. I live in Juneau. My job is to identify people with Parkinson’s disease throughout Alaska, form Parkinson’s support groups whenever possible and support individuals or groups with resources provided by the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. Our services and resources are 100% free. Some of the available resources offered by the Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation include access to a Movement Disorder Specialist (a neurologi...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.com. Support meetings 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. Call with suggestions and ideas for...
Q: Why aren’t assisted living costs covered by my health insurance program? A: When people think about assisted living, they often presume costs are covered by their medical plan. However, as a general rule, traditional employer-based health insurance will not cover daily care over a long period of time. A common misconception is that Medicare extends to long-term care stays. However, Medicare is strictly a health insurance program that covers costs related to illnesses and injuries and, to s...
Fall in Alaska is unpredictable, and usually that means snow and slippery surfaces. It is easy to be distracted when in familiar surroundings, and this creates an accident waiting to happen and we trip, slip, fall or have a scary close call. According to the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2020, Alaska led the nation as the highest-risk state when it came to falls of people over 65 years of age. The U.S. average is 27.1% and Alaska is 36.5%. This means approximately 1 in 3 Alaskans aged 65 and older are falling each year. W...
Hold on, I am getting a message from my knee It is now possible to receive data from your knee about how it is healing. Knee replacements are getting smarter and may improve outcomes, thanks to a new joint component that securely tracks and transmits knee motion data. Physicians are using the data to optimize patient monitoring and recovery. The new component is called the Persona IQ Smart Knee implant. It includes a 10-year battery and sensors that constantly capture long-term postoperative...
