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Masks facts and Fiction The issue of wearing a mask is different for older adults who have several medical conditions they are managing. It is not a matter of choice but of necessity. Now, scientists have a better idea of what masks can and cannot do during the current wave of the pandemic. An international research team developed a new theoretical model to better assess the risks of spreading viruses such as COVID-19, with and without a face mask. The results show how the standard ‘safe’ distance of 6 feet does not always apply but varies gre...
April is a busy month for all Alaskans. Many of you are getting excited to be able to gather in outside groups for lots of fresh air and sunshine, hiking, biking, walking (with no ice cleats), camping, recreation, sports and other healthy activities. Alaska Health Fair and the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services are teaming up for your health. We are pleased to offer free A1C screenings for those who qualify, while supplies last, and free resources on diabetes and prediabetes and a free membership in the Omada Health...
Preventive care is the care you receive to prevent illness, detect medical conditions and keep healthy. A service is considered preventive if you have no prior symptoms of the disease. In contrast, diagnostic services address symptoms or conditions that you already have. Today we will discuss how Medicare covers preventive care. Medicare Part B covers many preventive services, such as screenings, vaccines, and counseling. A list of these services is available at: https://www....
The approaching spring is bringing changes not only to Alaskan landscapes, but also to the public benefits many elderly and disabled Alaskans receive. Some of these changes have already occurred, creating substantial impact on the benefits’ recipients. Others will take place with the end of the public health emergency, currently anticipated in mid-April. More people are entitled to SNAP (Food Stamps) than those currently receiving the benefit Many elderly and disabled live with their relatives, which, in turn, has a substantial impact on t...
Hidden brain benefits come with pet ownership Owning a pet, like a dog or cat, especially for five years or longer, may be linked to slower cognitive decline in older adults, according to a new study. In fact, having a dog for more than 10 years may have important brain benefits. “Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said study author Dr. Tiffany Braley with the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann...
It was Benjamin Franklin who wrote, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” And this April is no different. As Tax Day nears, Americans are preparing their IRS filings, just as they do every year. But what about that other certainty, death? April is Advance Care Planning Month and the 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day. This year, Hospice of Anchorage wants to encourage all Alaskans to consider not only their taxes, but also their death. Death and disability sometimes arrive suddenly, but often the...
I became alarmed when what I thought could become treasured gifts to my grandchildren might turn into indecipherable codes by the time they received them. Back in 2013, it was called to my attention three times in less than a week that cursive handwriting was on the way to becoming obsolete. Since before each grandchild was born – Harlen in 2006 and Amelia in 2009 – I have kept a journal for them. Written in cursive. The plan is to give these diaries to them when they turn 18 or graduate from hi...
Have you ever wondered who organizes Creek Cleanup? Perhaps you have seen people taking water samples along local creeks and tried to figure out what they were doing. Have you been concerned about something along a creek and wondered who to contact? Are you curious about who is behind all those Scoop the Poop messages? The answer is the Anchorage Waterways Council (AWC), and it's been doing all this and more for nearly 40 years. AWC was established in 1985 by a group of citizens and officials...
On April Fool’s Day, no kidding, Canada will drop the requirement that travelers entering Canada either through airports or land borders prove they have a pre-arrival COVID-19 test result. But only for those fully vaccinated. This is a big sigh of relief for Alaskans whose towns and villages are so close to the international border that residents can only access a road out through Canada or for whom a Canadian city is the closest place to shop, go to for medical services. But wait, there might be a catch. Travelers arriving to Canada from a...
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The Act established requirements for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards and prohibits federal agencies from accepting licenses and ID cards from states that do not meet the requirements. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline to obtain a Real ID has been extended to May 3, 2023. At that time, your non-compl...
A couple of years ago we had a normal life. Since then, we’ve had a pandemic. No matter what our life was like then, it is now more isolated, more lonely, more expensive, more fearful. When do we get back to normal? I have wishful thinking, but that is a far cry from an informed discussion. For that, we’ll have to turn to some public health folks who do not offer hard and fast recipes to make a determination, but do offer some interesting ways to think about the question. Anne Zink, MD, is Chief Medical Officer for the Alaska Department of Hea...
The Alaska Legislature began the second of a two-year session on January 18, 2022, hitting the ground running since members were already seated in their committees and leadership positions (unlike the 2021 delay in getting organized into majority and minority caucuses). Bills introduced last session are still potentially in play, in addition to this year’s crop of bills, both pre-filed before session and introduced since the start. AARP Alaska advocacy staff and volunteers have spent the interim since last session watching and participating i...
Q: What are my chances of finding work over age 60? A: Amid the disruptive loss of jobs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been one counterbalancing force: An urgent demand for older professionals to return to work from retirement or a career break. Employers have historically viewed this group of potential employees with skepticism, a perception that their skills have deteriorated or become obsolete or that they are overqualified, require long ramp-up times, lack commitment to the...
Editor's note: This story has been updated, with corrections. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and there are ways you can help find a cure. We are at the age when we know of someone who is suffering or has died from colon cancer, and wished there was a better means of detection. Now Alaska seniors can take part in research. What are clinical trials? Let's look at what clinical research is and how you can participate. For the questions you should ask before signing up please...
Hello, my name is Lee Coray-Ludden, I am a Medicare counselor based at the Soldotna Senior Center. I serve Southeast Alaska, and anywhere else in Alaska that my skills can be of use. I almost feel like I am traveling Alaska having worked with people in Nome, Soldotna, Kodiak and of course the many communities of Southeast Alaska. I travel by phone, not by plane or boat. I am trained through SHIP (Alaska State Health Insurance Program) and coordinate with them. I have lived in Alaska since 1969, and on the Kenai Peninsula since 1974. Give me a...
Medicare-related decisions can be quite challenging, especially when you or your spouse areabout to turn age 65, during your Initial Enrollment Period. The decisions can be even more complicated when you have other health insurance coverage. Deciding if and when to enroll in the various parts of Medicare, when you are first eligible, is an important choice, including how to avoid potential penalties or gaps in coverage. Most people enroll into Medicare Part A (hospitalization insurance) as this...
Finding your best food plan and sticking to it will prolong your life and greatly increase your wellbeing. It's hard to be cheerful with a distressed gut. Gut and brain tissue originates from the same embryonic cells in utero. Healthy gut function includes a good appetite with an accurate sense of satiety to prevent over-eating. Healthy digestion features lack of pain or bloating after meals. Eat calmly and chew your food thoroughly. Generally, it takes 18 to 24 hours for food to be fully...
It’s a new era when it comes to robotics. Researchers are reporting that a robot has performed laparoscopic surgery without the guiding hand of a human. Designed by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) can provide a host of potential benefits. “Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery, the reconnection of two ends of an intestine. The STAR performed the procedure in four animals and it pro...
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. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in March at the locations below. Training is from 1 to 2 p.m., with support group meetings following, 2 to 3 p.m. This month’s training features presentation and discussion of a DVD, “the Family Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease.” March 3, Sterling Senior Center March 1...
March is a busy month for all Alaskans and spring is just around the corner, so many of us are experiencing “spring fever”. Mother Nature gives us little hints that we don’t have long to wait, such as increasing daylight, warmer temperatures, more outdoor gatherings. Then, she mixes the wonderful prospect of seeing more friends and family as we get out and about with spring thaw, greener pastures and wildlife returning. Alaska Health Fair asks that you make or take time to see to your own and other family members’ health needs before you get bu...
Dear Savvy Senior: How effective is the shingles vaccine and what is the CDC recommendation for getting it? My older brother and sister, both in their fifties, got COVID a few months back followed by shingles. Do you know if there is a connection between these viruses, and would the shingles vaccine have protected them? - Scared of Shingles Dear Scared: Great question. Many healthcare professionals across the country have been urging their older patients to get the shingles vaccine (in addition to the COVID-19 vaccinations) during the pandemic...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska (ARA) is teaming up with University of Alaska Anchorage and Anchorage’s improvisational comedy troupe, Scared Scriptless, to bring a new opportunity to family caregivers of someone with dementia. This free six week, in-person class will teach the principles of improv comedy to improve communications with a loved one. Participants do not have to be an actor, or even be “funny,” but instead this program will teach communication techniques that are used in improv and are considered best-practices in dementia caregiv...
While the chances of action begin as slim at best, House Democrats recently reintroduced a Social Security reform bill designed to give lawmakers a few more years to figure out how to fix the long-term solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds, among other things. Right now, those trust funds – the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI), which pays retirement and survivor benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund, which pays disability benefits, are both scheduled to run out of money in just 13 years. At that time ...
African American older adults are disproportionately affected by diabetes, which affects more than 10% of African American adults. Without proper management, diabetes may increase the risk for other diseases including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. One way to understand this concept is to think about how sticky sugar becomes when you caramelize it in a frying pan. This is the same process that occurs in our arteries, since the average...
Bianca Rauch has been a hospice chaplain in Anchorage for many years. In this interview she talks about Valentine's Day, the loss of loved ones, grief and remembering. Valentine's Day is coming up. This is an especially difficult day, I assume, for those grieving for a loved one. What do you tell them? Chaplain Rauch: Valentine's Day is just one event, one day that may be difficult among many. There are many firsts, especially in the first year after you lose someone. There's an anniversary if...
