Sorted by date Results 933 - 957 of 2084
Never before have there been so many tools available to older adults in Alaska for improving the safety of their home. Alaska has one of the fastest aging populations per capita in the nation, and the majority of Alaskans want to age in place like the rest of the country. However, the challenges are different in Alaska and they can make growing old in a single-family home especially difficult, according to Karla Zervos, who is a volunteer coordinator for the North Star Council on Aging Fairbanks Senior Center’s Helping Hands Home Modifications...
The Heating Assistance Program (HAP) is designed to promote the general welfare and safeguard the health and well-being of Alaska’s population by offsetting the cost of home heating for eligible Alaskan residents. The program assists households with income at or below 150% of the federal poverty income guidelines, who have a minimum of $200 in out-of-pocket heating costs per year, and meet all other eligibility criteria. The benefit is a one-time payment to the household’s vendor, sent to the vendor, and applied to the customer’s account...
Editor's note: This press statement was received Nov. 6, 2020. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has received approval from Governor Dunleavy to begin distributing approximately $4 million in CARES Act funds to residential congregate care facilities to help address additional expenses incurred as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Assisted living homes, skilled nursing facilities and other residential congregate facilities approved by DHSS, such as mental health and substance use disorder treatment programs,...
Alaskans will be able to apply for no-excuse absentee ballots online this year, as election officials have made it easier to vote safely from home amid the coronavirus pandemic: Older voters should have already received absentee ballot applications in the mail. Election officials in July sent absentee ballot applications to all registered voters 65 and older for the Aug. 18 primary and the Nov. 3 general election. Early voting for the general election will begin Oct. 19, helping voters to avoid longer lines on Election Day. Here’s what else y...
We are still here for you! The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (OLTCO) is mandated by the Older Americans Act and state law to provide resident-centered advocacy designed to protect the rights, health, safety and welfare of Alaskans living in Skilled Nursing Facilities and Assisted Living Homes. We work to resolve problems of individual residents and to bring about improvements to residents’ care and quality of life. While our work has shifted from in-person visitations to virtual visitations during COVID-19, we continue to respo...
As we approach flu season, it is important to know the difference and similarities between the flu and COVID-19. Although influenza and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, they affect the body and health and wellbeing of people differently. So how can we tell the difference between the two diseases? Influenza, or the flu, and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory diseases; however, they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by one virus, the novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The...
What a relief! An article about health that isn’t about the pandemic and COVID-19. That’s the good news. On the other hand, this is about seasonal influenza, “the flu.” The flu season is fall and winter, right now. Flu shots help prevent people from catching the flu in the first place, or at least make flu symptoms less severe if we do come down with it. Turns out there is good reason to want to avoid the flu because it can be nasty and dangerous, especially for older persons. People who are sick with flu often feel some or all of these symptom...
Alaska Health Fair is in the middle of a very active fall season. Though we aren’t holding traditional health fairs, we are continuing to provide appointment-based services to communities around the state. October events include multiple dates in Anchorage and Fairbanks, plus individual events in Delta Junction, Girdwood, Houston, North Pole, Palmer and Wasilla. Plus, we are holding many worksite events using the same appointment-based system. We continue to work through COVID and provide much-needed services to all Alaskans, as we have for 4...
The Hospice of Anchorage team has spent countless hours reimagining what we do and how to continue to provide services to Alaskans. In part, this pandemic has allowed us to spend focused attention on renewing a long dreamed of project - the Hospice of Anchorage Resource Center. The cornerstone of the Hospice of Anchorage Resource Center is our library. We have hundreds of books available to the community free of charge. Books are available in each of the following subjects: caregiving, child loss, children’s grief, chronic illness, dementia, e...
The summer has flown and autumn is upon us. The leaves on the trees are turning the vibrant colors of fall, and the air is cool and brisk. The captivating smell of fireplaces burning logs permeates the air. It is also the time of year to begin to think about our Medicare prescription drug coverage. From October 15 until December 7, each Medicare beneficiary who part A, Part B, or both has the opportunity to enroll, dis-enroll, or change their prescription drug plan choices. This period is...
With senior centers still closed, the Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold all October peer support meetings on Tuesdays, 1 p.m., at its office at 44539 Sterling Highway, Suite 202 in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. Social distancing will be respected, and masks will be worn at the meetings, and virtual attendance via Zoom can be arranged for those who can’t make it in person. Different topics will be discussed at each meeting. Bring your questions and ideas. You may also schedule one-on-one appointments and if you have q...
What brings enjoyment and happiness to your day? Perhaps your idea of a fulfilling day is making something with your hands, going on an outing, helping others or spending time with friends and family. For our own well-being we need to have a sense of purpose and joy, to feel useful, to have a day of meaningful experiences. These needs don’t change with a dementia diagnosis, but are often challenged when a person experiences difficulty expressing themselves verbally, short-term memory loss, or trouble initiating and completing an activity. As a...
COVID testing using a smartphone Researchers are reporting they may be able to test for COVID-19 in just 30 minutes with the use of a smartphone. As COVID-19 continues to spread, bottlenecks in supplies and laboratory personnel have led to long waiting times for COVID testing results in some areas. In a new study, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign researchers have demonstrated a prototype of a rapid COVID-19 molecular test and a simple-to-use, portable instrument for reading the results...
Professional and community members interested in advancing palliative care throughout Alaska are invited to register for the 4th Annual Palliative Care Alaska Network (PCAN) Symposium, featuring innovative, influential and engaging speakers from across Alaska. The event takes place Saturday, October 24, 2020, virtually via ZOOM from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $45. Explore and learn with leading experts in the field -- traditional healers, chaplains, medical teams, behavioral health specialists, community members, ethicists, and wellness...
The Municipality of Anchorage has launched a new grocery delivery service for seniors, age 60 and older, and for people who have disabilities that prevent them from using People Mover buses. People can now arrange for AnchorRIDES buses to pick up their orders of groceries, essential household items, and pet supplies from participating stores that offer curbside pickup. AnchorRIDES buses will deliver these items to their homes. The service is free for customers age 60 and older through funding from an Alaska State Department of Health and Social...
Alaska's governor from 1933 to 1939 believed that more people and more roads would help the territory achieve statehood. And John Weir Troy, who came to Alaska during the gold rush in 1897, thought a larger population and a better road system would help achieve that goal. "More people for Alaska is her greatest need," said the former pack-train worker. "But they won't come, and we could not take care of them if they did, until we have roads to take them to the valleys, hills and mountains where...
How would you like to spend a night or more at a hotel once frequented by Clark Gable, Ingrid Bergman, Marilyn Monroe and a long list of other Hollywood luminaries? Or snuggle down under the sheets at a former stagecoach stop along the famous Chisholm Trail which played host to George Custer, the cavalry commander in the Civil and American Indian Wars, and Jesse James, who needs no introduction. A hotel can be more, much more, than just a place to catch a good night's sleep. Properties...
Major-party presidential candidates Trump and Biden have dramatically different visions for the future on health care issues. So in assessing their policy positions, it's also important to look at actions versus talk. Trump has been president for almost four years; Biden had eight years as vice president under Barack Obama, and before that 36 years in the U.S. Senate. So both have actual records with which we can look at what they've tried to do, versus what they say they plan to do. Here's a...
Every day Christy and I take a walk around our quiet Anchorage neighborhood. We regularly bump into other older folks out for a stroll, gardening, maybe playing with pets or grandkids on the front lawn. A sense of wellbeing infuses the air. It’s nice. It’s comfortable. It’s our world, but it is not the rest of the world. Well then, what is it like for older people in the rest of the world? Enter stage left...the United Nations. The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organization in the world. It was founded in October 1945. Its o...
Older adults may be doing better during this pandemic than many people may realize. A new study involving older adults with pre-existing major depressive disorder has found no increase in depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from five institutions, including UCLA, found that the older adults, who were already enrolled in ongoing studies of treatment-resistant depression, also exhibited resilience to the stress of physical distancing and isolation. “We thought they w...
Alaska Health Fair remains open to provide the most affordable, comprehensive and private blood tests in the state, currently by appointment only. Do you have email or web access? Visit www.alaskahealthfair.org for easy, online appointment scheduling. Pick a preferred date that fits your schedule, under your region’s program. Select the “Make Your Appointment” button (on that date) and then pick a time. Type your name, email and cell phone, answer three quick questions and you will immediately receive an appointment confirmation by email...
Are you restlessly awaiting your Medicare Summary Notice to arrive in your mailbox so you can verify that Medicare paid for a service or product? Are you anticipating the upcoming annual Open Enrollment Period for Part D and want to make sure that your prescription list is current? Have you lost your Medicare card and need to get a new one? Do you want to review what preventive services are available to you? How about getting an “On the Go Report” that summarizes your medical information for you...
The Alaska Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) provides low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for fresh Alaska-grown fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut herbs and honey at farmers’ markets, and authorized farms and roadside stands. Each eligible senior receives six $5 coupons that may be used through October 31. Details, including income guidelines, a list of locations for getting the coupons and a recently-updated list of authorized sales locations is available online at https://bit.ly/1Uylb86. Or call your local sen...
Dear Savvy Senior: I never thought about becoming an organ donor until my brother died of kidney failure last year. But at age 78, I would like to know if I’m too old to be a donor, or if they would even use my organs if I were to die from COVID-19. What can you tell me? - Potential Donor Dear Potential: There’s no cutoff age for being an organ donor. Anyone, regardless of age or medical history, can sign up. In fact, there are many people well up into their 80s that donate. The decision to use your organs is based on health of the organ, not a...
Developing a multi-drug cocktail against COVID-19 A new study has identified 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Scientists analyzed one of the world’s largest collections of known drugs for their ability to block the replication of SARS-CoV-2. They identified 100 molecules with confirmed antiviral activity in laboratory tests. Of these, 21 drugs were determined to be effective at concentrations that could be safely achieved in patients. N...
