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Nursing home roundup: Vaccinations, costs, safety
Reversing Trump's limits on fines The Biden administration recently quietly reversed a controversial Trump administration policy that had limited the fines levied on facilities that endangered or injured residents at nursing homes. While the numbers...
AARP Alaska members support state revenue measures not cuts
Our state is facing budget challenges and will need to make important decisions about how we can best address these challenges to continue providing health and financial security as well as economic opportunities to Alaskans of all ages. For many...
Is it time to amend the U.S. Constitution again?
Sept. 17, 2021 is Constitution Day, the 234th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. The state of Alaska, and several of its local jurisdictions have called for a Constitutional Amendment to implement needed reforms. To understand the need for...
New toolkit will help to connect diverse family caregivers
Equitable access to care, services and supports for older adults and their caregivers has always been one of the main pillars of The Diverse Elders Coalition, founded in 2010, which comprises six member organizations representing African...
Letting family know when you are dealing with depression
Q: How do I tell family and friends I’m struggling with depression? A: While depression is common amongst older adults, it is not a normal part of aging. Life transitions, isolation, death of a...
Letting go: Every garage sale memento has a story
The garage sale signs were posted on each side of the driveway, so I knew we were expected and welcome, but I still had mixed feelings. An older gentleman in our community of Slana back in the summer...
Crime syndicate and the Keystone Canyon affair
Prospectors searching for gold in the Wrangell mountains during the early 1900s found a mountain of copper instead. That discovery brought the famous Guggenheim-Morgan Syndicate into the history of...
Claudia Wells went 'Back to the Future'
When the Los Angeles Hollywood Museum reopened in August, having closed its doors to the public during much of the pandemic, Claudia Wells was one of many guests invited to celebrate the event that...
Delayed certificates: Ask not for whom the bell tolls
A few months back, the State of Alaska got hacked pretty badly. Some evildoers broke into their system, and the State had to shut down all their systems for a while, and then bring them back up...
Accessibility: See better with your smartphone
Q. How do I make the text on my phone larger? A. The good news is that both iPhone and Android have system settings to make text larger, and many apps support adjustable-size text based on these settings. The less good news is that these settings...
Analysis: Is Aduhelm a new hope for Alzheimer's relief?
If someone you love is suffering from Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, wouldn’t you do everything possible to help them? What about if the medicine you give them has questionable usefulness or potentially dangerous side effects and...
Starting a discussion on voter, civic issues
Seniors are known nationally for being “super voters”. But many voters find it challenging to understand and evaluate the issues and candidates. Hence this series has been created to dive into civic issues to help our Alaskan seniors, friends and...
Family caregivers face severe financial strain
New research from AARP shows that nearly 8 in 10 of those caring for an adult family member (78%) are facing regular out-of-pocket costs, with the highest burden falling on younger caregivers and those who are Hispanic/Latino or African American....
Know the signs of caregiver burnout
Caregiver burnout—also known as caregiver stress or caregiver syndrome—was first described by the American psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974. The mental health professional worked in a clinic for drug addicts in New York and observed tha...
Your time and companionship are the best gifts
Q: How can I maximize time with my neighbor who is living with cancer? A: I am so glad we are talking about this important topic. It must be incredibly difficult for you. You have taken the first...
Klondike discovery launched a gold rush
George Washington Carmack and his two inseparable friends, "Skookum" Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie, had wandered up and down the Yukon for several years before their gold discovery electrified the...
A tale of two Maldens - Carla and Karl
Carla Malden credits her father, actor Karl Malden, for sowing the seeds of her writing career – first as a screenwriter then an author. "He used me and my sister to cue him quite often when he was...
Oops, she did it again - Britney and conservatorship
I usually start thinking about my next column at least a month ahead of time. But then sometimes events derail my plans, and I have to write about something else. The 2018 earthquake, the recent...
Windows 11, teaching online, Apple Watch battery life
Q. I am excited about Windows 11, but I do not want to wait until December to try it. Is there a way to get an advance copy? A. It has been six long years since Microsoft launched Windows 10, and from what I have seen so far of Windows 11, it was...
Telemedicine on ascendency – or the chopping block?
ANALYSIS As the nation emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine has transformed how millions of Americans, particularly seniors, see their doctors. Now the Biden administration and Congress must decide whether video and audio appointments...
Gender identity and your grandchild
Question: My granddaughter’s good friend is a young woman she used to work with. They spend a lot of time together and have come to visit me. It is apparent they are a couple. I’m not sure how to...
Horses cross raging waters in riverboat
Hair-raising experiences, hardships and back-breaking toil were common to the lives of those who struggled to take from Nature her wealth of precious minerals. Few emerged victorious, thousands...
Family favorite 'Matilda' turns 25
When British author Roald Dahl's beloved 1988 novel "Matilda" was transformed into a fantasy comedy movie a decade later, the film became hugely popular. It remains an enjoyable family movie to watch...
Giving away the estate requires strategy, planning
One strategy you can use in estate planning is “lifetime gifts”. In other words, you sign things over to your heirs while you’re still alive, instead of making them wait until you’re gone....
App removal, Tracker tags, Google Photos fees
Q. There is an app on my phone that I do not use. Can I save space by removing it? A. Not only will you save space, removing unneeded apps will make the phone much less cumbersome to use. When I set up my mom’s new iPhone, I removed all but the...
