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Dear Editor, June 15, 2021 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. On that day, communities in the United States and all over the world sponsored events to highlight solutions to this systemic social challenge. The State of Alaska, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the State of Alaska, Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, AARP-Alaska and the Alaska Commission on Aging are proud to participate in this national conversation and will also host a series of trainings on Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention. Our united goal is to protect the health,...
Fair time means food, exhibits, contests, rides and entertainment all packed into one destination that you can enjoy with friends and family. In addition to traditional exhibits and contests showcasing agriculture, livestock, homemaking and crafts skills, along with headliner music and other entertainment acts, Alaska’s regional fairs each offer their own twist and are a great way to get out and enjoy the Alaskan summer as fall approaches. Check with your senior center about transportation and group trips. Here are some details on each fair: T...

It was a caravan of carts, full of givers and receivers, and they were all having fun. The givers were a group of senior volunteers, members of AARP Sourdough Chapter 533. The receivers were people with disabilities. They were all taking part in Access Day, May 15, at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. The afternoon may have been breezy, cloudy and cool, but there were warm smiles all around. Volunteers were driving a fleet of a dozen golf carts provided by the Anchorage Golf Course, just down...
Fairbanks Resource Agency offers a free Information Exchange workshop for caregivers on the first Tuesday of each month. The workshops are open to the public and held at the FRA administrative office, 805 Airport Way, from 1 to 3 p.m. Refreshments and door prizes are on hand, and each workshop focuses on a different topic, featuring guest speakers. The June 4 workshop is “Discovering our Personality Style to Better Communicate Through True Colors,” presented by Bob Parr, assistant professor at UAF. Learn to understand your personality sty...
Public officials and Haines Assisted Living, Inc. (HAL) joined veterans and community members April 27 for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village in Haines. The project is the first state-funded private veterans housing facility in Alaska, and is designed to have 11 housing units for veterans and 10,000 square feet of office space for nonprofit support organizations. It is being constructed in downtown Haines and will be part of a complex that includes an assisted living facility and an independent living...

Anchorage is joining many other cities across the nation in establishing a Senior Friendly Project aimed at improving the shopping experience of our older citizens. The reason for such a project, as stated by Mayor Dan Sullivan, is because, “There has been a 52 percent increase in our senior population in the past 10 years. Seniors as consumers contribute an estimated $1.46 billion into the state!” This amount is increasing further as “baby boomers” are added annually to our population. The Sen...

As Memorial Day approaches, Alaskans prepare to honor our veterans who responded to America’s call to duty. Through parades, ceremonies and visits to the graves of loved ones, we take comfort in demonstrating that they live on in our hearts. In Anchorage, as the 26th anniversary of the Anchorage Veterans’ Memorial on the Delaney Park Strip approaches, this year those who commemorate Memorial Day may find the site under construction after years of effort to design and fund renovations dev...
A well-displayed street number on a house is essential for emergency first-responders – it means valuable seconds locating the house, its driveway and in some cases the front door. The number also means prompt delivery services (anybody order a pizza?). Recognizing this need, the Sitka Fire Dept. is spearheading a program to distribute free house numbers to homeowners, merchants and property owners. Throughout the month of May, the numbers will be available at the Sitka Fire Station, True Value Hardware and Spenard Builders Supply. Numbers w...

Kathleen Knowlton and Norma Cooper perform a skit at last year’s Soldotna Senior Center Talent Show. The event is a fundraiser for the center’s programs and is open to any and all talents – singing, dancing, acting, you bring it. This year’s event is May 24 at noon. Sign up by noon on May 23. For more information, call 262-2322....
“Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” – Kenyan proverb Cal Williams sat with a gathering of eight other people late on the afternoon of Thursday, March 14. He was a happy man. It was the day after the new pope had been named. “I believe Pope Francis will work with the needy, that coming from Argentina he understands village life, diversity in our world. He’ll emphasize harmony,” Williams said. His smile grew ever larger as he spoke to the group. Williams is a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Anchorage. “I think we have one of the...
Haines Senior Citizen Center celebrated its 30th year of activities with a luncheon on March 15, and the tickets sold out in a few days. Board members decorated the center, sold tickets, served the catered meal and arranged music and readings. Donations of food from businesses and homemade apple pies by friends kept the costs down, and Mardell Gunn, board member, said they expected to clear $1,000. Another fundraiser will be held in May. When Haines Seniors moved into the then-city-owned building on Valentine’s Day in 1982, they promised to r...
Senior ladies are striking out on their own in a new Alaska trend – solo travel. Increasing numbers of older women are booking solo trips with travel agents and tour groups for adventure in Alaska and out. Many are widows, some divorced or married to men who don’t like to leave home. They’re headed for Dawson City and Quebec City, Branson and Iceland. Mexico and Hawaii. Holland and maybe Costa Rica. “We’re going all over the world,” said Barbara Gay, who organizes group tours for the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. “We’ve been to literal...