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Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The January meeting is Jan. 13, hosted by YMCA of Alaska. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group,...
Dear Savvy Senior: I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefits may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this ? – Ready to Retire Dear Ready: Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefits will depend on your income and filing status. About 35 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits. To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of monthly forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Dec. 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation is “Avoiding Holiday Scams,” by Michelle Tabler, AARP Alaska volunteer. The holiday season shopping season is here, and so are the scammers, ready to entice unsuspecting shoppers online by email and by phone to part with their money. Michelle is the former head o...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The December meeting is Dec. 9, hosted by Bfit and Well fitness. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action...
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is now recruiting for volunteers for the 2021 season. Free tax preparation is an important boost for individuals and families in Alaska working to improve their financial stability. Sometimes a higher refund means keeping the heat on or helping with rent for our most vulnerable residents. Becoming a volunteer tax preparer is easier than you think. No prior tax experience is necessary, and all the training materials are provided. Volunteers should enjoy talking to people and feel comfortable asking questions, have basic...
Have lunch with Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA) and learn about assistive technology. Join each day at noon during the week of Dec. 7 for a variety of topics; see the schedule below. To learn more about ATLA, the webinars and how to register, visit www.tinyurl.com/ATLAwinterWebinars. Dec. 7: Navigating ATLA Programs Did you know that ATLA manages six programs and partners with other agencies on four additional programs? Learn about each one, what is provided, and how to qualify. Monday, Dec. 7 at noon. Dec. 8: Assistive technology for...
Congress has released funding for the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), granting Alaska a total of $17.4 million to award assistance to low income households struggling with utility bills for the 2020-2021 season. LIHEAP is designed to safeguard the health and well-being of Alaskans by offsetting the cost of home heating for eligible Alaskan residents. LIHEAP assists households with income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines. The benefit is a one-time payment to the household’s vendor, sen...
I recall a joke from the last millennium where pranksters would call a senior on the phone, pretending to be from the phone company. “We’re working in your neighborhood and have some extra phone line. If you’ll yank hard on your phone cord you can have some extra line for free.” Supposedly the unsuspecting victim would yank on the cord and their line would go dead. Seniors can be the disproportionate butt of jokes. Some are funny and others are hurtful. Today’s scams are considerably more damaging than the jokes and pranks of old. Our best...
Nearly 70 million Americans will see a 1.3 percent increase in their Social Security benefits and SSI payments in 2021. Federal benefit rates increase when the cost-of-living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The CPI-W rises when inflation increases, leading to a higher cost-of-living. This change means prices for goods and services, on average, are a little more expensive, so the COLA helps to offset these costs. January 2021 marks other changes that will happen based on the increase in the n...
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is now recruiting for volunteers for the 2021 season. Free tax preparation is an important boost for individuals and families in Alaska working to improve their financial stability. Sometimes a higher refund means keeping the heat on or helping with rent for our most vulnerable residents. Becoming a volunteer tax preparer is easier than you think No prior tax experience is necessary, and all the training materials are provided. Volunteers should enjoy talking to people and feel comfortable asking questions, have basic...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will be holding a Zoom and teleconference meeting on Tuesday, November 10 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. to discuss updates and lessons learned during the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). This will be a free event. The featured speaker for this meeting will be Alaska's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, MD, FACEP. Other presenters will include senior providers, senior center providers, and John Lee, director of the Alaska Div. of Senior and Disabilities Services. To Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/991...
Older Persons Action Group will hold its 2020 annual membership meeting virtually on Thursday, Nov. 19, at noon. The board business meeting starts at 11:15 a.m., followed immediately by the membership meeting. Due to COVID concerns, meetings will be conducted online via the Zoom web platform. Attendance will require a Zoom log-in link, provided by email to those who RSVP no later than Nov. 17. To RSVP, call 276-1059 or 1-800-478-1059, or email admin@opagak.com. Senior Voice wins awards Senior...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns virtually online Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This month’s focus is on the Anchorage Museum. Museums house collections of the histories of civilizations and culture. The study of our past gives us a look at what we have been and what we still can be. The Anchorage Museum has developed ways to stay connected to our community as we age. Join us to find out how art/creativity is beneficia...
Enormous drug company profits are the primary driver of soaring prescription drug prices in America, according to an investigation that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released recently. The report, based on an 18-month investigation which produced more than a million documents, was started by former committee chairperson Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.., who died last year. But it was largely overlooked, with the nation focused on COVID-19 and the presidential elections – despite a congressional hearing with verbal fireworks i...
Some call a booming economy a “rising tide that lifts all boats.” We’re experiencing the flip side of that now: a sinking tide that is wreaking havoc unequally. Age, income and circumstance have affected all Americans in the tsunami of this pandemic. Seniors are bearing the brunt of the crisis as it relates to serious infection and death, but the financial picture for most “boomers and beyond” has been a mixed bag. Short term, our age group is faring better financially than others. Most seniors are beyond the tethers of salary needs and depen...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The November meeting is Nov. 18, hosted by Providence Hospice. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action...
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...
Dear Savvy Senior: I’m interested in tracking down some old friends I’ve lost touch with over the years but could use some help. What websites can you recommend that can help me find them? - Tracking Tom Dear Tom: Thanks to the internet, tracking down long-lost friends from many years ago is relatively easy to do and, in most cases, it won’t cost you a cent. Here are some tips and online tools to help you get started. Remembering the details Before you begin your search, a good first step is to jot down any information you can remember or fi...
Veterans and active duty military can count on Social Security Every year on Veterans Day, we honor the people who risk their lives to protect our country. Our disability program is an important part of our obligation to wounded warriors and their families. Social Security is an important resource for military members who return home with injuries. If you know a wounded veteran, please let them know about our Wounded Warriors webpage. You can find it at www.ssa.gov/woundedwarriors. The Wounded Warriors webpage answers many commonly asked...
If you can’t make your mortgage payment, there is help. Due to the 2020 Cares Act you can get a forbearance on your loan if your loan investor (not the bank or loan service company) is one of the following: FMCC (Freddie Mac) FNMA (Fannie Mae) VA (Veterans Administration) FHA (Federal Housing Authority) If you experience financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic, you have a right to request and obtain a forbearance for up to 180 days. You also have the right to request and obtain an extension for up to another 180 days (for a total o...
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...
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...
Though most Americans − more than 160 million in all − have already received their Economic Impact Payments, the IRS reminds anyone with little or no income who is not required to file a tax return that they may be eligible to receive an Economic Impact Payment. Available in both English and Spanish, the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov is designed for people with incomes typically below $24,400 for married couples, and $12,200 for singles. This includes couples and individuals who are ex periencing homelessness. People must enter their inf...
Wondering how to vote on the two ballot measures appearing in the General Election this November? Join Alaska Common Ground on Oct. 6 and Oct. 14 for online discussions on each of the initiatives. Both events will begin with an overview, followed by a panel discussion weighing the pros and cons. There will be time for attendees to ask questions. To join these free, virtual events, register at https://akcommonground.org/events-3/ The website includes background information on the panelists. Sponsored by Alaska Common Ground, League of Women...
