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“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Nov. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. This month’s presentation focuses on travel. There is likely no activity that has as much allure to retired persons as travel. Whether to see grandkids, to get away from cold winters, to explore the other ’48, or even to cross the seas to exotic places far away -- racking up those frequent flyer miles is very popular for...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., earned honors for its monthly, statewide publication Senior Voice recently in two national awards contests: the 28th Annual National Mature Media Awards Program and the annual awards contest of the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA). Mature Media Awards OPAG earned a Merit Award for its Senior Voice publication in the Mature Media Awards. Presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, the contest recognizes the nation’s finest marketing, c...
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, with breakfast provided. The November meeting is Nov. 13, hosted by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more i...
What was the worst piece of legislation enacted in Alaska in the last quarter century? Well, OK, there have been some doozies. However, I would suggest that it was legislation enacted in 2005 that destroyed the traditional pension plan for teachers and public employees and replaced it with a grossly insufficient savings account for new employees. At the time, the elimination of the traditional pension plan was explained by the governor and supportive legislators as a way to retard the growth of the “unfunded liability” -- the red-inked dif...
The woman across from volunteer tax preparer Jan Watson was scared. She couldn't afford to owe money on her tax return, which Watson was preparing free through the Tax Aide program. When Watson told her that instead she would be getting a refund, the woman broke into tears and shared that she would finally be able to buy her children winter clothing. Last year 120 AARP Foundation volunteers helped 6,124 Alaskans file their federal tax returns, saving them an estimated $1.2 million in tax...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in September: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Nov. 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Nov. 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Nov. 7, 14 and 21; 28 is Thanksgiving holiday), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Sou...
Every year on Veterans Day, our nation honors the people who risk their lives to protect our country. Social Security’s disability program is an important part of our obligation to wounded warriors and their families. For military members who return home with injuries, Social Security is a resource they can turn to. If you know any wounded veterans, please let them know about Social Security’s Wounded Warriors website. You can find it at www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors. The Wounded Warriors website answers many commonly asked que...
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 69 million Americans will increase 1.6 percent in 2020, the Social Security Administration announced in October. The 1.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 63 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2020, according to an Oct. 10 press release from the Social Security Administration. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 31, 2019, the press release stated. (Note: some...
Mat-Su area’s Santa Cop and Heroes program returns this year, providing gifts and companionship to seniors who are without families nearby and/or will be alone on Christmas day. Gifts are delivered by volunteers who are members of the Palmer Police Dept., Alaska State Troopers, Emergency Medical Services, firefighters, Dept. of Corrections, commercial vehicle, Customs and members of the military. Along with their families, the volunteers take time on Christmas Day to bring some cheer by delivering a gift. The volunteers will arrive in u...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Oct. 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. This month’s focus is on caregivers. The vast majority of older Alaskans want to live independently at home. Most seniors who receive assistance at home rely exclusively on unpaid family caregivers for help. Annually, more than 128,000 family caregivers in Alaska help their loved ones to live independently – keeping them out of...
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” So wrote Ben Franklin to a colleague in 1789. Franklin was 83 at the time. Had he lived in some Alaskan communities a couple hundred years later, some taxes would not have been so “certain,” as many give seniors a break by exempting them from having to pay certain sales taxes. The information in this article regarding senior exemptions for local sales taxes in selected Alaska locations is summarized and may lack certain important details. Contacts have been provide...
In July, the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. (APIA) hosted the Third Annual Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Appreciation Luncheon. With a cohort of more than 80 volunteers ranging from ages 55 to 90, these volunteers contribute their lifetime acquired skills, knowledge and service to the communities of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. As part of the national Senior Corps group through the Corporation for National and Community Service, APIA has 17 partner...
The Alaska State Association for Guardianship and Advocacy (ASAGA) will present a workshop on how to detect and successfully address elder abuse at a half-day event Oct. 4 in Anchorage. “Forgotten Victims No More: Elder Abuse in Alaska,” will feature recently retired prosecutor Paul Greenwood, who will draw upon his 22 years of prosecuting serious felony elder abuse crimes to demonstrate how success in the courtroom can only be achieved through a teamwork approach. Greenwood will provide examples of effective collaborative efforts and the imp...
Dear Savvy Senior: Where can I find out about alternative transportation services for my 80-year-old mother? It's time that she gives up driving, but before she does, we need to figure out how she'll get around. - Inquiring Son Dear Inquiring: Alternative transportation options for seniors who no longer drive vary widely by community, so what's available to your mom will depend on where she lives. Here's what you should know. While most urban areas offer seniors a variety of alternative...
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, with breakfast provided. The October meeting is Oct. 9, hosted by Providence Hospice at the Thomas Center for Senior Leadership. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action...
In February 2019, UAA researchers conducted a small study to determine how older adults and local stakeholders in Anchorage think about the concept of "healthy aging." We wanted to know: what do people think that term means? How can we achieve it? What are the opportunities for healthy aging in Anchorage? And what are the roadblocks to aging healthily in the Last Frontier? To try to answer these questions, faculty and students recruited older adults and other stakeholders who have knowledge and...
After a legislative session of extreme budget fluctuations, the Alaska Pioneer Homes and the Senior Benefits program are the next state-funded senior assistance programs to see a shift in funding. Alaska Pioneer Homes rate increase Starting Sept. 1, the Alaska Pioneer Homes (AKPH) will be increasing monthly rates for residents. Clinton Lasley, Alaska Pioneer Homes director, stresses that rate increases do not mean that residents - both current and those subjected to the waitlist - will be turned away for an inability to pay. The Dept. of...
We often think of people who espouse “conspiracy theories” involving the machinations of huge multinational firms as a bit unhinged, gullible or misinformed. Not this time. This is a mammoth conspiracy that affects all of us, according to dozens of state attorney generals including Alaska’s. Earlier this year the State of Alaska along with 41 additional states and Puerto Rico joined with the State of Connecticut to sue 20 generic drug manufacturers for conspiracies to artificially inflate and manipulate prices and reduce competition for more...
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, with breakfast provided. The September meeting is Sept. 11, hosted by Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more...
Bluegrass, birds, and Bollywood. Pebble Mine and poetry. Empowering Self-Defense for Seniors, a History of Flying in Alaska, Hollywood’s original horror films. The list goes on and on for OLÉ’s Fall course offerings. OLÉ stands for Opportunities for Lifelong Education, a non-profit, volunteer-led organization that provides courses aimed to people 50+ years of age – classes for the curious. Become a member, and you may take as many classes as you like for a whole year. Fall courses will run from September 30 through Nov. 22, with some four-we...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will meet September 10-13, in Tok for its Rural Outreach board meeting. The meeting will include visits to communities in the surrounding areas that serve elders. The commission’s meeting is open to the public both in person and via teleconference at group host sites including the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, Homer Senior Center, Ketchikan Pioneer Home, Mat-Su Senior Services, Soldotna Senior Center and the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. Meeting presentations will include reports from the Dept. of H...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in September: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Sept. 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Sept. 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Sept. 5, 12, 19 and 26), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can...
On June 28, Governor Dunleavy shocked the state by cutting $440 million from the legislature’s proposed operating budget for FY20, a 182 line item veto that devastated funding for crucial social services and programs such as the Senior Benefits Program, the Homeless Assistance Program, Medicaid and Dental Services, a host of Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery grants in addition to cutting 40% of funding for the University of Alaska system. Starting July 1, funds promised to Senior Benefits beneficiaries disappeared without warning and p...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Aug. 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. What does it mean to “age healthy?” And what does it take to be healthy as we age in the Last Frontier? Join UAA professor of Population Health Science, Dr. Britteny Howell, and her research assistants for this discussion on the challenges and opportunities for aging healthily in Anchorage. This engaging presentatio...
“The number of Alaskans who are 65 or older is growing rapidly in all regions of the state. This shift to larger senior populations across Alaska will play an important role in shaping our communities and households in the coming years.” These are the first two lines in an important new report, “Alaskans 65 and Older,” published in Alaska Economic Trends, a monthly publication of the Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce. My inner tabloid journalist wants to use a screaming headline for this article like “Seniors Overrun Alaska!” or maybe “L...
