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Dear Editor, If you’re old enough to remember when JFK’s administration started the VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) program, you’ll be happy to know it continues today. Now called Americorps, it is the organization behind my favorite volunteer activity in Anchorage. The Senior Corp’s Elder Mentor Program operating in our Anchorage schools, and throughout the state, is helping children from pre-school through high school. This is the same program that is sometimes called “Foster Grandparents”, and this fall will be my fourth year...
Dear Editor, Your article in the May 2018 issue on Ruby (Aunt Phil’s Trunk, page 18) mentions the Princess Sophia sinking in 1918 near Sitka. Actually, she sank on Vanderbilt Reef, about half way between Skagway and Juneau, not Sitka. This is the centennial commemorative year for the sinking. In Juneau, we are planning a variety of events to honor the disaster, beginning with a major exhibit at the Alaska State Museum on display now through October. The months leading up to the Oct. 25 date will include a variety of talks, a dedication of a p...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in August: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Aug. 14 and 28), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 1 and 15), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
A new report by Better Business Bureau (BBB) says sweepstakes, lottery and prize schemes are devastating victims financially and emotionally with ever-evolving methods. These frauds concentrate on seniors, targeting them by direct mail, cold-calling, social media, even text messages and smartphone pop-ups. BBB warns consumers to be on guard against these serious and pervasive frauds and their perpetrators. The report, “Sweepstakes, Lottery and Prize Scams: A Better Business Bureau Study of How ‘Winners’ Lose Millions Through an Evolving Fraud...
Dear Savvy Senior: Are there any specific auto gadgets you can recommend that can help senior drivers? Both of my parents are in their eighties and still pretty good drivers, but due to arthritis and age they’re very stiff, which causes them some driving problems. Researching Daughter Dear Researching: To help keep senior drivers safe and prolong their driving years, there’s a plethora of inexpensive, aftermarket vehicle adaptions you can purchase that can easily be added to your parent’s vehicles to help with many different needs. Here are s...
Fifteen years after it hired its first staff member, Kenai Peninsula Housing Initiatives (KPHI) held a grand opening for its brand new office in Homer on May 16. The housing non-profit also announced that it will open a Homer Community Housing Center in the same building, and will break ground on six new apartments this summer on an adjacent lot. "We know there is a real need for affordable housing in Homer, and are excited to not only be building a six-plex this summer, but also to be offering...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The July meeting is July 11, hosted by the Office of the Long Term Care Ombudsman. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in July: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (July 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (July 18; July 4 is holiday), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (July 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 com...
Editor's note: This story in our print edition included an error regarding the timeline of these Senior Benefits Program changes. In the second to last paragraph, the date should have read July 1, 2019, not 2018. Fairbanks’ Senior Recognition Day, an event to honor Alaskans 65 years and older as part of Older Americans Month, included an additional celebratory event this year - the official signing into law of House Bill 236, otherwise known as the Senior Benefits Program extension bill, by Governor Walker. As of May 10, the program will be ext...
I’ve been receiving a lot more robocalls lately. What can I do to prevent scammers from calling my phone? If you feel like your phone has been plagued with more robocalls lately, you’re not exaggerating. In the past year, BBB Scam Tracker has received over 500 reports of robocalls throughout the country. According to YouMail, the volume has skyrocketed in recent years, reaching an estimated 3.4 billion in April, equaling to 112 million calls each day nationwide. April’s monthly total marks the nation’s highest robocall rate since the YouMail...
Editor’s note: This press release was received May 22, 2018. One-in-four of the nearly 40 million family caregivers in America is a millennial. Millennials are defined as those born between 1980 and 1996. AARP’s latest report, “Millennials: The Emerging Generation of Family Caregivers,” spotlights the unique experiences and challenges this generation faces as more support a parent, grandparent, friend or neighbor with basic living and medical needs. According to the report, millennials are more likely to care for someone with a mental health...
In partnership with the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs holds an annual Mental Health Summit with the goal of improving collaboration with community partners to address the mental health needs of veterans. This year’s summit, the 6th annual, takes place June 26 in Anchorage at the Southcentral Foundation Nuka Wellness and Training Center, 4085 Tudor Center Drive, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participation is free and there are also free CME continuing education credits available. Community-based providers of s...
Anchorage’s Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center and Services will move into a new location, effective July 1. The new location will be in the VOAA (Volunteers of America Alaska) Building, 509 W. Third Ave., Suite 103, Anchorage, AK 99501. The phone number will remain the same, 276-1496. The center runs a number of programs for senior Alaskans, including transportation to appointments, grants for dental work, small emergency needs grants, the Phone Pals calling program, and the Anchorage Senior Friendly Project. For more information, visit w...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The June meeting is June 13, hosted by Older Persons Action Group, Inc. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on these events or...
The Alaska Commission on Aging is holding senior and elder listening forums in upcoming weeks, beginning in Anchorage and Palmer. Events will be open to seniors, family members, providers and all public members who are interested in issues concerning aging in Alaska.. These findings will be used to develop the new Alaska State Plan for Senior Services, FY2020-FY2023. The listening sessions will identify the top issues, concerns and needs of the senior population 60 years of age and older. Discussion topics to include: Long-term support...
In life, death at some point is inevitable. While most accept that, many wonder, “Will it be comfortable?” When I was young I would say, “I hope I die in my sleep.” But later as an adult, I found that I no longer needed to settle for simply hoping that I die comfortably. In 1991, the Patient Self-Determination Act established for individuals the opportunity to at least make legal, mitigating plans that will improve our own odds that we won’t die a prolonged, painful, and very expensive death, one that would traumatize us and those who care...
Editor’s note: This press release was received April 10, 2018. As the federal government undertakes a major initiative to issue new identification cards to the Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska and nationwide, an AARP survey finds that a majority of those enrollees are at risk of being victimized by fraud schemes designed to capitalize on the card replacement program. In response, AARP Alaska is participating in an education campaign to raise awareness among consumers about Medicare Card scams. The year-long national effort to mail new Medicare...
Lawmakers defend the federal budget, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump at the end of March, by repeating a quotation attributed to Otto von Bismarck: "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made." In other words, the legislative process can be messy and extremely unappetizing, but it usually produces results. This budget bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2018, will be remembered as much for what's not in it as for what is. (An extensive list of wins and woes for seniors appears...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The meeting will be held via videoconference and teleconference, available at sites listed below, or statewide via toll-free telephone. The meeting takes place 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., and public comment is scheduled from 11 to 11:15 a.m. For more information, call the Alaska Commission on Aging office at 465-3250. Videoconference sites Anchorage Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 323. 269-3666 Fairbanks Senior and Disabilities Services, 751...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The May meeting is May 9, hosted by the Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., publisher of Senior Voice and the Directory for Older Alaskans, will hold a fundraiser art auction May 8 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave. The event will feature artwork and other items donated to OPAG over the years, including paintings, prints, fur coats, collectibles and some antiques, such as clocks. The format will be silent auction, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 1-800-478-1059 toll-free statewide, or...
Since the start of the new year, Better Business Bureau Northwest & Pacific has seen an uptick in customers searching for general contractors to help spruce up their homes. BBB has received more than 72,000 local inquiries to general contractors since January—that’s up nearly 4,000 from last year. Locally there were more than 3,000 searches in Anchorage. Unfortunately, scammers are hoping to capitalize on this interest by finding ways to con consumers and contractors out of money. In 2017, there were nearly 350 home improvement scams rep...
Prisons in the United States contain an ever growing number of aging men and women who cannot readily climb stairs, haul themselves to the top bunk, or walk long distances to meals or the pill line; whose old bones suffer from thin mattresses and winter’s cold; who need wheelchairs, walkers, canes, portable oxygen, and hearing aids; who cannot get dressed, go to the bathroom, or bathe without help; and who are incontinent, forgetful, suffering chronic illnesses, extremely ill, and dying. [Human Rights Watch, Old Behind Bars, 2012] Elderly i...
Recently I needed some medical records sent from my previous doctor to a new specialist. I was stunned when this thoroughly modern medical practice told me the only way they could send them quickly was with a fax machine. When was the last time you used a fax machine? 1990s technology in 2018? Efforts to develop a standardized electronic health record (EHR) system to make it easier for the sharing of your medical records between doctors have been planned since that fax machine was the latest technology invention, but only with limited success....
The Anchorage Senior Activity Center has joined the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) network dedicated to helping people with Medicare improve their financial outlook by enrolling in programs to help them afford health care, prescriptions, food and more. Nationally, half of all people with Medicare live on incomes less than $26,200 per year, and they often lack the resources needed to meet basic living expenses. Federal, state and local programs exist to help these individuals, but many people do not know how to apply for assistance. The Anch...
