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Members and guests of the Bartlett Political Forum, aka the Bartlett Club, in Anchorage were entertained by none other than Jon "Bowzer" Bauman during a presentation July 20. Yes, he is still around and continues to entertain. He parodied "Good Night Sweetheart," singing "Goodnight Trumpcare, well it's time to go," and played a piece by Schubert that he said his mother enjoyed hearing. Most in the audience remembered Bauman's popular Sha Na Na character, "Bowzer," a gangly, slender-armed...
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of Alaska Fairbanks (OLLI) is a program of UAF Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning. OLLI provides learning opportunities for adults age 50 and older in the Fairbanks area. Led by its membership, OLLI offers stimulating courses, lectures and special interest groups. Members explore academic and general interest courses in an atmosphere that is intellectually stimulating, but without the stress of tests and grades. Members from all backgrounds are welcomed. They share the common bonds of intel...
Social Security is with you through life’s journey, securing today and tomorrow for millions of people. We know that reliability and dependability is an important part of your financial security. We use the same throughout the month eligibility rules for the first month’s Social Security check through the last month’s check, so it’s easy to know when checks are payable. If you meet all the requirements to receive benefits, Social Security pays your benefit after you have lived throughout the month. At 62, the first month many people are eli...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Aug. 8 and 22), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 2 and 16), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can call the Jun...
Warning: This story may raise your blood pressure. For sure, it raises troubling questions about the U.S. government’s ability to manage a medical bureaucracy. Medicare, the government insurance program that provides health care to 55 million elderly and disabled Americans, continues to provide a steady income stream for criminals who are regularly finding innovative ways to steal a good sized chunk of the half-trillion dollars that are paid out annually by the program. This comes despite strong efforts by health investigators and Justice D...
If you haven’t seen the movie “The Intern,” starring Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway, you should. It’s funny, and it’s a perfect example of the difference in how generations work – the pitfalls and the saving graces. Retired, recently widowed, and bored, he applies for an internship which would generally be filled by a 20-something tech-savvy kid. He’s hired, and goes to work for a much younger boss, played by Hathaway, and that’s when two business worlds collide. You’ll enjoy the movie, but if you’re working for a much younger boss in rea...
One in nine Alaska women aged 60 and older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year, according to Dr. Andre Rosay, UAA Justice Center director. Results are based upon the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS), an annual survey conducted from 2010 through 2015 by the Justice Center and funded by the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Dr. Rosay is the principal investigator for the survey. Dr. Rosay used data from both a state survey (AVS) and national survey (...
Editor’s note: This commentary was received on May 25, 2017. Sometimes legislation in Congress has unintended consequences. This is one of those times. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) that recently passed in the U.S. House, and awaits action in the Senate, would increase costs and risks for Alaskans including: seniors, children and adults with disabilities, people with pre-existing conditions, and those ages 50 to 64. The AHCA would ax federal funding for Medicaid which supports health programs for vulnerable Alaskans. Such a huge loss o...
After the National Family Caregiver Support Act was passed by U.S. Congress in 2000, the Senior and Caregiver Resource Center based in Juneau began offering caregiver-specific resources to elders and their families throughout Southeast Alaska. As per the Act, the center provides five different levels of service: 1) information, 2) assistance, 3) counseling, training and support groups, 4) respite care and 5) supplemental services, according to Marianne Mills, Southeast Senior Services (SESS)...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (July 11 and 25), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (July 5 and 19), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (July 6, 13, 20, 27), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Juneau Soc...
You may think student loan debt is mostly for kids. But, think again. Kids are graduating from high school right about now, and looking toward college. And that might mean they’re looking to Grandma and Grandpa for help paying the bills, either with gifts of money, or as cosigners on student loans. But should you consider cosigning? A lot of parents and grandparents do cosign. Between 2005 and 2015, consumers age 60 and up became the fastest growing group of student loan borrowers. For some of those borrowers, they are still carrying debt f...
With the assistance of Debbie Rinckey and Kathy Day (two women well known in the public relations/advertising/print world around Anchorage), the Anchorage Senior Friendly Project (ASFP) is on its way to exploding by bringing businesses and seniors together. ASFP (as it is fondly known) was designed through the efforts of the Municipality of Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission and Older Persons Action Group. The mission statement of ASFP is “Businesses, Seniors, and Community – working together to build a Common Unity.” Ancho...
During the last Alaska Commission on Aging legislative teleconference of the legislative session on May 17, members of the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA), helmed by ACoA Executive Director Denise Daniello, and ACoA health and social services planner Lesley Thompson, discussed updates on the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services operating budget for FY18. This is the budget component with the most influence over the state’s senior services and programs. The House and Senate have passed both their versions of the operating budget and...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (June 13 and 27), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (June 7 and 21), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Jun...
June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a good time for Alaskans to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and talk with loved ones about options for care and maintaining love, laughter and social interaction in everyday life. Studies indicate that the ability to “to engage in meaningful time use and social behavior” is key to quality of life for those diagnosed with dementia. Among other factors, quality of life can be affected by maintaining or cultivating social relationships and a sense of community. The Alzheimer’s Association of Alaska informs...
Are you looking for resources that will allow you to maintain your independence as you age? Look no further than your local Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). Servicing locations all over Alaska, ADRCs are the link between the individual and various services catering to seniors, caregivers and people with disabilities. "We listen to what individuals are asking for and explain and offer a variety of services such as Medicare, senior benefit programs, personal care services and more...
The Trump administration has proposed slashing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget, saying it is bloated with unnecessary expenses resulting in waste and abuse. It has also proposed to eliminate the independent status of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and absorb it into the NIH. AHRQ is a little-known agency that focuses on improving health care quality and applying it to patient safety. It is one of the true unsung heroes of the federal government, providing vital scientific research that has helped reduce...
The Senate Finance Health and Social Services Subcommittee closed out the operating budget for FY18 for the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) on Mar. 14. The Senate Subcommittee was able to reduce the DHSS budget by an additional 5 percent in general funds from the Governor’s FY18 budget with no additional reductions to many senior programs, including Senior Community Grant Services, Senior Benefits, elder protection and other services. “The committee prioritized seniors and the developmentally disabled for this year’s budge...
Imposter scams are on the rise – in fact, in 2016, according to the Consumer Sentinal Network, it ranked number two with 472 reported complaints by Alaska consumers, directly behind lottery/sweepstakes scams. Much of the time, these schemes are by phone. Scammers call consumers pretending to be from their utility company or cable company, from the IRS, law enforcement, internet or computer company (tech support scam) or from the court system. The caller claims you are behind in your utility payments, you missed jury duty and need to pay a f...
Editor's note: This is the sixth article in a series from the Diverse Elders Coalition, looking at different segments of the senior population. Cambodian American elders face many challenges similar to those of other low-income older Americans, such as poor nutrition, limited transportation and poverty. But they also face some very specific challenges as survivors of war and genocide, said Kaoru Watanabe, associate director of the Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI). "A lot of times, as thes...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will conduct a quarterly meeting May 9 by way of videoconference and teleconference sites located around the state. Public participation is encouraged. The commission advocates for state policy, public and private partnerships, state/federal projects and citizen involvement on senior issues. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Riverview Senior Living Community in Juneau, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Juneau Independent Senior Housing...
On Memorial Day, we honor the soldiers and service members who have given their lives for our nation. Social Security respects the heroism and courage of our military service members, and we remember those who have given their lives in defense of freedom. Part of how we honor service members is the way we provide Social Security benefits. The unexpected loss of a family member is a difficult experience for anyone. Social Security helps by providing benefits to protect service members’ dependents. Widows, widowers, and their dependent children m...
A bill introduced this session in the Alaska state legislature would require health care providers to post medical care price information. The bill, HB 123, was sponsored by Rep. Ivy Spohnholz and co-sponsored by representatives Chris Tuck, Harriet Drummond, Justin Parish, Les Gara and Geran Tarr. The goal, according to a sponsor statement from Spohnholz, is to empower consumers to make better decisions about their health care options by ensuring accessible information on medical pricing. “Alaska has the second most expensive health care c...
Anyone who’s seen what I consider the best movie ever made – “It’s a Wonderful Life” – will remember the bank run that nearly put the town of Bedford Falls six feet under. Quick thinking kept that from happening in Bedford Falls, but during that time in history, bank runs took a serious toll on towns across America. From 1930 to 1933, nearly 10,000 banks failed or were suspended. That’s why, in 1933, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created. According to the FDIC website, consumers haven’t lost “even one penny” of FDIC-in...
Under the guise of compassion, a Physician Assisted Suicide bill (HB 54) has been filed by Representative Harriet Drummond. This so-called “Right to Die” bill is nothing less than “State Sponsored Homicide”. Homicide is the “killing of one human being by another human being”. In 1959 Alaska instituted its state constitution. Section 7 of the Alaska Constitution provides that no person will be deprived of life without due process of law and Section 22 protects a person’s right to privacy. The Alaskan Supreme Court in Sampson vs. Alaska 31P 3r...
