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Members of the Alaska Commission on Aging will gather in Juneau, Feb. 8-11, for the quarterly commission meeting and to pay visits to legislators in the state Capitol. The commission meeting will be held in the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Building (Goldbelt Building), Suite 302 in the Hugh Malone Conference Rm. Hours for the regular meeting sessions are: Feb. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m.; Feb. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a lunch break at noon (lunching at the Juneau Senior Center is encouraged). There will be a public comment period from 11...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, and available by toll-free call-in, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month of session. The remaining 2016 meeting dates are February 11 and 25; March 10 and...
You may file for your 2016 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend today. If you choose, you can designate a portion of your PFD to support non-profit organizations in Alaska who are eligible for the Pick.Click.Give. program. This year, Older Persons Action Group is eligible and will appreciate all Pick.Click.Give. donations, which will help us continue our programs, including publication of Senior Voice and the Directory for Older Alaskans, free Medicare counseling, free educational forums and more. Visit https://pfd.alaska.gov/ to file online....
VetVillageAK is a win-win, as reported in the December 2015 edition of Senior Voice. Now it’s crunch time for Alaska’s homeless veterans and civilians; urban and rural; frequently homeless through no fault of their own. VetVillageAK can start construction in the fall of 2016 if the legislature appropriates $7.8 million in Capital funds and $0.6 million in Operating funds. And if Governor Bill Walker then approves those funds when he signs the budget. The governor and all 60 legislators need to hear that this is a project they should sup...
February marks the opening of TaxAide sites around Alaska. The AARP Foundation TaxAide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns for most low and middle income taxpayers, with an emphasis on seniors and disabled taxpayers. Sites are staffed by volunteers who are trained and certified by Internal Revenue Service and AARP Foundation instructors to prepare basic tax returns. By using AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, these taxpayers also avoid tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest tax credit or refund loans. And the service is free....
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 Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The February meeting is Feb. 10, hosted by Older Persons Action Group, Inc. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for the location and more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail...
A new law signed by President Obama will help shield some 17 million Americans from steep premium hikes. But many will continue to see changes in the amounts they pay for Medicare next year. About 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were facing a 52 percent increase in their Medicare Part B medical insurance premiums and deductible in 2016. But Congress and the Obama Administration worked out an agreement so beneficiaries will pay about $119 per month instead of $159.30 for Part B. The remaining 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries will contin...
What do you do when you need an extra hand for a household chore and neighbors, friends or kids aren't available to help? In Fairbanks, there's a new organization for older adults that can be the answer. Aging at Home Fairbanks (AAH Fairbanks) has launched this month after a year of preparation, as part of the national Village movement. Susan Poor, co-chair of the board of Village to Village Network, spoke about the national movement at the Fairbanks kickoff event in November. In 2005, the NY...
A Pennsylvania consumer reported on BBB’s Scam Tracker, “I paid $700 for a kitten that does not exist. My kid is devastated because she was waiting for a kitten to be delivered to our house today.” Another consumer wrote, “All we wanted was a puppy to help us get over the deaths of our beloved pets.” Consumers should be careful when searching for their new furry family member online, which has become the new marketplace for adopting pets. Online ads usually show photos of adorable puppies or kittens to be re-homed, sold at a low price or offere...
Dear Senator Murkowski: The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) is gravely concerned about the proposed 42 percent reduction to the federal State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), from $52 million to $30 million, at a time when Alaska and our nation has witnessed unprecedented growth in our older adult populations. Alaska’s population of people age 65 and older, who number 71,080 and growing at an annual rate of 6 percent, is projected to more than double by 2030 to 152,740. Alaska’s growth rate of the 65+ population is more than 2.5...
It is soon time to gavel in the second regular session of the 29th Legislature on January 19. There will be a lot of work to be done in the 90 days allotted, but no one will be too surprised if the legislators once again go into an additional special session. As usual, there are some major themes for consideration, with this year focused on the state’s budget and the proposed natural gas pipeline project. How that consideration will play out in Juneau is anyone’s guess. That’s what makes Alaska politics so interesting and entertaining, to sa...
I became President and CEO of the Foundation for Hospice and Homecare earlier this year, because I understood the home care and hospice community is committed to every person’s right to receive care in the setting of their choice. Simply put, people prefer to receive high quality care in the convenience of their own homes near family and friends. This is especially true in Alaska, where the challenges of traveling to receive hospital care can be prohibitive for many. A new study released by the Foundation for Hospice and Homecare sheds light o...
Alaska Donated Dental Services (DDS), part of the Dental Lifeline Network, is a group of dentists who have agreed to provide dental care for seniors and people with disabilities on a fixed income who cannot afford needed dental services. This service is available on a one-time basis to qualifying applicants. Applicants fill out an application and return it to the Alaska Coordinator for an eligibility determination. Qualifying individuals generally pay nothing, but occasionally, people in a position to pay for part of their care may be...
Food Bank of Alaska is looking for volunteers in the Anchorage and Mat-Su areas to deliver food boxes once a month to homebound seniors. The food boxes are distributed through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, CSFP, and contain about 30 pounds of food: cereal, grain, peanut butter, juice. Some items such as cheese are not shelf-stable so it is important the boxes be distributed promptly, on schedule, said Sandra Mitchell, CSFP program manager at Food Bank of Alaska. Mitchell said she currently has 12 volunteers delivering to 52 clients....
Why hibernate when you can enroll in a class or activity and make some new friends? Anchorage learning opportunities Anchorage-area seniors can sign up now for winter session classes offered by OLE (Opportunities for Lifelong Education). Although there is no minimum age requirement, classes are geared to adults age 50 and older. Courses begin Jan. 11 and are held in classrooms on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, along with other locations around town. OLE membership is required to enroll, however members may take as many classes as th...
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 (Jan. 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Jan. 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Jan. 7, 14, 21 and 28), 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...
You’ve probably already heard that Social Security recipients will not get a raise in their benefits in 2016. One person’s bad news is often the next guy’s good news. Social Security raises are tied to inflation, and of course high inflation is bad for the economy as a whole. But high inflation means a stiff raise in Social Security benefits. This year, inflation was ultra-low, and that means no raise for Social Security. For 2015, benefits rose only slightly, by 1.7 percent. For 2016, the average monthly benefit for Social Security recipients...
The Thomas Center for Senior Leadership, a new senior housing facility in Anchorage, held its grand opening reception Nov. 22. Built on the campus of St. Mary's Episcopal Church at the corner of Lake Otis Parkway and Tudor Road, the facility was 14 years in the making, envisioned by church leaders, including the late Tay Thomas and late Carol Phillips, as a faith-based community to provide additional support for Alaskans age 62 and older who want to maintain active and vibrant lifestyles. In...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 9 in Juneau, with the meeting videoconferenced at sites around the state. Public attendance is encouraged. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services; Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; the Pioneers’ Home Advisory Board; Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education; the Long Term Care Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services; UAA Geriatrics and the Ala...
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 Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The December meeting is Dec. 9, hosted by the Thomas Center for Senior Leadership (see photos on page 1). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for more information on these events or to be added to our...
Need a gift for a senior in your life? How about an “Easy” button? You may have seen TV commercials featuring easy buttons. You have a problem and quickly solve it by pushing the easy button. Of course, nothing is that simple, but apps do make certain tasks easier. An app – short for “application” – goes right to the place you need, at the touch of an app button to help you perform a certain task. For someone who has mobility problems, and who uses a smartphone or an iPad, apps can be very helpful. Some are practical, some are protective,...
“Aging Alaskans Info” is a blog and website which I started earlier this year to be a comprehensive resource for aging Alaskans and our families. I started the website for reasons that were personal and difficult, yet familiar to most of us. I have been in Alaska since 1982, but in the last decade I was responsible for the care of my elderly mother and aunt, who were both living in New Mexico. They have since passed away, but it was a tremendous struggle to try to help them manage their lives from such a great distance. This stressful exp...
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 (Dec. 8 and 22), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Dec. 9 and 16), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Dec. 3, 10, 17), 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...
We recently launched our new blog, Social Security Matters. The blog is our interactive center for engaging with you by answering questions and concerns in a way that benefits all readers and contributors. Social Security Matters also lets you provide meaningful feedback that can help us serve you more effectively. The blog’s comment section allows you to voice your thoughts and ask questions. The conversation is growing every day. We’re doing our best to serve you, and a big part of that is listening to what you have to say. Think of Soc...
The annual window for Medicare beneficiaries to review their prescription drug, or Part D, insurance plan options for next year is open until Dec. 7, 2015. Alaskans who get both Medicaid and Medicare can enroll or change plans any time. “Consumers should always compare plans, but this year it’s more important than ever,” said Judith Bendersky of Alaska’s Medicare Information Office. “Plan premiums are trending upward for the first time in years, so are many medication costs, and most of the plans that did not have an annual deductibl...
