Sorted by date Results 831 - 855 of 959
We hear it all the time: a big corporation suffers yet another data breach, putting thousands of consumers’ personal information at risk. Or it could be your neighbors, friends – maybe even yourself – who have had to change all their credit card numbers because a scammer managed to steal their identities. The truth is that credit card and ID theft has become too common these days and even if you’ve managed to escape from being a victim, chances are good you’ll become one in the future. Consider this: according to an article written by Mashab...
This year’s Older Persons Action Group annual membership meeting, is Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the OPAG Anchorage office, 325 E. Third Ave. The event will include officer elections and a presentation on emergency preparedness by guest speaker Michelle Torres, Emergency Programs Manager for the Municipality of Anchorage. Door prizes will include an emergency survival kit along with other surprises. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP. For more information or to RSVP, call 276-1059....
People who become homeless do not fit one general description. However, people experiencing homelessness do have certain shared basic needs, including affordable housing, adequate incomes, and health care. Some homeless people may need additional services such as mental health or drug treatment in order to remain securely housed. All of these needs must be met to prevent and end homelessness. The Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services is working with the Housing and Neighborhood Development Commission’s Oversight Subcommittee on H...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 10 and 11 in Anchorage at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The commission advocates for state policy, public and private partnerships, state/federal projects and citizen involvement on senior issues and collaborates with the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, provider agencies and the public. The meeting will include a community elder forum, a listening session to focus on the priorities of Anchorage seniors, conducted jointly with the Anchorage Senior Citizens...
The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program has been preparing taxes in Alaska for approximately 40 years. Counselors of this program prepare a basic tax return free for seniors and mid to low income citizens in Alaska. We need volunteers to help at the sites in Alaska for the coming tax season. A taxpayer came to one of the sites in Anchorage very anxious about owing a large sum of money in taxes and was not going to be able to pay the amount. The counselor worked through the return and was able to tell the taxpayer that a $75 refund would be coming...
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 for business and agency representatives. The November meeting is Nov. 12 and will be hosted by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Road. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to t...
Alaska Regional Hospital will acquire the Alaska Medicare Clinic on Nov. 1, 2014. The clinic will be known as the “Alaska Regional Senior Health Clinic.” Located in South Anchorage, it is a primary care physician office providing outpatient medical care to Medicare beneficiaries. It opened in 2011 and has received substantial support from the State of Alaska for the past three years. Julie Taylor, CEO of Alaska Regional Hospital, says that acquiring the clinic is a way for the hospital to assist a population that’s already embedded in the h...
The Medicare 2015 Annual enrollment period is October 15 through December 7, 2014. This is the time when anyone who has Medicare can enroll in Prescription Drug coverage, also known as Medicare Part D. This link has a chart with information about the prescription drug plans on offer this year: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dsds/Documents/Medicare/MedicarePartD-PlansChart2015.pdf Some facts about these plans: The plan that has the lowest monthly premium is $15.60. The most expensive plan is $135.20. You will want to enroll in the plan that is best for...
Alaska’s state general election will be held Tuesday, November 4, 2014. The ballot has many important items on it. Some will be complicated and unfamiliar unless voters have prepared themselves. Three things will make it possible to vote and to vote with confidence that your vote supports the outcome you want. First, if you are not registered at all – or if you intend to change your registration information – you must do so on or before Sunday, October 5. You can do so at the State Division of Elections offices; by going online to http:...
The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission is hosting a forum to dialogue with interested community members and providers serving seniors about emerging and future trends vital to housing for the elderly. Please join on Wednesday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Z.J. Loussac Library, Wilda Marston Auditorium, 3600 Denali St. A panel of professionals will be given five minutes to offer an overview presentation of how their organization serves seniors/elders, followed by a moderated discussion. For further information contact...
A nationwide media contest has recognized Senior Voice for excellence. The 23rd Annual National Mature Media Awards contest honored Senior Voice with Merit Awards for three entries: • regular contributor Diana Weber, the former Alaska Long Term Care Ombudsman, was awarded for her article, “An Offer to Help Can Evolve Into Exploitation” • regular freelance contributor Dianne Barske was awarded for her feature story, “Unique Opportunities for Lifelong Learners” • freelance contributor Zaz Hollander was awarded for her feature story, “Dog B...
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 for business and agency representatives. The October meeting is Oct. 8 and will be hosted by Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to the event, or for...
This years’s Older Persons Action Group annual membership meeting, is Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the OPAG Anchorage office, 325 E. Third Ave. Includes officer elections and a presentation on emergency preparedness by guest speaker Michelle Torres, Emergency Programs Manager for the Municipality of Anchorage. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP. For more information or to RSVP, call 276-1059....
Alaskans are struggling with high energy costs throughout the state. Seniors and others on fixed incomes are particularly burdened when heating oil and gas rates rise. Even in Anchorage, which has ready access to natural gas, rising heating rates hit hard. On July 1 Enstar ratepayers across Southcentral Alaska saw their rates shoot up by over 48 percent. But more troubling than the rate hike itself is how the Regulatory Commission of Alaska rubber stamped Enstar’s requested increase. We give public utilities a government sanctioned monopoly i...
Gather unneeded and outdated personal documents and old cellular phones for Better Business Bureau’s biannual BBB Secure your ID Day, Oct. 18 in Fairbanks. Take advantage of free document shredding and cell phone recycling. Mobile shredding trucks will be on site, accepting up to three bags or boxes of unwanted documents per person. Please note that cardboard and three-ring binders cannot be accepted. Recycled phones will be donated to Verizon’s HopeLine, a nationwide program that wipes data and allocates phones to victims of domestic abu...
The six senior centers in Mat-Su are exploring opportunities to minimize administrative costs and maximize available public and private resources to provide a wider variety of services to the seniors they serve. The Coalition of Mat-Su Senior Centers serve a geographically broad area, with some centers serving more densely populated areas, such as in Wasilla and Palmer, which both have large senior living campuses, and others where the population is more spread out and fewer services are...
Sovaldi, a new drug, which has been hailed as a breakthrough treatment for the 3.2 million Americans infected with hepatitis C, costs $1,000 a pill. While it is highly effective and has fewer side effects and takes less time than older therapies, it costs $84,000 for a typical patient. But lawmakers want to know why the U.S. price is much higher than in other countries, as well as previously estimated in the U.S. In a letter sent recently, two U.S. senators, Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., asked Gilead...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will hold its quarterly meeting Monday, Sept. 15, through Thursday, Sept. 18 in Fairbanks. The commission business meeting will be held at the Fairbanks North Star Council on Aging Senior Center from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15. The meeting will continue at the Raven Landing Senior Housing Community Center from 1 to 5 p.m. on September 16. Finally, the meeting will conclude at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center September 18 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. A public comment period will be held from 1 to 1:30...
September resource fairs will offer information about services for vulnerable adults, and celebrate dedicated advocates with a community service award. There will be fairs in three communities this year, the third year that Alaska’s Adult Protective Services has held the event. All the fairs will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 5 Anchorage BP Energy Center Sept. 19 Fairbanks Noel Wien Public Library Sept. 25 Juneau Mendenhall Mall & Library. The Juneau event will be broadcast by video conference to Cordova, Haines, Wrangell, Sitka, Hoonah a...
The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission, as part of its Senior Needs Assessment, is hosting a forum to dialogue with interested community members and providers serving seniors about emerging and future trends vital to community health and behavioral health care for the elderly. Please join us! The forum will be held Wednesday, September 24 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Anchorage Public Library, Wilda Marston Auditorium. A panel of medical providers will be given five minutes to offer an overview presentation of how their organization...
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 for business and agency representatives. The September meeting is Sept. 10 and will be hosted by Hope Community Resources. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to the event, or for more...
Emergencies and disasters can strike quickly and without warning. Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy are stark reminders for older adults how quickly a disaster can disrupt your normal living. What would you do if your basic services such as water, gas and electricity were cut off? What if you couldn’t get your necessary medications? In a large scale disaster, much like the 1964 Earthquake, first responders may not get to you in the first few days. That is why it is important for you to be your own first responder. By following these t...
In April I challenged the Parnell administration to explain to the public the steps it has taken to fix Alaska’s Medicaid reimbursement system. This system compensates health care providers (i.e., hospitals, clinics, physicians, therapists, etc.) for the services they provide to the needy. The Parnell administration has taken three years to develop its new reimbursement system which it finally brought online last October. Ironically as Governor Parnell railed against the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, his own system utterly f...
Sidejacking is a common term for man-in-the-middle “eavesdropping” attacks that occur through unsecured Wi-Fi connections. Coffee shops, college campuses, airports and hotels are breeding grounds for hackers who try to compromise personal information and place computers at risk for viruses. Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington warns users to be cautious when connecting to public hotspots and surfing on a non-secure Internet connection. Using public Wi-Fi is inherently risky; laptops, smartphones and tablets are...
SFairbanks will hold its 16th Annual Stand Down for Veterans event Aug. 15 and 16 in Pioneer Park. The event brings together a myriad of free services and resources for veterans: Free dental, medical and optometry screenings, info and assistance on veterans benefits, employment and vocational rehabilitation, Social Security, legal questions, taxes, more. Free massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, haircuts, clothing, food bags, door prizes, entertainment. Friday, Aug. 15, is designated for clothing distribution only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other...
