The Senior Snapshot, produced by the Alaska Commission on Aging, gives us insight about Alaska's Elder population. This is an image generated with Google Gemini.
One day years ago a fine fellow I worked with at the time came up to me and, in the course of water-cooler conversation, mentioned he had been chatting with, well, we will call him Dr. "X." My colleague reported to me that after a few minutes of chit-chat with Dr. X, my name came up. Without seeming too insistent I encouraged him to tell me about the conversation. Yes, I was fishing for compliments but trying to be oh so nonchalant about it.
My coworker recounted that he told Dr. X that I had a good reputation at the university as an educator and writer, and was well liked and respected by students and faculty. Sometimes fishing for flattery works. I struggled not to show it, but I was all puffed up with pride.
However, shamelessly, I was not done fishing. "Very kind of you," I allowed, "but what did he have to say?" "Well, um, Dr. X said, 'Weiss may be popular with the students, but I think he is loud and obnoxious.'"
Kablooie! That was the sound of puffed-up pride exploding.
Apart from the foolishness of flattery and pride, what can be learned from this incident? Perhaps one lesson is that I have my image of who I am, but others may have a very different image of who I am, or collectively, who we are. And that is the perfect segue to "Senior Snapshot 2025."
"Every year, the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) provides a snapshot of the health and well-being of Alaskans ages 60 and older (60+). The Senior Snapshot incorporates the latest data available." Collectively this is who we are at a point in time. Let's take a look at some of the most interesting, even startling factoids about who we are.
Some of us are criminals. We made bad choices or were appointed an overworked public defender. Maybe both. We are incarcerated. "Between 2003 and 2023, the share of incarcerated individuals age 50 and older more than doubled, increasing from 10.8% to 21.4% of the total prison population." That's nearly 1,000 older Alaskans.
Some of us are homeless. In 2025, 2,707 seniors ages 55+ reported being homeless. 45% reported they were American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous. About 15% (392) were veterans.
On the other hand, some of us are still employees. Since 1980 we have had a higher percentage of working seniors than the U.S. average. That's generations of hard workers in a challenging state. In the latest year for which there is information, 2023, 22% of Alaska seniors were still hard at work whereas the national average was only 19%. The difference was much greater in the past but seems to be narrowing over time. But not only are we working hard outside the home, we are working hard inside the home too.
"About 1 in 8 children in Alaska are being raised in households headed by grandparents and other extended family. Nationally, American Indian and Alaska Native grandparents are the most likely to be responsible for their grandchildren, with 39.2% of coresident grandparents responsible for their grandchildren. About 90% of those kin families are totally separate from the state foster care system, meaning that they don't get stipends, social workers, Medicaid benefits, or other supports that come with state foster care."
Our work inside and outside the home takes a toll mentally and physically. Sometimes we have to kick back because we just can't manage the struggle any longer. But there are big challenges that shape who we are in those later years.
Nursing home care in Alaska averages $365,000 per year compared to $159,000 – $175,000 nationally. Raise your hand if you can afford that. Not many hands to count. In fact, as cited in this study, AARP ranks nursing home costs in Alaska the worst in the nation.
Going with the flow here for a moment, AARP ranked Alaskan seniors 50th in the nation on the Transportation Livability Index due to widespread limited access to reliable and accessible transportation. That makes it harder for older adults and people with disabilities to reach health care, groceries, and community services. And In the Housing Livability Index AARP ranked Alaskans 39th, way below the national average in housing affordability and accessibility, limiting options for older adults to safely age in place.
So, who are we? We are tough and we have to stare down big challenges. But it could be a tad easier for us. Maybe today's challenge for us collectively is how to make our lives a little easier. Search on the internet for the Alaska "Senior Snapshot 2025" to learn more about who we are.
Lawrence D. Weiss is a UAA professor of public health, emeritus, creator of the UAA Master of Public health program, and author of several books and numerous articles.
