Senior Voice Alaska

12/31/2024

May your New Year be filled with new hopes, joys and beginnings!

12/23/2024

New training and career for the new year?

FREE HEALTH CARE TRAINING IN ALASKA | How is healthcare training available for FREE in Alaska? The Alaska Primary Care Association has been awarded grants through a range of state and federal resources giving aspiring healthcare students and professionals an opportunity to embark on a FREE journey to develop valuable knowledge and skills to build a healthier future for Alaska! Visit: https://alaskahealthcarecareers.com/

Explore your learning options by signing up today!
There are many paths to building a successful healthcare career in Alaska. With a wide range of opportunities and funding available, you can specialize in various fields, such as medical, dental, healthcare technology, and more, offering a rewarding environment for Alaskans to thrive.

Don't miss this upcoming free training in January! Spread the word! January 6th through the 17th, join APCA for a two-week PATH Academy to become certified in Basic Life Support CPR, receive Mental Health First Aid training, gain job readiness skills, and learn about employment opportunities near you! This training is free. Register online at https://alaskahealthcarecareers.com/.

12/06/2024

The December Senior Voice includes places for indoor walking around the state. We've added Seward to the digital version:

In December after an active spring, summer and autumn of physical activity, you wonder how to keep it together as another Alaska winter sets in. You could winter over in Hawaii (see deals in the travel column), but you don't have to go that far; exercise is as close as your nearest shopping mall or....

11/20/2024

There's still time to help with this excellent program.

🎄 Help Us Spread Holiday Cheer to Seniors in Need! 🎄

The holiday season is fast approaching, and we need your help to make this year’s Meals on Wheels Christmas Present Program a success! Each year, we prepare and deliver holiday gift packages to seniors who rely on our MOW service—bringing them gifts, food, and heartfelt cards to brighten their season.

This year, we are serving 90 seniors, and your generous donations will make all the difference in making their holiday special. You can help by donating online at www.chugiakseniors.com and selecting the Donate button. Be sure to mention "Meals on Wheels Christmas Present Program" in the donor note.

Every little bit helps, and your support will bring comfort and joy to those who may be spending the holidays alone. Let's make this season merry and bright for our seniors! 🎁

11/18/2024

Here's the location/schedule for Food Bank of Alaska's Thanksgiving meal distribution.

11/04/2024

Alaska has many resources for preventing or managing diabetes, both in-person and online. Here's a good starting place for information.

DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH | November is Diabetes Awareness Month! It’s a great time to take charge of your health. Prioritize preventing diabetes or learn how to effectively manage your diabetes by making healthier choices today.

Visit freshstart.alaska.gov to join free programs designed to help you prevent or manage diabetes. Thousands of Alaskans have already taken the first step. Are you ready to join them?

10/29/2024

Great job, Kenai snow removal crews!

10/29/2024

Nov. 22 is the date for this year's Kenai Area Wide Senior Thanksgiving dinner at Kenai Senior Center.

This year's Hilcorp Areawide Senior Thanksgiving Dinner will be recorded and featured on Hilcorp's YouTube page - how exciting to be part of this celebration! Photo release forms will be available upon RSVP.

10/16/2024

Many know Gretchen from her work with the local genealogy society, and also OLE (Opportunities for Lifelong Learning).

After a lifetime of homesteading on Alaska’s remote Yukon Island, Gretchen Bersch shares the invaluable lessons she’s learned along the way. Now retired, she’s transforming her family homestead into the foundation for a vision she’s cherished for nearly 30 years.

Stream the episode now on the App or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjAA7kTQAjI

Produced in partnership with PBS Digital Studios, part of PBS .

10/10/2024

Social Security announces 2.5 percent benefit increase for 2025

Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase 2.5 percent in 2025, the Social Security Administration announced today. On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $50 per month starting in January.
Over the last decade the COLA increase has averaged about 2.6 percent. The COLA was 3.2 percent in 2024.
Nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) beginning in January 2025. Increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2024. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security benefits and SSI).
“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security.
Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) is slated to increase to $176,100 from $168,600.
Security begins notifying people about their new benefit amount by mail starting in early December.
This year, for the first time, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a newly designed and improved COLA notice that makes it easier for customers to find the information they need most. The simplified COLA notice is now only one page, uses plain and personalized language, and provides exact dates and dollar amounts of a person’s new benefit amount and any deductions.
Individuals who have a personal my Social Security account can view their COLA notice online, which is secure, easy, and faster than receiving a letter in the mail. People can set up text or email alerts when there is a new message--such as their COLA notice--waiting for them in my Social Security.
People will need to have a personal my Social Security account by Nov. 20 to see their COLA notice online. To get started, visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
Information about Medicare changes for 2025 will be available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare, the 2025 benefit amount will be available via my Social Security’s Message Center starting in late November. Those who have not opted to receive messages online will receive their COLA notice by mail in December.
The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
To read more, please visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

(Press statement from Social Security Administration)

10/07/2024

Free at-home Covid tests are available from the Dept. of Health and Human Services for a limited time. Filling out the order form is very easy:

COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others.

10/04/2024

The October edition is posted to the website!

Senior Voice

09/18/2024

Deaf Awareness Week activities are coming up this Friday.

Hope's Deaf Supports Team offers support and services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in a manner that is free of cultural or language barriers.

09/06/2024

Buy your tickets and mark your calendar for this fundraising event.

You don't want to miss this.   Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired | 3903 Taft Dr. | Anchorage, AK 99517 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

09/05/2024

Senior Citizens of Kodiak, Inc. is starting a lunch and learn series beginning today. Here's the flier:

09/04/2024

The September stories are posted at https://www.seniorvoicealaska.com/ !

08/22/2024

Woohoo! Sounds like a fantastic resource.

We’re excited to announce that Ceci Parker has generously brought sewing machines to the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center for our brand-new Sewing Nook!

Join us this Friday, August 23rd, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM in the Denali View Building. Ceci will be teaching us how to use the machines and sharing some fantastic project ideas. You’ll also get a chance to see her beautiful Kuspuks in person!

And if you need something mended, The Sewing Nook is the perfect place—our group is ready to help, even if sewing isn’t your thing.

Come check out this wonderful new addition and join in the fun!