Bethel the Kodiak bear one of the oldest

I’m not sure what human decade she is. I noticed in the video that she has teeth. Too bad she only gets salmon once a year, but the Kuskokwim River is rather far away (and at the opposite time of year).

Bethel the Kodiak brown bear, celebrating birthday in Australia

Not grizzly at all… Bethel the kodiak bear lounges in her enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. (ABC news)

Australia’s oldest bear has celebrated its 32nd birthday.

Bethel the kodiak [sic] bear also has the distinction of being one of the oldest of its species in the world.

It’s become a birthday ritual that never fails to delight the grand old dame of Taronga Zoo.

“She was bashing at the door as soon as she could smell that salmon coming in,” said zookeeper Deb Olsen.

“She knows that it’s a special day when she sees the big salmon there.”

I noticed while reading up on Bethel’s birthday bash that the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) has a tag or category for news feeds called aged-care. Click on the ink below to add it to your news reader.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/tag/aged-care/rss.xml

Alaska Elders as refugees [internally displaced persons]

I was wondering if anyone else * noticed the impact of the negative conditions in rural Alaska affecting older people? especially if this means older people have to move to Anchorage or Fairbanks. This topic came up recently among the groups that need to be (or should be) prepared to assist those folks, despite Gov. Palin’s and the Republican’s inaction.

If you know of someone else that can give a feel or better yet, actual numbers or examples, please ask them. Post your results in comments below or e-mail me.

* Sarah Palin, the elderly, the disabled, older Americans and rural Alaska

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Site Search Tags: Palin, refugee, migration, community+disruption, can+you+help

Sarah Palin, the elderly, the disabled, older Americans and rural Alaska

[revised]

naomidagenbloom 2008 September 2

Vuee, Vuee, We need to hear MORE from you now about the way Alaska has come into our consciousness via your governor–the believer in “stakeholders.”

Readers can’t get off that easy, Little Red Hen– what questions do folks have?

The reason I have been rather quiet, blogwise, is because the news from rural Alaska about living there isn’t good. There has been next to nothing improved since earlier posts, this includes the past 18 months of the personable Gov. Sarah Palin. I’ll give examples below, but they sound depressing. So readers, what do enquiring minds want to know? If nothing else, I can at least point you to some good sources of facts or commentary from Alaska perspective.

An older friend of mine (from Tucson) sends this musing upon the early photo of Sarah Palin and her caribou ( http://newsminer.com/photos/galleries/2008/sep/01/sarah-palin-growing-alaskan/1156/. It is the photo of the red-nosed caribou NOT a reindeer.)

>My deep reflections, caribou inspired::
1. Macho women don’t need to wear pantsuits to assert themselves.
2. Most currently popular female names go from my daughter Michelle to my mother Sarah.
3. Sarah definitely shoots better than Dick. How about Joe’s expertise with firearms?
4. Candidates should not be judged only on basis of age, gender, and looks.
5. Candidate’s children are given on-stage prominence. It should be unfair to have the youngest ones debate politics, but what about having a food fight?

————————————-

• there’s the older gentleman who is resigning himself to move 400 miles away from home to be near his grandkids because his grown children had to move to Anchorage to find work to meet the utilities payments
• there’s all the older people who need an assisted living arrangement or nursing home (a 400 mile trip, if one can afford to get into Bethel from the village to get on the jet)
• there’s fuel oil at $6-15 a gallon
• there’s the Bush-Cheney stimulus payments which only went to those who have taxable income. They don’t go to those who cashed in IRAs early to pay electricity or who struggle to make sense of their returns.
• there’s electricity at 40 cents or more per kilowatt hour (with a subsidy for residences) in rural Alaska (Wasilla pays considerably less, without subsidy)
• there’s gasoline, needed to go out and “grocery shop” on the tundra or out in the river, at $6 to $18 gallon.
• there’s gaining grandmother status at 34
• there’s raising grandchildren at 70
• there’s having your one-time $1200 “energy check” from the state stolen by your children for smokes and booze

2008-09-04 Look guys, what someone else found
gov-sarah-palin-call-in-kyuk/

2008-09-04 Fact Check of Governor Palin’s Speech http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2008/09/saradise-lost-chapter-twenty-five-obama.html

PALIN: “Senator McCain also promises to use the power of veto in defense of the public interest – and as a chief executive, I can assure you it works.”
REALITY: PALIN OPPOSED CRUCIAL EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE AND SENIORS FUNDING [...]

Andrew Halcro does a fine job at http://www.andrewhalcro.com/grading_palins_speech_a

Also: tech support has a listing of reasonable sources at Sarah Palin content

2008-10-27 Palin’s gaffe about her policy on “special needs” while her record shows she has none
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BlueOasis/~3/431498178/showDiary.do

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Site Search Tags: Sarah+Palin, caribou, elderly, Alaska, aging, Little+Red+Hen, diasability, long-term+care

Alaska Long Term Care Community Forum August 2008

Not exactly community-involvement but at least comments are possible on the draft.

[deadline]

Long Term Care Community Forum for Stakeholders of State Long Term Health Care Services and Supports [sic]

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has hired HCBS Strategies Inc. to develop recommendations for improving the long term care services it provides to older adults and individuals with disabilities of all ages. As part of developing these recommendations we have obtained feedback from stakeholders such as consumers and their families, providers and direct care workers. We are holding Community Forums to gain reactions from stakeholders on our draft set of recommendations before they are finalized. All those interested may attend.

Individuals are welcome to participate in person or through a web-enabled conference call. Individuals must pre-register for webinars in advance! For those that have limited computer or internet access they may participate by phone only by using the conference call numbers listed below.

Dates/Locations:
Tuesday, August 26th from1:00 – 4:00pm: Downtown Anchorage Marriott- Anchorage/ Via Phone: (702) 824-9512 Access code: 224-977-617 Audio Pin: #

Wednesday, August 27th 5:00 – 8:00 pm: Centennial Hall Convention Center- Juneau /Via Phone: (702) 824-9512 Access code: 126-987-378 Audio Pin: #

Friday, August 29th 1:00 – 4:00pm: Westmark Fairbanks Hotel- Fairbanks Via Phone: (702) 824-9512 Access code: 177-724-278 Audio Pin: #

To for more information or to register for the Forum webinars please go to www.AKLTC.com
If you have questions please contact Kristy Michael with HCBS Strategies by e-mail Kristy AT hcbs DOT info or by phone: 410-858-0807

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Site Search Tags: deadline, longterm+care, assisted+living, Alaska, DHSS, comment, public+involvement

Another resource for in-situ eldercare

I ran across this link from the state’s health and human services department. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about it. The parent website isn’t helpful. It sounds like a health payment manager of some sort; sort of a personal Medicaid manager, maybe, authorized under contract to the state. It would certainly be a useful role for families or individuals looking for individual home health care. It doesn’t sound like it is an employer. It might be useful if a family member wishes to become a caregiver and receive Medicaid or insurance coverage for that service. I know there are other programs to train family members as caregivers (can’t remember the specific programs, sorry. However, the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. once had training for personal care attendants, PCA)

The company homepage is almost no help.

“CDPC performs fiscal intermediary functions for the Consumer, including processing time sheets, billing Medicaid, and caregiver payroll. CDPC provides training for the Consumer and resources for caregiver training and also assists the Consumer in maintaining program compliance.”

The Arizona program description is a bit more helpful–

“What is Consumer-Directed Personal Care?
Consumer-Directed Care is available to individuals who need attendant care services in their home. Self-Directed care puts you in control, allowing you to arrange and direct your own services. You select, train and manage your caregiver who may be a trusted friend, neighbor or relative. Individuals must be capable of directing their own services or arranging for a representative to act on their behalf.”

Contact info for the Alaska program is http://www.consumerdirectonline.net/alaska/ Anyone have any experience with this group?

Invited by the state in 2001 to help develop the Consumer Directed Personal Care Services Program, we are proud to be part of communities across the state of Alaska by supporting and promoting self-directed personal care services. The program is specifically intended to allow individuals with health care needs to remain in their homes and communities avoiding placement in an institution. This program is designed for individuals who are capable of directing their own personal care services or appointing a Personal Representative to act on their behalf.

Alaska program requirements include:
* Eligibility for Alaska Medicaid
* The need for assistance with activities of daily
living such as:
– medication reminders - transfers
– bathing & hygiene - dressing & grooming
– ambulation - eating
– toileting, bowel & bladder care
* Authorization by a health care professional that assistance is necessary
* Completion of an assessment for placement in the program
* There is no age requirement in the state of Alaska

Contact a program coordinator at:
Anchorage
The Emerald Building
615 East 82nd Ave, Suite 101
Anchorage, AK 99518
Phone: (907) 222-2652
Toll free: 1- 888 – 966-8777
Fax: (907) 677-8777
infoAK AT ConsumerDirectOnline DOT net

Wasilla
Kenai
Kodiak

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Site Search Tags: in-home, in-situ, aging+in+place, home+care, PCA, family, caregiver