ACoA Board Meeting September 25 via Zoom

You are invited! Please mark your calendars for our quarterly board meeting via Zoom September 25th from 9am - 4pm; lunch break 12-12:30pm. This board meeting will feature educational presentations and updates from Alaskan organizations including the Alaska Training Cooperative, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, ACLU Alaska Prison Project, the new State Falls Prevention Coalition and more. Celebrate Employ Older Adults Week with a presentation from the Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Program (MASST). Facebook post here.

Download PDF agenda. All are welcome and Public Comment is at 1pm. Zoom link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86170026613.

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Celebrating Alaska's Centenarians on National Centenarian Day September 22 

We are excited to share that Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA), Alaska Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office and Alaska Pioneer Homes are working on a special project to celebrate Alaska's Centenarians on National Centenarian Day, September 22, 2025. 

Are you a Centenarian (age 100 years or older)? Do you know a Centenarian in your community who we should celebrate? Reach out to us at: doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov or call 907-230-0871. Stay tuned! 

Facebook post to share here.

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ACoA Kinship Family Support Webinar with Haa Yatx’u Saani and Volunteers of America Alaska September 5 

We are excited to share that in honor of Grandparents Day, we are hosting a free educational webinar on Kinship Family Support in Alaska with Haa Yatx’u Saani and Volunteers of America Alaska on Friday, Sept. 5th at 12pm. Are you a grandparent or relative raising children in your family? Want to learn what supports exist for kinship families in Alaska? Join us! All are welcome. 

Zoom link to join at noon on September 5: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81324705401

Have questions or need help accessing Zoom? Call our Program Coordinator at 907-230-0871 or email us at doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov. 

Facebook post to share here.  

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ACoA New Falls Prevention Awareness Resource 

Attached to this email is our new Falls Prevention Awareness Resource. Download and share it with your networks for National Falls Prevention Awareness Week September 22-26. If you would like the high-resolution version, please email us at doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov. 

Watch for next week's e-blast with another resource to prevent falls: Alaska Department of Health Injury Prevention & Surveillance Unit's new In-Home Falls Checklist PDF.

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SAMHSA Older Adult Suicide Prevention Policy Academy 

Last week ACoA participated in the Older Adult Suicide Prevention Policy Academy hosted by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with statewide partner agencies and organizations. Pictured left to right: Senior & Disabilities Services Director and ACoA commissioner Tony Newman, ACoA staff Yasmin Radbod, Careline Board Member Kara Nelson, Annelise Hudson from Division of Behavioral Health, Tribal Liaison for the Center for Mental Health Services and SAMSHA staff Angela Mark, Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association Lead Elder Health Aide Lorraine Thomas, Stephanie Smith from the Public Health Dementia Education and Prevention Program, and Executive Director of the Alaska Statewide Suicide Prevention Council Kermit Wilson. (Please note that several of these superstars wear multiple hats!) 

The team will be providing an update on this policy academy and next steps at the ACoA board meeting on September 25. We hope to see you there on Zoom. Stay tuned for more suicide prevention resources: September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. 

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ADvancing States Home and Community Based Services Conference

ACoA staff Yasmin Radbod and SDS Director Tony Newman had the opportunity to attend the ADvancing States HCBS Conference in Maryland which ended yesterday. The Virtual HCBS Conference is happening online September 17-18 and costs $600.

Stay tuned as we continue to share resources and information from what we learned here.

Yesterday's keynote speaker was Dr. Joseph Coughlin ("Dr. Joe"), Director of the MIT Age Lab. Expect robots to be on the market in around ten years; it will become a common practice to buy one in retirement to help at home! We heard about smart homes, smart toilets, smart utensils - all the ways humans across the global can use technology as a health prevention tool. 

Check out this article from Singapore, a country leading the way in elder care technology. 

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Alaska Safety Alliance: Slip Simulator in Anchorage 

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Alaska Veterans Association: You Are Not Alone

The Alaska Veterans Association is committed to supporting Alaska's veterans. They are available 24/7, 365 days a year, to walk beside veterans and remind them that they are not alone. Services include:

• Faith-based counseling as an alternative to labels and psychotherapy.

• A focus on hope instead of fear, and healing instead of despair.

• Support for PTSD, social anxiety, depression, grief, and more.

• Assistance both in-person in Anchorage and statewide over the phone.

Veterans can call anytime: 844-957-5777.

Facebook post to share here.

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OLÉ! Opportunities for Lifelong Education Fall Registration Opens September 9 

OLÉ! is an online platform for any Alaskan to enjoy a breadth of classes spanning many topics! View the Fall Course Catalog here. Don't miss their in-person Lunch & Learn on September 22nd in Anchorage with the Director of the Anchorage Opera!

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Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska: What is Frontotemporal Dementia Sept 11 

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is one of the most common dementias, yet it is often misunderstood. This session via Zoom on September 11th from 1-2:30pm AKT will provide an overview of FTD, highlighting how it differs from Alzheimer’s disease and how it uniquely affects behavior, language, and movement.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• The signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia
• How FTD impacts thinking, communication, and daily routines
• Strategies for supporting individuals
• Resources available to help caregivers and families navigate this diagnosis

Contact Janice to register: jdowning@alzalaska.org or 907-561-3313.

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Free Online Training: Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Essentials for Aging Services

At ADvancing States HCBS, we learned about the Jewish Federations of North America's Center on Aging, Trauma, and Holocaust Survivor Care’s (Center) online course on the person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach. Complete the course at your own pace for five free CEUs. 

"Given that most Americans will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, it is essential for aging services professionals and volunteers to adopt a person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach. The PCTI approach is a holistic model of care that prioritizes health and well-being of individuals by accounting for the role of trauma across the life course, resisting retraumatization, and promoting the strength, agency, and dignity of people receiving care. This approach has emerged as the gold standard in aging services as it can improve the health and well-being of people receiving care, the quality and experience of service delivery, and organizational operations and staff experiences." 

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Patrice: The Movie