Alaska aging commission asks Juneau seniors Nov. 4 to help set senior services priorities

The Alaska Commission on Aging will hear from Juneau seniors Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Centennial Hall. The session runs from 12:35 to 1:25 pm during the lunch break of the Juneau Care Partners Summit and Resource Fair. Light refreshments will be provided.

The commission will use residents' comments to set the state's priorities for the next State Plan for Senior Services, according to its public notice. It encourages all Alaskans 55 and older to attend. "Your answers will help guide Alaska's priorities for senior services for the next four years," the notice said.

The commission is an advisory board whose members are appointed by the governor. It asks older Alaskans what matters most to them every four years. The state plan is written under the federal Older Americans Act and divides Older Americans Act money. A new committee is scheduled to meet Nov. 2 to help guide it, Alaska News reported Oct. 25. The current plan took effect Oct. 1, 2023, and covers federal fiscal years 2024 through 2027.

The commission also scheduled a Juneau session for Oct. 29 at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library, Alaska News reported Oct. 22.

Alaska had 162,175 residents 60 and older in 2025, or 21.9% of the state's population, up 78% from 90,876 in 2010, according to the commission's 2025 Senior Snapshot. Southeast Alaska had the highest concentration, with more than one in four residents 60 or older.

The commission's 2024 Senior Snapshot reported about $9.7 million in state and federal funding for community-based senior services in fiscal year 2024, serving 13,040 seniors. That was down from about $18.4 million and 19,971 seniors served in fiscal year 2023.

The commission's 2026 listening session guidance asks people what went well or was hard over the past year, what help they received and which of 26 topics matter most in their community. The topics include caregiver support, housing, transportation, food insecurity and elder abuse. The guidance tells commissioners to record key themes and quotes and not to debate or correct the people who speak.