Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

Older Adults and Drugs
Drop Off Your Drugs
Golden Gathering Returns! (10/3)
Diabetes Education Seminar (8/25)
Transportation Council Seeks Senior Input
Reach Your Desired Life Balance (8/26)
Stories to Go – Senior Edition (8/21)
Wings of Freedom Returns This Weekend!
More Aging News Online

Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens

Mary Kaye Dolan-Anderson, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

OLDER ADULTS AND DRUGS

The longer you live, the more likely you will be on some type of medication. About 40 percent of Americans over the age of 65 take five to nine different medications. As the use of prescription drugs amongst the elderly continues to rise, so do hospitalizations for overdoses and adverse side effects. These issues arise not from seniors taking more medication that prescribed, but from taking the exact dosage prescribed by their doctor.

According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control, four medications were responsible for two-thirds of emergency hospitalizations among older adults. The drug warfarin alone, more commonly known as the blood thinner Coumadin, was responsible for 33 percent of the emergency hospital visits. Insulin injections were next with about 14 percent. Drugs that help prevent blood clotting (aspirin, clopidogreal and others) were involved in 13 percent of the visits, and not far behind were oral hypoglycemic agents (diabetes drugs taken by mouth) at 11 percent.

The one linking factor between all of these drugs is a problem prescribing the correct dosage. Coumadin for example requires regular blood monitoring and can interact with other drugs. Insulin carries the danger of diabetes shock when too much is administered.

If you’re currently taking any of these medications, be sure all of your doctors know. Don’t be afraid to question your dosage if something doesn’t feel right, and ask for continuing monitoring and testing to be sure your dosage shouldn’t be changed.

DROP OFF DRUGS

If you have any unused and/or expired medications, you can bring them to the Office for the Aging senior picnic for your town to be disposed of in convenient drop boxes. In addition to prescription medications, residents can also dispose of medicated ointments, inhalers and over the counter medications. Medications should be brought in their original packaging inside sealable plastic bags. Hazardous materials and needles of any kind will not be accepted. Special thanks to Dutchess County Stop DWI, the Traffic Safety Board and the Dutchess County Sherriff’s Office for arranging this special service.

If you are unable to attend the senior picnic, or your picnic has already been held, medication disposal sites, open 24 hours a day, are available at the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, 150 N. Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie; East Fishkill Police Department, 2468 Route 52, Hopewell Junction; Hyde Park Police Department, 3 Cardinal Rd.; City of Beacon Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza; Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, 19 Tucker Drive; Wappingers Falls Police Department, 2628 South Avenue; and NYS Police, Troop K Headquarters, 2541 Route 44 in Salt Point. A disposal site at the Red Hook Police Department, 7467 South Broadway, is available daily between 8 AM and 12 midnight.

Proper disposal of unused medications is an important step to ensure these substances do not get into groundwater by throwing them in the trash or flushing them down the toilet. It also keeps them out of hands of those who might abuse them, as more than 70 percent of abused prescription medications are obtained from friends or relatives.

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone 486-2555, email: agingservices@dutchessny.gov website:http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGIndex.htm

**SAVE THE DATE**
**SENIOR GOLDEN GATHERING**
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Senator Sue Serino Hosts Community Senior Golden Gathering
When: Saturday, October 3, 2015; 9:30am to 12:30pm
Where: Arlington High School, 1157 NY-55, LaGrangeville, 12540

On Saturday, October 3, 2015, Senator Serino will be hosting a Golden Gathering for the benefit of senior citizens across the 41st Senate District. The event will consist of health screenings, entertainment, refreshments, door prizes and various informational tables geared toward the interests and needs of area senior citizens. From senior safety to nutrition, the event acts as a ‘one-stop shop,’ bringing together invaluable resources for seniors and their families. Thanks to the generosity of the James J. McCann Charitable Trust, the event is free of charge for all who attend. This year’s event will be held at the Arlington High School, 1157 Route 55 in LaGrangeville from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Senator Serino would also like to invite local organizations who primarily serve our seniors to participate in this year’s event by sponsoring an informational table. There is no charge or contribution required. If your organization is interested in participating, please call Donna Reyer at 845-229-0106 before September 2, 2015.
All area seniors and their families are invited to attend.

Monthly diabetes education series continues Aug. 25

Dr. Francine Brooks will lecture on the impact diabetes has on wound healing at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, as part of a monthly diabetes education series sponsored by the Vassar Brothers Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. The community benefit lecture will last one hour in Conference Room B at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, 45 Reade Place, Poughkeepsie. Parking is free in the hospital’s visitor parking garage or attendees can use the free valet service at the main entrance. The diabetes education series continues on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Dr. Andreas Spirig of The Vascular Group will speak on Sept. 22. For more information and to register to attend, call 845-431-2445.

Transportation Council Seeks Public Input for Long-range Transportation Plan

The Poughkeepsie-Dutchess County Transportation Council (PDCTC) has issued a public survey in support of its new long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan: Moving Dutchess 2. The 25-year plan, which builds upon 2011’s Moving Dutchess, seeks to identify strategies and recommendations to preserve the existing transportation system and meet future travel demands in Dutchess County. The PDCTC is requesting the public’s input in identifying and prioritizing the county’s transportation needs.

To participate in the survey, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/MovingDutchess2. The survey will be available until September 8, 2015. Please note that all survey responses are kept anonymous.

More information about the PDCTC and Moving Dutchess 2 is available at http://www.dutchessny.gov/pdctc.htm.

Reaching Your Desired Life Balance

Are you looking for more out of work and life? Explore new life strategies on Wednesday, August 26 at 7 pm, at a library workshop entitled Finding Your Balance to Achieve Your Life Goals. This workshop helps you clarify where you are, determine your goals, create a strategy to get where you want to be, define actions to reach those goals, and more! Guest presenter Susan Piro is a life coach based in the Hudson Valley on an adventure helping others lead balanced, organized lives. This program is scheduled for the Charwat Meeting Room at Adriance Memorial Library, 93 Market Street in Poughkeepsie. Free parking and easy access is available from the Noxon Street parking lot. Please register at www.poklib.org or (845) 485-3445 x 3702.

Stories To Go: Senior Edition (Dutchess County) – a multi-media presentation and performance by Karen Michel

Artist Karen Michel has been traveling to senior residences and senior centers asking older folks to tell her their secrets and closely held stories. Along with photographs of the story and secret-tellers, some of these audio recordings will become the basis of live performances, open and accessible to all. This is the first in a series of performances, and will include time for Q&A

Date: Friday, August 21 Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Presented by: ARTS-MID HUDSON, 696 Dutchess Tnpk., Suite F, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Call 454-3222 for more information.

WINGS OF FREEDOM

The Collings Foundation’s WINGS OF FREEDOM TOUR returns to the Dutchess County Airport this weekend Friday, August 21st through Sunday, August 23rd.

For complete details visit the below links.

http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/CountyExecutive/26208.htm#

http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Airport/Wings_of_Freedom_Tour_2015.pdf

MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE:

Legionnaire’s Disease Most Deadly for Frail, Elderly, Experts Say

08/06/2015 04:00 PM EDT

Outbreak in New York City has already killed 10, sickened 100. Source: HealthDay

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