Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of June 5, 2017
Note: If you’d like to volunteer at this Wednesday’s Senior Picnic in Fishkill, we’d love your help with any or all of the following: setting up, parking assistance, bringing meals to seniors, and post-picnic cleanup. For details on this and the rest of the Senior Picnic schedule, email outreach coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov.
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
THE HEAT IS ON (PART 1 OF 2)
Summer in Dutchess County has a way of showing up suddenly, as it did last month when we saw temperatures jump from the low 40s to record highs in the 90s within just two days. Our aim at the Office for the Aging is to help you prepare for the effects of summertime heat, especially if you don’t have air conditioning in your home. Heat is a quiet but deadly menace; according to federal data covering the past 30 years, heat is responsible for three times as many deaths as winter weather, and it is also responsible for more deaths than hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning.
Older people are more susceptible to heat’s effects for many reasons. Older people generally do not adapt to quick increases in temperature as well as younger people; some medications may affect the body’s temperature regulation; and some chronic health conditions also interfere with temperature regulation.
If you don’t have home air conditioning and meet eligibility requirements, the New York State Cooling Assistance Benefit is worth exploring. If you are eligible, you may receive one Cooling Assistance benefit per applicant household for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner or a fan to help your home stay cool.
According to state guidelines, you may be eligible for a Cooling Assistance HEAP benefit if:
- your household’s gross monthly income is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size, or
- you receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamp) benefits, or
- you receive Temporary Assistance (TA), or
- you receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI Living Alone), and
- you and your household members are United States citizens or qualified aliens, and include an individual with a documented medical condition that is exacerbated by heat, and
- you received a regular benefit greater than $21 in the current program year, and
- you currently do not have a working air conditioner or the air conditioner you have is five years old or older, and
- you did not receive a HEAP-funded air conditioner within the past ten years.
That may be a lot to digest all at once, so if you have questions about your eligibility, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555or visit the following link: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/#cooling-assistance
Watch next week’s Golden Living for more information on how you can keep yourself comfortably and safely cool this summer while staying within your household budget.
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone (845) 486-2555, email: ofa@dutchessny.gov website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging
Upcoming Office for the Aging events and presentations:
Thu 6/8, 2 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at East Fishkill Community Library
348 Route 376, Hopewell Junction
(845) 221-9943 for information
Tuesday 6/6, 9 a.m. – Senior Walking Group (Poughkeepsie)
Meet at the Washington St. entrance to the Walkway over the Hudson
Walkers step off at 9 a.m. sharp
Call (845) 486-2555 for more information
Mon 6/12, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Health Fair at Tally Ho Estates
Tally-Ho Drive (off Route 22), Dover Plains
OFA will be there 9 a.m. – noon
(845) 486-2555 for information
Thu 6/15, 11 a.m. – Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
South Amenia Senior Friendship Center, 229 South Amenia Rd., Wassaic
(845) 486-2555 for information
Friday 6/16, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2017
(booked solid, but with waiting list spots available)
Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge #275, 29 Overocker Rd., Poughkeepsie
weaad@evercare.org or (845) 485-1277 for information
Tue 6/27, 11 a.m. – Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Rhinebeck Senior Friendship Center, 1232 NY 308, Rhinebeck (Rock City)
(845) 486-2555 for information
To request an Office for the Aging presentation for your senior, social and/or civic group, get in touch with outreach coordinator Brian Jones at (845) 486-2555 or bjones@dutchessny.gov. All you need provide is a venue that’s accessible and open to the public, and a space to set up a projector and screen. Keep in mind that during the summer, most of our Wednesdays are occupied with Summer Senior Picnics.
We feature presentations on Successful Aging, Office for the Aging services, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!
DMV WARNS OF EMAIL SCAM
Officials at the state Department of Motor Vehicles say there’s an email scam making the rounds involving fake traffic tickets. If you were to open the email’s attachment (NOT recommended), it could download a virus to your computer. More here:http://www.timesunion.com/allwcm/article/State-DMV-warns-of-email-ticket-scam-11188464.php
TIVOLI LIBRARY OPENS WEDNESDAY “LUNCH” ROOM
Bring your lunch with you to the Tivoli Library (86 Broadway) on Wednesday, June 7, and enjoy it in the library’s East Room. It’s a fun way to enjoy some quiet, chat with fellow diners, or play some board games. Perfect for seniors looking to avoid social isolation, plus local workers, kids and more! Coffee will be available. Must bring own lunch, utensils, napkins – and clean up after yourself. For more information call (845) 757-3771 or email tivoliprograms@gmail.com.
CAREGIVING REPORT DUE OUT MONDAY 6/12
An advocacy group made up of seniors, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and home care workers is releasing a report in Albany next Monday (6/12) on the issues facing seniors for long term care services and supports and issues regarding home care. More here:
Other aging news online:
Regular exercise cuts cellular aging by…nine years? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170510115211.htm
Prescription-grade chondroitin has been found to help with arthritis of the knee – but it’s not available in the US and over-the-counter versions did not show the same effects in the study: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/well/live/chondroitin-eases-the-pain-of-knee-arthritis.html?emc=eta1
Interesting interview with a contractor specializing in updating homes so that seniors can age in place – being 66, he’s got firsthand knowledge of the topic: http://wknofm.org/post/meet-home-contractor-who-helps-older-people-age-place
This week in senior birthdays:
6/5: Journalist Bill Moyers (83)
6/6: Astronaut David Scott (Apollo 9 and 15): (85)
6/7: Director/producer/screenwriter James Ivory (89)
6/8: Actor/comedian Jerry Stiller (90)
6/9: Comedian/actor Jackie Mason (86)
6/10: Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II (96)
6/11: Race car driver Jackie Stewart (78)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
Email: bjones@dutchessny.gov
