Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of January 1, 2018
Note: the Office for the Aging is closed on January 15 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday…but otherwise, we are OPEN regular hours in January, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
PLANNING IS THE KEY TO AGING WHERE YOU PREFER
“I don’t want to end up in a nursing home.”
Countless seniors have understandably said that to friends and family members. When it comes to independence, your own home, and a skilled nursing facility exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. While there are many new housing options for seniors that did not exist a generation ago, in this article we’ll focus on the outcome people hope for the most – being able to live safely in the home they’ve known and loved.
As is often the case, things go more smoothly when you plan in advance, even if you’re a younger homeowner. They might assume there are many years to go before they’d be considered “aging;” but assumptions are often incorrect, and time has a way of speeding up on as we age. That’s one main reason we call ourselves the Office for the Aging instead of Office for the Aged. We’d like you to get to know us long before you need us.
Begin planning by taking a look around your home, or the kind of home you hope to own someday. Soon you’ll notice that even brand new homes can come with potential pitfalls that can be overlooked by younger people, like laundry machines in the basement or bathrooms only located on upper floors, to name two. Additionally, a house that makes sense for you in 2017 may be too much house to maintain in 2047, but advance planning can smooth over the bumps in the road ahead.
If you can borrow a wheelchair, try this experiment: Does the wheelchair fit through doorways, down a hall, around corners, and out to the yard? Will there be space for a ramp if there isn’t one already?
Think about storage, too. Are the cabinets in places where you’ll be able to reach things without a stepstool? Do you store seasonal items in an attic, a shed, a spare room, or away from home at a storage unit? Think also about what will become of your possessions after your death, and consider selling or donating what you no longer use, and do it sooner rather than later. Pharaohs of ancient Egypt were able to order pyramids built so they could take their earthly possessions to the afterlife. Chances are you don’t have the budget for that.
Is your mailbox on your side of the road so you don’t have to cross traffic for your mail?
Last, but by no means least, check the bathroom(s), because they’re the place where many of the worst falls happen. Are the bathrooms on floors where stairs won’t be needed? Is it easy to get into and out of the shower? Will there be room to install equipment like grab bars and raised toilet seats?
We’ve tried to raise some obvious questions in this article, but for income-qualified senior homeowners, there’s an excellent local resource in Rebuilding Together Dutchess County (www.rebuildingtogetherdutchess.org, 845-454-7310), which can assist with many senior-friendly safety improvements.
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
Office for the Aging calendar of events:
Thu 1/11/18, 11 a.m. – “Successful Aging”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
Brookside Meadows, Pleasant Valley
(845) 486-2555 for details
Snow date: 1/18, same time
Wed 1/24/18, 2 p.m. – “Successful Aging”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
The Fountains at Millbrook (79 Flint Rd.)
(845) 486-2555 for details
Wed 2/14/18, 10:30 a.m. – “Successful Aging”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
Pine Plains Free Library, Second Floor Community Room
7775 South Main St. (Route 82)
(845) 486-2555 for details
Snow date: 3/14/18, same time
Wed 3/21/18, 11:30 a.m. – “Successful Aging”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
At “Lunch and Learn”, Temple Beth-El
118 South Grand Ave., Poughkeepsie
(845) 486-2555 for details
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 orbjones@dutchessny.gov. All your group needs to provide is a venue that’s wheelchair-accessible and open to the public, with space to set up a projector and screen. We have our own projector and screen – but if you have those, let us know. This time of year, we recommend you come up with an alternate presentation date you can make available in case of inclement winter weather.
We feature presentations on Successful Aging, Office for the Aging services, Medicare/Medicaid, senior housing, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!
OFA volunteer opportunities for this week (and beyond):
Home Delivered Meals drivers – Delivering nutritious meals to homebound seniors is a great way to give of yourself in 2018. We have opportunities near your home community, wherever in Dutchess it may be. Contact nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava at nbhargava@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555.
Senior Friendship Center help – we have eight Friendship Centers around the county, in Beacon, East Fishkill, Millerton, Pawling, the City of Poughkeepsie, the Town of Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck (Rock City), and South Amenia. Contact OFA at (845) 486-2555 to find out more.
Many local communities and houses of worship also support senior centers independently of the Office for the Aging; contact them directly for more information.
For more opportunities to help your senior friends and neighbors in conjunction with the OFA’s mission, contact Friends of Seniors at (845) 485-1277 and/or the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) at (845) 452-5104.
SPEED LIMIT CHANGES COMING TO RED HOOK IN 2018
We’ve been informed by NYSDOT via Town of Red Hook officials that speed limits will be reduced on parts of two major roads that the town as of the spring of 2018:
– The speed limit on Route 9G from Kelley Rd. north to the Broadway intersection in Tivoli will have a consistent speed limit of 45mph. Currently, the speed limit is 45 in the immediate areas of Bard College and Tivoli, but in between, there’s a stretch where the speed limit is 55. That’s the part where the speed limit will be reduced.
– The speed limit on River Rd (DC 103) from Bard south to Barrytown will be reduced to 35mph.
When we find out specific dates for the switchovers, we’ll let you know.
Other aging news online:
Advice for aging independently: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/stay-nursing-home-age-independently
On the other hand, saying “I don’t want to be a burden” can turn out to be even more a burden: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/my-aging-mum-didnt-want-to-be-a-burden-and-that-was-a-burden-20171212-h03iy0.html
Food can taste differently for those with dementia, especially when medication needs to be mixed in: http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/2014/05/sweet-food-bitter-pills-dementia.html
When it comes to exercise, it’s good to challenge yourself – a little. As always, consult your physician beforehand: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/27/well/move/the-year-in-fitness-exercise-add-intensity-live-to-see-another-year.html
Successful aging, NFL-style…congrats to new New York Giants general manager and former Spackenkill teacher/coach Dave Gettleman, who turns 66 next month:http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Giants-hire-Dave-Gettleman-as-General-Manager-/f780fe98-f0ec-4cdc-b6fb-4a896a9039e4
Some possible pluses and minuses for autonomous vehicles (“driverless” cars), which potentially could make independence easier for seniors: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2017/12/driverless-cars-could-make-transportation-free-for-everyonewith-a-catch/549092/?utm_source=SFFB
The world’s first laboratory specifically focused on healthy aging is open in Israel: http://www.jpost.com/Jpost-Tech/Health-and-Science/Beersheba-becomes-home-to-worlds-first-innovation-lab-for-healthy-aging-520154
If you use soaps marketed as antiseptic, this may be of interest: https://www.medpagetoday.com/hospitalbasedmedicine/infectioncontrol/69990
“You can’t be lonely and be a healthy person.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fam-aging-isolation-1212-story.html?platform=hootsuite
Want to be happy? Think like an old person, says the Times. Judge for yourself: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/nyregion/want-to-be-happy-think-like-an-old-person.html
A farewell to Clarence Beavers, the last surviving member of the nation’s first African-American paratrooper unit, who died last month at age 96: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/clarence-beavers-pioneering-black-paratrooper-and-smoke-jumper-dies-at-96/2017/12/11/ebf3e3da-de85-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.b3ddb5652242
So you went to Florida figuring there’s no way it would snow down there? https://www.wptv.com/news/national/snow-in-florida-meteorologists-say-its-possible?utm_content=bufferb1e75&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
This week in senior birthdays:
1/1: Actor Frank Langella (79)
1/2: Zoologist/author Jack Hanna (71)
1/3: Actor Dabney Coleman (85)
1/4: Actress Barbara Rush (91)
1/5: Actor/director Robert Duvall (87)
1/6: Former NY Jets/college football coach Lou Holtz (81)
1/7: Singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins (69)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
Email: bjones@dutchessny.gov
Website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging
