Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of March 5
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
SEARCH CONTINUES FOR SENIORS OF THE YEAR
The window of opportunity to nominate someone for the 2018 Dutchess County “Senior Citizen of the Year Award” is closing soon.
Nominations are being accepted through March 31st in the categories of Senior Male, Senior Female, or Senior Citizen Couple of the Year. The awards are presented at the Celebration of Aging, held Monday, May 21st at Villa Borghese in Wappingers Falls in observance of Older Americans Month. The nomination form and more information are available by emailingbjones@dutchessny.gov or calling our office at (845) 486-2555. If you’d like to print your own copy, look for it on Page 4 of the Winter 2017-18 “Spotlight on Seniors newsletter,” available in our archives at http://dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/Spotlight-on-Seniors-Winter-2017.pdf. You may nominate as many people as you wish, in any or all three categories. Eligible nominees must be over age 60 and live in Dutchess County.
The Celebration of Aging also honors residents of Dutchess County who have achieved outstanding feats of successful aging. Call or email to let us know of any Dutchess County resident you know who will turn 100 or older any time this year, or celebrate their 70th or greater wedding anniversary during 2018. We would like to invite them to be our guests at the Celebration of Aging.
If you’ve been to a Celebration of Aging, you’ve heard the inspiring stories our “super seniors” have to tell. It’s always a treat to welcome new seniors to the county’s most exclusive club and hear them share their wisdom. We hope to see you at the Celebration of Aging in May.
PAID AND VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED
The Office for the Aging is looking for experienced paid and volunteer drivers to help deliver hot meals to homebound seniors in all areas of Dutchess County, and to help deliver hot food from the OFA’s central kitchen to its eight Senior Friendship Centers. A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is required for the paid drivers’ positions, with a CDL with passenger endorsement needed for any positions that may involve transporting seniors to and from the Friendship Centers. To apply for both the paid and volunteer positions, contact the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555, and an application packet will be mailed to you. Please note: A criminal background check and confidentiality training will be required. The Office for the Aging is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information on this, and other employment opportunities with Dutchess County, visit www.dutchessny.gov/jobs.
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 upcoming events:
Tue 3/6, 11 a.m. – “Rules of Healthy Behavior”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Foster Grandparents meeting at Salvation Army, Poughkeepsie (19 Pershing Ave)
845-486-2555 for information
Tue 3/6, 2 p.m. – “Successful Aging and OFA Services”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
Blodgett Library, Fishkill
(845) 486-2555 for details
Snow date t/b/d
Thu 3/8, 11 a.m. – “Heart Health”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Beacon Senior Friendship Center (1 Forrestal Heights)
Thu 3/15, 10 a.m. – “Successful Aging”
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
HRHCare Health Center at Amenia
(845) 486-2555 for details
Mon 3/19, 10 a.m.-noon – Grand Opening, Red Hook Senior Friendship Center (59 Fisk St.)
With “OFA On The Road” (more on that in the weeks to come)
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
Thu 3/22, 11 a.m. – “Heart Health”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center (890 NY 82)
Thu 3/29, 12 noon – “Reversing Heart Disease”
With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
Town of Poughkeepsie Senior Center (14 Abe’s Way)
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 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!
SPRING 2018 “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS” RELEASED
If you don’t already get the Spotlight mailed to you in the usual way, we also post it on the county website – and here it is! http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/Spotlight-On-Seniors-Spring-2018.pdf
There’s information on the new Senior Friendship Center in Red Hook for northwestern Dutchess residents, the entry form for the 2018 Celebration of Aging, a cover story on the new Medicare cards that will be arriving starting in April…and lots more, plus color photographs!
“LIVING WITH BRAIN INJURY” DISCUSSION THIS WEEK IN RHINEBECK (Tue 3/6)
Janet Johnson Schliff was an award-winning special education teacher for 25 years. But, as her abilities began to fade away with no medical explanation, she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) behaviors that wreaked havoc on her much-loved teaching career.
A massive brain tumor was discovered, and finally, after brain surgery, the odd behaviors it caused that had ruled her life for years were gone, only to be replaced by a different set of life-long challenges due to her injured brain. Meet Janet and hear her difficult but inspiring stories at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck (68 W Market St., 845-876-4030, www.starrlibrary.org) on Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Register to attend the event at this link: http://starrlibrary.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=6789&backTo=Calendar&startDate=2018/03/01
COMMUNITY HEROES PROJECT AT DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN MARCH
If you, a family member or neighbor is a veteran or a service member, there’s an opportunity for them to use their unique leadership skills to help the community, coming up later this month at Dutchess Community College (53 Pendell Rd., Poughkeepsie, www.sunydutchess.org).
The Community Heroes Project serves as a bridge to help veterans and military families reintegrate into their local community through civic engagement. We will work as a group to develop a local service project to improve the community in which we live in, while creating a supportive network for the families.
All participants will earn a Volunteer Leader Certification and will be equipped with the skills they need to organize their own projects in the future. Training sessions are taking place on three consecutive Saturdays later this month: March 17, 24 and 31, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the college’s Falcon Hall.
Registration information here: https://www.uwdor.org/civicrm/event/register?id=135&reset=1
Other aging news online:
It’s a new tax season, and that means a new tax scam: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/23/your-money/income-tax-scam-tips.html
Bending over to pick something up can be an adventure as we age – here’s how other cultures do it while keeping spinal drama to a minimum: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/26/587735283/lost-art-of-bending-over-how-other-cultures-spare-their-spines?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180226
Starting in April, California will allow driverless cars without a human behind the wheel. It’s a potentially huge development for seniors concerned about staying independent – but how will it work? https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/california-now-allows-driverless-cars-without-any-human-safety-drivers/ (New York, if you were wondering, has a law allowing testing of autonomous vehicles by applying for a permit – but the law expires April 1: https://dmv.ny.gov/dmv/apply-autonomous-vehicle-technology-demonstration-testing-permit)
Israeli researchers are developing “nanodrops” for the eyes that they believe could replace eyeglasses some day: https://futurism.com/nanodrops-repair-corneas-replace-glasses/
A high-carb diet and its relation to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/?utm_source=wdfb&mbid=social_fb
(sigh) Yet another type of tick has appeared in the Northeast (in New Jersey). Not what we need, so keep an eye out: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/02/27/588408433/asian-ticks-mysteriously-turned-up-on-a-new-jersey-sheep
U.S. Navy Steward First Class Nelson G. Mitchell Sr. passed away recently at the age of 98; he was the last African-American survivor of Pearl Harbor: https://vimeo.com/196008304
Some residents of Rhinebeck are hoping to restore 100 gravestones from the 19th century over the next decade: http://www.dailyfreeman.com/article/DF/20180227/NEWS/180229723
At age 72, Dolly Parton has developed quite the side hobby as a sort of roving librarian. She’s given away her 100,000,000th book to kids: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/02/27/dolly-parton-likes-to-give-away-books-she-just-donated-her-100-millionth/?utm_term=.bf453df2b1a6
This week in senior birthdays:
3/5: Football player/actor Fred Williamson (79)
3/6: Actor/director/producer Rob Reiner (71)
3/7: TV personality Willard Scott (84)
3/8: Writer/Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton (79)
3/9: Former New York US senator James Buckley (95)
3/10: Actor/martial artist Chuck Norris (78)
3/11: Journalist Sam Donaldson (84)
And as your reward for reading the Aging News in its entirety, a bad joke:
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Switzerland?
A: I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.
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
