Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of April 16

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of April 16

Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

GET YOUR DISCOUNTED CELEBRATION OF AGING TICKETS Less than two weeks remain to reserve a seat for $25 per person at the Office for the Aging’s annual Celebration of Aging luncheon, held during Older Americans Month on Monday, May 21^st at noon, at Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd. in Wappinger. After Friday, April 27^th, the price will rise to $40.

The Celebration honors Dutchess County residents who were born in 1918 or earlier – that is, they’re turning 100 years old or more this year. We also honor couples who live in Dutchess and will celebrate a wedding anniversary of 70 years or more this year. If the marriage license reads 1948 or earlier, we’d love to have them as our honored guests.

All honorees will attend the Celebration luncheon for free, and will have the opportunity to share their stories and wisdom. It’s an event that enriches the lives of everybody in attendance. At previous Celebrations, the Office for the Aging has honored seniors as old as 113, and several couples married for over 75 years.

The Celebration of Aging is proudly sponsored by EverCare At Home, Marquis Home Care, Northwestern Mutual, The Pines at Poughkeepsie, and Wingate Healthcare.

To learn more about the Celebration of Aging, email OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov, or call (845) 486-2555.

REBUILDING TOGETHER IN DUTCHESS COUNTY

Next Saturday, April 28^th, is National Rebuilding Day, a day when Rebuilding Together organizations around the country bring volunteers and communities together to revitalize the homes of income eligible elderly, disabled and veteran homeowners. Rebuilding Together’s Dutchess County affiliate, formerly known as “Christmas in April,” will complete five critical home repair projects with the help of hundreds of local volunteers. Rebuilding Together’s mission is to assure that qualified homeowners live independently in a warm, safe and dry environment. Planning for these projects takes months of hard work in advance of volunteers and their tools coming to a job site. Rebuilding Together is currently accepting applications on a year-round basis for their no-cost Handyman Programs as well as Rebuilding Day. Among the general criteria for application eligibility are:· Income 80% or less of Dutchess median household income;· Own and reside in the Dutchess County home for which repairs are sought;· The homeowner’s mortgage and taxes must be current;· The homeowner must have homeowner’s insurance. Applications are available online at www.rebuildingtogetherdutchess.org or by calling (845) 454-7310. Because they accomplish their work through the generosity of volunteers, they are unable to offer services on an emergency basis.

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

Unless otherwise indicated, call (845) 486-2555 for more information

Thu 4/19, 11 a.m. – “Reversing Heart Disease Through Diet”

With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava

East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center, 890 Route 82, Hopewell Junction

Mon 4/23, 11 a.m. – “Heart Healthy Nutrition”

With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava

Red Hook Senior Friendship Center, 59 Fisk St.

Fri 5/4, 12:45 p.m. – “Successful Aging” with OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones

With Millbrook @ Home

Maura’s Kitchen, 18 Alden Pl., Millbrook

Mon 5/21, 12 noon – The Celebration of Aging

Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd., Wappinger

Tickets $25/person until April 27, $40/person after

Free for all Dutchess residents who will turn 100 or more in 2018, plus one guest

Free for all Dutchess-resident couples married 70+ years in 2018

Call (845) 486-2544 or email bjones@dutchessny.gov to find out more

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.

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!

FUNDS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST SENIOR CITIZENS WITH HOME REPAIRS

Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro has announced the availability of funding to help senior citizens complete minor to moderate rehabilitation on their homes through the County’s Senior Rehab Program. (Note: this is a different program than the Rebuilding Together program mentioned in the Golden Living section of this newsletter.)

The program provides zero-percent loans and deferred payment loans up to $20,000 to income eligible senior citizens. Loans are repaid through a monthly payment, while deferred payment loans have no monthly payment and are repaid when the homeowner leaves or sells the property. Households making between 0-50% of the county median receive deferred payment loans, and households making between 50-80% of the county median receive zero percent interest loans.

Dutchess County Community Development Administrator Anne Saylor said, “Our program helps seniors who wish to remain in their home but struggle with the high cost and the overwhelming process of locating and dealing with a contractor. Low- and moderate-income seniors can access up to $20,000 to make these repairs. The program provides critical support in developing the scope of work, selecting a contractor and monitoring the project.”

Eligible applicants must be 62 years of age or older at the time of application. They must be named on the deed as an owner, and their total household income must be below the following maximums:

Family Size Income Limits
1 $50,350
2 $57,550
3 $64,750
4 $71,900

Other parties may be named on the deed as long as the applicant is also one of the owners. Life tenants, properties owned by trusts, and properties with reverse mortgages are ineligible. Applicants must show the property is their principal residence. Eligible repairs include minor to moderate rehabilitation necessary to alleviate building code violations. The focus of the program is repairs to “major systems” such as roofs, furnaces, decks/porches, structural problems, handicapped accessibility, electrical, and plumbing. Properties with necessary repairs that substantially exceed $20,000 will not be eligible for assistance. The property must have a minimum of $1,500 in repairs. Routine maintenance, such as cleaning gutters and painting, is ineligible.

Eligible properties include single-family detached properties. Additionally, the federal funding source for this program limits assistance to “modest” homes. In Dutchess County, a home must be valued at or below $243,000 for 2018 to be eligible for the program; this limit is established annually by the federal government. Generally, the County can use the “full market value” listed on a homeowner’s most current property tax bill to determine this value. Mobile homes, condominiums and townhouses are not eligible for the program.

Eligible properties may by located in any Dutchess County municipality except the City of Poughkeepsie, which has its own Community Development Block Grant allocation.

Guidelines and applications are available by contacting the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 at (845) 486-3600 – they’re one floor downstairs from the Office for the Aging.

“FIVE WISHES” LIVING WILL WORKSHOP (Wed 4/18 registration deadline)

This free workshop at Pleasnt Plains Presbyterian Church (2 Fiddlers Bridge Rd., Staatsburg) on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guides participants through completion of a “Five Wishes” document, and offers advice on how to have difficult conversations with families and physicians. The event concludes with a celebratory community meal. Thanks to a grant from Hudson River Presbytery the event is free – but space is limited and registration is required by Wednesday 4/18, by contacting church coordinator Alayne at (845) 889-4019 or pleasantpchurch@optimum.net.

WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY 2018 (Fri 6/15)

This annual event had been held in Poughkeepsie for many years, but it has drawn attention from around the Hudson Valley. Organizers say a larger venue was needed to host this year’s event – therefore, it’s been scheduled for Friday, June 15, at the Aquinas Theatre at Mount Saint Mary College in the City of Newburgh (330 Powell Ave.). According to organizers, in future years, the event will be held in rotating locations including Dutchess County, and the event remains open to all guests from any county who register in advance while there’s space.

Dutchess County will be represented at the conference by Patricia Sheldon, Director of Adult Protective Services. Additionally, Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro will join Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus at the conference for opening remarks.

Space will be limited, so register by emailing weaad2018@evercare.org.

More information on the event here: https://www.evercare.org/know-more-age-loudly-against-elder-abuse/

, or by calling the Orange County Office for the Aging at (845) 615-3700.

Other aging news online:

Americans appear to be aging more slowly than in years gone by: https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20180406/why-americans-life-expectancy-is-getting-longer

For the vision-impaired, some intriguing home-design and technology ideas: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/realestate/simple-home-improvements-for-the-vision-impaired.html

A change may be coming in the definition of Alzheimer’s disease: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/04/10/600944750/scientists-push-plan-to-change-how-researchers-define-alzheimers

If you’re a student of the biology of aging, here’s a resource available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiologyAgingNews/

An intriguing true/false quiz on the effects of loneliness and social isolation: https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2018/04/12/successful-aging-challenging-assumptions-about-loneliness-and-isolation-in-older-americans/

A hypothetical question for those of us who face mobility challenges: would you trade in a wheelchair or walker for one of these? https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2018/04/10/elevator-pitch-the-wheelchair-meets-the-walker-in-the-alinker/#3cb170e177fa

This house looks like one you might have lived in in 1955, but it was built in 2012: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/10/15/nancys-back-to-the-future-pool-house-built-in-2012-ready-for-1955/

This week in senior birthdays: