Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

Senior Transportation Options
Care for the Caregiver (9/25)
Online Support for Heart Disease, Stroke Survivors
Music Classes for Seniors at DCC
News for Veterans
More Aging News Online

The Fall Spotlight on Seniors is now available online: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/spotlight_on_seniors_fall_2015.pdf

*Senior Walking Groups meet Tuesdays on the Walkway Over the Hudson and Fridays behind Gold’s Gym. Both groups meet at 9 AM and you are invited!

*Volunteers are needed at the Tri-Town Senior Friendship Center to help in the kitchen. Call 486-6363 for information.

Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens

Mary Kaye Dolan-Anderson, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

SENIORS NEED TRANSPORTATION

One of the most difficult decisions any senior will have to make is when to give up driving forever. It is a profound loss of independence, at a time when older adults may need to get out to the doctor more often and still do their grocery shopping and other errands. It also can dramatically affect their ability to socialize, one of the key factors for successful aging.

You can help alleviate the stress a senior without transportation may feel by volunteering to transport older adults who are homebound to non-emergency medical appointments or grocery shopping with “Friends of Seniors.” Volunteer drivers can commit to drive one day a week, for just a few hours a week, or simply be “on call” on an as needed basis. All drivers are reimbursed for mileage and covered by supplemental automobile insurance.

If you’d rather not drive, Friends of Seniors volunteers also provide other services to seniors, including friendly visiting, telephone reassurance and respite for caregivers.

You can make a real difference in life of a Dutchess County senior! To volunteer for any of these services, or for more information about the program, call Friends of Seniors at (845) 485-1277. Friends of Seniors is partially funded by Dutchess County Government, the Administration on Aging and the NY State Office for the Aging.

Friends of Seniors now covers most of the county, but the North East Community Center provides transportation services to residents of North East, Millerton, Amenia, Dover, Pine Plains and Standfordville. They can be reached at (518) 789-4259. In the Pawling area, the Pawling Resource Center (855-3459) can provide travel for seniors, even if the trip takes them outside Dutchess to Putnam County or Connecticut. The town of Rhinebeck also provides transportation to senior residents who live independently, call them at 876-3409.

DIAL-A-RIDE

Dial-A-Ride (452-7433) is provided by the Dutchess County Public Transit System and is available to the residents of the areas covered by the North East Community Center, as well as the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, East Fishkill, Hyde Park, Washington and Wappinger. The Public Transit System also operates Dutchess County Paratransit (473-0813), which provides transportation services in a number of locations from a rider’s home to their destination, as well as ADA Complimentary Paratransit Service (473-0171), which is available for qualified individuals who live within ¾ of a mile of a regularly scheduled LOOP bus route. For information about any of these services, call Dutchess County Loop at 485-4690.

TRANSPORTATION TO FRIENDSHIP CENTERS

Another option is the Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s vans and busses that can transport seniors to one of our eight Senior Friendship Centers. There a senior can socialize and make new friends as well as enjoy a nutritious noon time lunch. Weekly transportation is available from the Senior Friendship Centers to take seniors grocery shopping as well as other recreational trips that the centers offer. For more information on the Senior Friendship Center near you, call the Office for the Aging at(845) 486-2555.

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

MidHudson Regional Hospital Licensed Home Care Presents:

Caring for the Caregiver

A FREE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Friday, September 25, 2015 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Stone Ledge Senior Apartments, 21 Farm Lane, Hyde Park

Presented by:

Anne DeMuro, Director of the Social Day Program, Elant Choice

As our population ages, more and more people are finding themselves caring for a loved one: a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or other significant person in their life. Being a caregiver is not an easy role. It can be stressful, time consuming, and physically demanding. Being a healthy caregiver requires organization, patience, resourcefulness, and stamina. This seminar will discuss ways to help care for yourself while caring for others. This is a FREE presentation, however space is limited. Please reserve by calling845.483.5551. This program is funded in part by the U.S. Administration on Aging, New York State Office for the Aging and Dutchess County Government.

Online support network helps heart disease, stroke survivors

A life-changing medical diagnosis can be frightening. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association now has resources to help in the emotional and physical recovery of heart disease and stroke survivors and those caring for them. The Support Network offers an online community, as well as materials for starting or enhancing face-to-face community-based support groups, and resources for healthier living. The goal is to connect people living with heart disease and stroke with others who are going through similar journeys. It is online at www.heart.org/supportnetwork .

Research shows the stress of dealing with an illness can impact health. A study from the Journal of the American Heart Association found that a general lack of social support is associated with poor health and quality of life and depression in young men and women a year after having a heart attack.

The person who’s had a heart attack or stroke isn’t the only one impacted by these life-changing events. The stress of caring for a disabled spouse can significantly raise the caregiver’s risk of future stroke, especially among African-American men, according to a study in the journal, Stroke.

“It’s very common for people to feel depressed, isolated and overwhelmed after having a heart attack or stroke,” said James Lyons, MD, FACC, FACP, Heart Failure Program Director and cardiologist with the Hudson Valley Heart Center. Lyons is a member of the AHA’s Board of Directors, “The Support Network is a place where people can find and offer emotional support with others going through similar journeys. Who knows better what you might be feeling than someone who has been there?”

The monitored online community offers people a place to ask questions, share concerns or fears, provide helpful tips and find encouragement and inspiration. As an online community, it offers convenience for families or patients who cannot otherwise travel to a traditional support group.

Some people may prefer more personal interaction, and that’s where face-to-face community-based support groups can be beneficial. The online Support Network houses all the tools and resources needed to start an in-person support group, including train-the-trainer materials for group leaders, checklists for building groups and even sample agendas for meetings. Support groups can also set up an online meeting space where members can stay in touch between in-person meetings.

Additional Resources:

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Support Network:www.heart.org/supportnetwork and www.strokeassociation.org/supportnetwork.
Information for caregivers: www.heart.org/caregivers

Music Classes for Seniors at Dutchess Community College

It’s never too late to enjoy learning a new musical instrument or return to an instrument studied years ago. Older adults find that music lessons are a great way to stay mentally active. Music is known to be therapeutic and a great way to keep one’s mind young!

The Music School at Dutchess Community College (DCC) offers a variety of music classes and lessons of interest to seniors beginning in September 2015. Most classes are held on the DCC campus in Poughkeepsie and St. Peter’s School Convent. Here are a few you may be interested in. Instruments are required!

Introduction to Guitar Mondays, 9/28-11/30 Ages 6 to Adult

Jazz Ensemble Mondays, 9/21-11/23 Adults and Teens

Harmonica Saturdays 10/3-10/24 + $20 material fee

Mandolin Beginners Fridays 10/2-12/11 Ages 10 to Adult

Cello Ensemble Wednesdays, 10/7-12/2 Advanced Beginners

How about 10 sessions of family fun! Kindermusik is a music program for you and your young grandchildren up to age 3. Enjoy musical activities together. Classes are Fridays or Saturdays, 9/25-12/5. This class will also make a wonderful gift to your grandchild. Scholarships are available for eligible low-income families.

The Music School at DCC also offers individual lessons in all instruments and voice, group classes in guitar, violin, harp, and voice, and jazz and chamber groups. For the senior discount for ages 65 and above, a photo ID will be required. For more information on any of these programs, please call (845) 431-8916 or go to www.sunydutchess.edu/continuingeducation/musicschool

NEWS FOR VETERANS

The Dutchess County Fair opens in less than a week and the fairgrounds is already buzzing with activity. New to the fair this year will be the Veterans Recognition Project “Warrior Wagon.” This specially constructed horse-drawn wagon is the creation of Hyde Park resident Frank Castella, Sr. Each day of the fair at 1 p.m. veterans representing the various branches of the military will be invited to climb aboard the wagon for a brief ride, enabling fair visitors to show their appreciation for your service and sacrifices. Veterans and one guest will be admitted free to the fairgrounds. The “Warrior Wagon” is handicapped accessible. Any veteran interested in more information or in participating in the daily exhibition is asked to contact Melodye at 845-876-5637

Save the date! The Dutchess County Division of Veterans’ Services will be hosting its 10^th Annual Dutchess County Veterans Appreciation Day on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 10am–1pm at the Henry A. Wallace Center at FDR Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park, NY.

Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County is currently accepting application for veterans and their families only:

Visit the following website for complete details… http://habitatdutchess.org/

MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE:

1 in 4 Senior Women in U.S. Has Osteoporosis

08/13/2015 09:00 AM EDT About 6 percent of men aged 65 or older also have the bone-thinning condition, report finds. Source: HealthDay

Universal flu vaccine comes closer, scientists say

BBC News

‎

Researchers say they are closer to developing a vaccine to give life-long protection against any type of flu, after promising trials in animals.

New tool will compare costs versus benefits of cancer treatments

Financial Express

– ‎Aug 22, 2015‎

As options for cancer patients become increasingly complicated, and expensive, the most influential source for U.S. oncology treatment guidelines will for the first time offer a tool to assess the costs versus benefits of available therapies.