Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
- Last Chance to Register for Senior Seminars (Thursday)
- Thriving in Rhinebeck (11/14)
- Tax Aide Program Needs Volunteers
- Free Car Wash for Veterans (11/11)
- Veterans Appreciation Day (11/7)
- Living With Alzheimer’s Series (11/9)
- Dutchess Text to 911 Program Launches
- More Aging News Online
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Mary Kaye Dolan-Anderson, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR SEMINARS
You only have a few days left to register for one of the 12 Senior Seminars taking place this Thursday morning, November 5th, at the New Hackensack Reformed Church, on Route 376, just south of the Dutchess County Airport in Wappinger.
Several of the seminars are now full, but there is still some room in the Long Term Care Housing seminar, as well as those on Avoiding Financial Abuse, Ask the County Executive, Parkinson’s Disease and the Chinese meditative exercise Qi Gong. To register for a seminar, or for more information, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. If for any reason you have registered and are now unable to attend, please let us know as many seminars have a waiting list.
The annual Senior Seminars are sponsored in part this year by The Fountains at Millbrook, Echo Cottages, the Lutheran Care Center, the Mediation Center of Dutchess County and the Vassar Warner Home.
THRIVING IN RHINEBECK
If you live in the Rhinebeck area, mark your calendar for Saturday, November 14th. That is the date of the inaugural “Thriving in Rhinebeck,” a showcase of services and resources for older adults being held at Rhinebeck High School from 9:00 a.m. through 12:30 p.m.
The event will feature and array of information tables and presentations from agencies which serve older adults and their families, as well as exercise demonstrations and two programs on the main stage: “Flex Your Memory” and “Successful Aging.” There is no need to register, just bring a friend and enjoy an informational morning of programming.
TAX AIDE PROGRAM ASSISTS SENIORS
Are you interested in a rewarding volunteer opportunity? Do you enjoy helping those in need? The AARP Tax-Aide Program assisted over 4,600 of Dutchess County residents last year with free tax preparation at local sites, generally at libraries and senior centers, from February through April. Volunteers are needed to assist with income tax preparation and other administrative duties during 2016. The ideal volunteer for tax preparation is computer literate and well organized, enjoys interacting with others and has some knowledge of personal tax preparation.
All volunteers with the program receive training from the AARP Tax-Aide program, administered through AARP Foundation, in conjunction with the IRS.
This highly rewarding volunteer activity also offers you an opportunity to learn a new skill. Volunteers are certified by the IRS to electronically prepare and file Federal and State Income Tax returns.
If you are not comfortable with computers or do not want to prepare tax returns, there are many other satisfying opportunities are available including Client Facilitators, Technology, Communications, and Site Coordinators. Join the over 170 Hudson Valley volunteers who provide this free confidential tax preparation service to taxpayers with low-middle incomes. AARP membership is not required. To learn more visit www.aarp.org/taxaide or contact Linda Eddy at 475-7500 for more information.
Appointments to take advantage of the service are open between February 1st and April 15th. Beginning in January, you can locate a site near you, or make an appointment, by calling 1-888-AARPNOW or visiting their website.
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
FREE CAR WASH FOR VETERANS
Foam & Wash is inviting all active duty and former members of the military to have their vehicle washed free of charge on Veteran’s Day. Veterans may visit any of Foam & Wash’s five soft cloth facilities inPoughkeepsie, Wappingers Falls, Fishkill, Newburgh or Vails Gate and also at 15 North Grand Avenue in Poughkeepsie and 20 Merritt Blvd. in Fishkill from 8am-6pm on Wednesday, November 11, 2015 to receive a complimentary $15.00 RainX Complete Car Wash.
VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY
Dutchess County invites residents to the 10th Annual Dutchess County Veterans Appreciation Day onSaturday, November 7th from 10am – 1pm at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park. This event celebrates all those who have honorably served our country, highlighted with a Medal Presentation Ceremony. For more information, please see our flyer or call (845) 486-2060.
LIVING WITH ALZHEIMER’S
Friends and Family Adult Day Program is proud to present Living with Alzheimer’s, a three part series for caregivers presented by the Alzheimer’s Association.
The Friends and Family Adult Day Program is hosting a three-part workshop for caregivers to help educate them on dealing with the middle stages of Alzheimer’s. The program is provided by the Alzheimer’s Association. The workshop will take place over three Mondays, November 9th, 16th, and 23rd at 3 PM. Free respite services will be provided during the workshop. The classes will be held at their facility located on Route 9 in the rear of the old Hyde Park Elementary School building at 4327 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park. Please call the Alzheimer’s Association at 1-800-272-3900 to register.
The Alzheimer’s Association provides educational programming for caregivers at no cost. This workshop is designed to help address some of the options and strategies caregivers have to assist their loved ones. Caregivers and professionals will be on hand to discuss safe and effective methods for dealing with Alzheimer’s. Space for the programming and respite care will be provided by Friends and Family Adult Day Program.
DUTCHESS LAUNCHES TEXT TO 911
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced today a new service is available for those who cannot safely call 911 in an emergency or who have a hearing or speech impairment. Dutchess County’s 911 Communications Center can now receive text messages, one of only nine counties in New York State to offer Text-to-911 service.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Following extensive testing, we are very pleased to announce Text-to-911 service in Dutchess County. This advancement in our Emergency Response services provides a critical tool for those who have a hearing or speech impairment or may be facing a situation where speaking a loud jeopardizes their safety. While dialing 911 is the preferred way to request help, that may not be always be possible and this new service can be a life-saving option. When uncertain about whether to call or text, simply remember ‘Call if you can, text if you can’t.’ ”
While Text-to-911 gives residents the ability to reach the Dutchess County 911 Communications Center by text messages, calling 9-1-1 is the recommended means of communicating with a public safety dispatcher. It is faster than texting and allows the dispatcher the ability to quickly gather critical information about the emergency and provide necessary instruction.
The 911 Communications Center has completed extensive testing and can accept texts from cell phone users served AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as well as cell phones with other carriers which use those networks. Individuals who are unsure whether their carrier provides the ability to text to 911 should contact their carriers directly and should NOT send “test” messages to 911.
In general, sending a text to 911 will not replace making a call. Situations for texting 911 rather than calling include:
• Deaf, hard of hearing callers or individuals with a speech disability
• Caller is unable to speak due to a medical issue or other condition
• Speaking out loud could put the caller in danger such as a domestic violence incident, home invasion, abduction or an active shooter scenario.
Should the situation warrant texting 911, the following are key instructions:
• Include clear information about the location of the emergency and the type of help needed in the first text message sent to 911.
• Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the public safety dispatcher
• Text in simple words – do not use abbreviations, slang, emoticons or emoji and keep messages brief.
• Silence the phone so that it does not make noise when the dispatcher responds.
• The mobile device must be GPS-enabled.
• Sending a text to 911 may take longer than a voice call.
• Do not attach pictures or video.
• Do not copy anyone else on the text message; it is not intended for group conversations.
• DO NOT TEST THE SYSTEM; only use 911 for actual life-threatening emergencies. Testing the system could overload it and possibly delay a response to an actual emergency.
If service is not available or if a text message does not reach the 911 Center, the system will send the following message: Please make a voice call to 911. There is not text service to 911 available at this time.
911 Communications Center staff have trained extensively on the new system and tested it with members of the community, including hearing-impaired individuals. The testing has been successful with all of the carriers with a variety of phones throughout the county.
MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE:
Many Seniors Given Antipsychotic Meds, Despite Potential Problems
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Risks include kidney damage, stroke and even death, researchers note. Source: HealthDay
Costs for Dementia Care Far Exceeding Other Diseases, Study Finds
BY GINA KOLATA
An Annals of Internal Medicine paper reports that the money needed to treat dementia in a patient’s final five years is greater than for heart disease and cancer.
Know Your Risks, but Meat Still Isn’t the Enemy
| New York Times | |
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Smoking tobacco causes cancer. So does eating salted fish, drinking alcohol, breathing polluted air and being exposed to the sun. All of these things are classified as cancer-causing by the World Health Organization.
Watching TV Linked To 8 Leading Causes Of Death
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Researchers from the National Cancer Institute have revealed that excessive TV watching is associated with the eight leading causes of death in the country.
1A-Here is How Seasonal Affective Disorder was Recognized as a Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, is a type of depression linked to change in the seasons. The strange depression is thought to be caused by a lack of light. |
ALZHEIMER’S NEWSLETTER: http://act.alz.org/site/MessageViewer?autologin=true&em_id=202706.0&dlv_id=231329&utm_campaign=enews-2015-11-02&utm_medium=email&WT.mc_id=enews2015_11_02&utm_source=enews-aff-118
