Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
- The Heat Is On (Part 1)
- “A Matter of Balance” is Standing Tall
- Dutchess Household Hazardous Materials Disposal Day (6/25)
- The Real Knitty-Gritty (6/18)
- Red Hook Library Seeks “Senior Series” Volunteer
- MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
THE HEAT IS ON (PART 1)
As 90-degree temperatures came to Dutchess County even before May ended, it pays to be prepared even if you think you’re accustomed to the heat. The heat can get to any person of any age, but older people are more susceptible to heat’s effects for many reasons. Older people generally do not adapt to sudden changes in temperature as well as younger people; some medications may affect the body’s temperature regulation; and some chronic health conditions also interfere with temperature regulation.
If you don’t have air conditioning at home, it will be helpful if you can get to an air-conditioned place like a movie theatre, shopping mall, senior center, or library. A house fan offers only partial respite from the heat; and if your home is as hot inside as it is outside, the fan will not help prevent heat-related illnesses. Opening windows at night and closing them in the early morning will prevent some hot air from getting into your house, but that’s also only a partial solution. More helpful are cool baths or showers, or even a tub full of cool water to soak your feet in. Cool water removes heat 25 times faster than cool air, as anybody who took an early-season dip into a swimming pool last month could tell you. If your home has an attic exhaust fan, run that as well. Attics can heat up to well over 120 degrees in the midsummer, and the attic fan will move this extremely hot air out of your house. In much the same way, a box fan placed in an upstairs window with the fan blowing out will draw cooler air up from downstairs and force warm air to the outside.
When you go outside, wear light and loose-fitting clothing. Light-colored clothing reflects sunlight away from you. Drink plenty of fluids, but stay away from alcohol and caffeine, both of which have dehydrating properties. Take frequent breaks in a cool or shady area, and hold off on more strenuous outdoor activities until it’s cooler, especially if the heat comes with humidity as it so often does in the Hudson Valley.
Summer hasn’t even started yet, so we’re sure to visit this topic again before long. If you have any tips for coping with hot weather you didn’t already see here, pass them along to the Office for the Aging’s outreach coordinator, Brian Jones, at bjones@dutchessny.gov. Your advice might be featured in a future Golden Living column or Aging News email!
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone 486-2555, email:ofa@dutchessny.gov website: http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGIndex.htm
“A MATTER OF BALANCE” STANDING TALL
Statistics show that one out of three adults over 65 fall in the course of a year. One out of two adults over 80 fall. In Dutchess County, falls account for more than half of emergency room visits in a year. The risk increases with age. In response, the Office for the Aging will offer its award winning, evidence based program, A Matter Of Balance (MOB), at the Beekman Recreation Center this summer. The eight-session, two hour classes will begin on Friday, July 8, and continue through August 26th. Each class will run from 10:00 a.m. until 12 noon.
A Matter Of Balance classes help participants to view falls and fear of falling as controllable, set realistic goals for increasing activity, and change their environment to reduce fall risk factors. The program also promotes exercise to increase strength and balance. Thirty minutes of exercise are included in each class, beginning with the third session. Those most likely to benefit from A Matter of Balance include older adults who are concerned about falls, have sustained a fall in the past, restrict activities because of concerns about falling, are interested in improving flexibility, balance and strength and are age 60, ambulatory and able to problem solve.
Fall classes have been scheduled in the following locations: Poughkeepsie Senior Center, Town of Poughkeepsie; St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, city of Poughkeepsie; New Hackensack Reformed Church, Wappingers Falls; Town Hall, Pleasant Valley; Fishkill Recreation Center, Fishkill; Brookmeade, Rhinebeck; and Dover Town Hall, Dover Plains. Seniors interested in participating in the summer or fall classes must fill out an application. Applications are available at www.dutchessny.gov or by calling the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555. Callers should request an application for A Matter Of Balance. Space is limited to fourteen participants per eight session class.
DUTCHESS HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DISPOSAL DAY (6/25)
It’s one thing to have a garage full of vintage tools, but “vintage” isn’t the term to apply to those old containers of household chemicals also taking up residence in your garage, or those worn-out electronic items with frayed wires and other potential dangers. This month is an ideal time to dispose of those items safely, courtesy of the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency which is hosting a Household Hazardous Materials disposal event on Saturday, June 25 at their facility at 96 Sand Dock Road in the town of Poughkeepsie, just south of IBM Road. You can register for this event online at https://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/HHW/Register.aspx or call (845)463-6020to reserve a spot. A rundown on what constitutes hazardous waste (and what doesn’t) is available at http://www.dcrra.org/hhwaste.html.
RED HOOK LIBRARY SEEKS “SENIOR SERIES” VOLUNTEER
The award-winning Red Hook Public Library is looking for a volunteer to devote about two hours per week to assisting library officials in arranging and coordinating daily activities for the town’s seniors. If this opportunity interests you, contact assistant director Dawn Jardine at (845)758-3241or email assistant@redhooklibrary.org.
THE REAL KNITTY GRITTY
Saturday, June 18 is Worldwide Knit In Public Day, and fiber artists from around the Hudson Valley are being summoned to Upper Landing Park at 83 N. Water St. in Poughkeepsie near the Walkway over the Hudson for their third annual “Knit-In”, to be held on the 18th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.You’ll want to bring your latest project, along with a chair and sunscreen, and perhaps a lunch. Rain date is Sunday the 19th. For more information, follow the Walkway’s page at Facebook, check www.upperlanding.org, or call Walkway ambassador Nancy Gill at (845)471-5195.
OTHER AGING NEWS ONLINE
Not only are life expectancies increasing, but the number of years people have that are free from disability is increasing as well:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160606120039.htm
14 ways alcohol affects the aging process, for better and worse: http://health.usnews.com/wellness/slideshows/14-ways-alcohol-affects-the-aging-process
Anne Dunivin of Atlanta is close to 100 – and setting new swimming records for her age group. And she didn’t start swimming competitively until her 80’s: http://www.ajc.com/news/lifestyles/health/99-year-old-atlanta-swimmer-completes-swim-and-set/nrbXf/
Famous birthdays this week:
Mon 6/13: Actor/comedian Tim Allen (63)
Tue 6/14: Brooklyn/LA Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe (90)
Wed 6/15: Actor/singer Jim Belushi (62)
Thu 6/16: Writer Joyce Carol Oates (78)
Fri 6/17: Singer/songwriter Barry Manilow (73)
Sat 6/18: Singer/songwriter Paul McCartney (73)
Sun 6/19: Author/academic Salman Rushdie (69)
