Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of June 27, 2016
(Remember: since next Monday is July 4, your Aging News for next week will be coming your way on Tuesday, July 5.)
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
DRUG DROPOFFS CONTINUE AT SUMMER SENIOR PICNICS
The season for the Office for the Aging’s annual senior picnics is now well underway, with successful picnics serving over 1,000 county seniors completed in Dover, Fishkill, Pine Plains and Tivoli, and eight more to go. If you are over age 60 and haven’t yet gotten your invitation to the picnic for your community, please get in touch with the Office for the Aging at (845)486-2555 and find out more about reserving your spot. The picnics fill up quickly! While each picnic is free for all eligible seniors, reservations and proof of residency are both mandatory. You’ll get to socialize with your friends and neighbors at the event designated for your hometown, enjoy a nutritious meal, and learn more about the programs and services offered by the Office for the Aging. Other County departments, as well as several non-profit organizations of interest to seniors, will also be on hand at the picnics, which begin at noon.
One of the services available at the picnics is a place to safely dispose of your unused and expired medicines, including both prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications along with inhalers and ointments. Needles are not being accepted, nor are hazardous materials. If you have medications to dispose of, bring them in their original packaging, inside a sealable plastic bag. Special thanks to Dutchess County Stop DWI, the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for arranging for this special service.
If you can’t make it to your senior picnic, or your picnic date has come and gone, you can drop off your medications at any time, day or night, at these locations:
- Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, 150 N. Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie;
- East Fishkill Police Department, 2468 Route 52, Hopewell Junction;
- Hyde Park Police Department, 3 Cardinal Rd.;
- City of Beacon Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza;
- Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, 19 Tucker Drive;
- Wappingers Falls Police Department, 2628 South Avenue;
- New York State Police Troop K Headquarters, 2541 Route 44 in Salt Point.
Additionally, a disposal site at the Red Hook Police Department, 7467 South Broadway (Route 9), is available daily between 8 a.m. and midnight.
Special thanks to the picnics’ platinum sponsors: Wingate Healthcare, Hudson Cadillac Buick GMC, Prime Health Choice, The Pines at Poughkeepsie, EverCare, Zounds Hearing, Hamaspik Choice and the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services – Protective Services for Adults. Additional sponsorships remain available for businesses who would like to reach out to the senior community.
Volunteers of all ages are needed at each picnic to help with set-up, parking, bringing meals to handicapped attendees and clean-up. Call the Office for the Aging for more information or email bjones@dutchessny.gov.
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
LYME FORUM TONIGHT (6/27) IN HOPEWELL JUNCTION
Hudson Valley state senator Sue Serino’s office this evening hosts a forum on Lyme disease, at John Jay High School on Route 52. Details available here: https://www.nysenate.gov/calendar/events/task-force-lyme-and-tick-borne-diseases/sue-serino/june-27-2016/public-forum-lyme
SUMMER “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS” ARRIVES
For those of you on our postal mailing list, the latest edition of the Spotlight will be coming to your mailboxes soon – but for those of you who just can’t wait, an online version of the Spotlight is already available via this link at the Dutchess County Office for the Aging website:
CELEBRATION OF AGING RECAP
A video of this year’s Celebration of Aging, held in May at the Villa Borghese in Wappingers Falls, will air on Poughkeepsie Time Warner Cable public access channel 23, at 12 noon on this coming Saturday and Sunday, July 2 and 3.
There’s also a quick summary available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM6a3cM-Fw0
BEEKMAN GETS INTO “BALANCE”
The award-winning and evidence-based “A Matter of Balance” program, sponsored by Health Quest, is adding another Dutchess County location this summer. As of July 8, they’re planning to begin operations in the Town of Beekman, at the town recreation park and community center at 31 Recreation Center Rd. in Hopewell Junction. Besides the new Beekman class, Fall Matter of Balance 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; Community at Brookmeade, Rhinebeck; Dover Town Hall, Dover Plains.
Seniors interested in 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. Space is limited to 14 participants per eight session class.
MUSICAL FRIDAY NIGHTS IN CLINTON
The Clinton Community Library invites you to enjoy great live music Friday evenings outside the library and Town Hall on Schultzville Road (Dutchess County Route 18). On July 8, Betty and the Baby Boomers play original songs in addition to Americana roots music, contemporary artists, and classic folk singers. On the 15th, it’s The Deane Machine Trio – spirited jazz that’s sure to get your toes tapping; and on the 29th music lovers will find themselves singing along when The Wheelers are performing. Sheryl and Dan Wheeler do a mix of country, oldies, songs from popular artists, and original songs. More shows are coming in August. For more information, contact clinton.programming@gmail.com or call the library at (845)266-5530.
DUTCHESS COUNTY’S JAMES EARL JONES RETURNS TO “STAR WARS” UNIVERSE
The 85-year-old movie, stage and voice legend, and longtime Dutchess resident, is returning as the voice of Darth Vader in the upcoming “Rogue One”. It’s due out December 16. Talk about taking “successful aging” to a whole new level! https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/james-earl-jones-will-again-voice-darth-vader.html
MORE AGING NEWS ONLINE
Aging has been found to affect the way we make decisions, according to a report from the UK: https://theconversation.com/how-ageing-affects-the-way-we-make-decisions-58607
A combined US/Japanese team of scientists is getting ready for human testing of an anti-aging chemical that’s actually something produced naturally by the human body: http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/06/latest-anti-aging-drug-nicotinamide-mononucleotide.html
We send you a lot of stories on scientific studies of aging – but there are many others we choose not to share because we’re awaiting further findings. In the meantime, here’s a good way to detect which studies are likely to hold up under further scrutiny, and which aren’t:http://seniorplanet.org/should-you-trust-the-latest-scientific-studies/
A discussion of the pros and cons of having aging parents move in with a single mom: https://esme.com/resources/content/care-giving/should-my-parents-move-in
The US Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to eliminate a program aimed at helping seniors navigate Medicare. The full Senate has not voted on the measure and the House has yet to draft legislation on the subject. Follow the debate thus far at http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/17/482392987/federal-program-that-helps-patients-navigate-medicare-may-be-cut
Former president Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter join former president George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush in an exclusive club – couples who’ve been married 70 years and counting! http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jimmy-rosalynn-carter-mark-70-years-closer-40049756
This week in Senior Birthdays:
Mon 6/27: Businessman/politican Ross Perot (86)
Tue 6/28: Comedy legend Mel Brooks (90)
Wed 6/29: Actor Gary Busey (72)
Thu 6/30: Mets/Yankees outfielder Ron Swoboda (72)
Fri 7/1: Actress Olivia deHavilland (100)
Sat 7/2: Fashion designer Pierre Cardin (94)
Sun 7/3: Clarinet player Pete Fountain (86)
