Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of December 12
Note: Due to today’s snow, the Senior Friendship Center in Millerton is closed today. Also, the Senior Friendship Centers in Rhinebeck and South Amenia are only distributing home-delivered meals today.
The Senior Friendship Center in Beacon is open, but without transportation.
All other Senior Friendship Centers are on their usual Monday schedule.
The Office for the Aging’s headquarters in the city of Poughkeepsie is OPEN.
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
“Oh, I don’t need anything.”
Surely, you’ve heard that this time of year from many a friend or loved one. Many of us love to give gifts far more than receiving gifts, and the usual, popular holiday gifts might not make sense for seniors who believe they already have all they could want and need out of life.
Instead of viewing “Oh, I don’t need anything” as a source of confusion or frustration, take seniors at their word. There are countless ways to give a gift that don’t involve a physical present yet will satisfy your desire to give, as well as your senior friend or loved one’s desire to help.
Think about giving a gift of your most valuable possession: your time. Whatever you do best, put it to use for them. Looking at gift-giving this way: You can do anything from handling their long-delayed home repairs, shoveling their snow, caring for their pet, maintaining their car, organizing, taking them on the winter errands they can’t manage on their own – the full list could easily take up this column and many more like it for the rest of the holiday season.
If your senior friend or loved one is trying to stay active, you can help them reach their goals while scratching that shopping itch, if you so desire. Help a senior gardener get ready for spring with new seed packets or ergonomic garden tools. A home woodworker might also appreciate ergonomic tools or improved workspace lighting so they’ll be able to continue enjoying an activity they love. Accompany and encourage them if they’d like to take up a new hobby or resume an old one.
If they’ve been having difficulty with their memory, putting together a “memory book” for them makes a tremendously moving and practical gift. Memory books serve multiple purposes:
- to celebrate the life and memories of a loved one;
- a way to comfort and redirect behavior at times when a senior is in an unfamiliar setting like a hospital;
- an activity to share with children, grandchildren and visitors; and
- a way for caregivers to learn more about the person for whom they’re caring.
If a senior would like to volunteer in the community but find they’re not physically up to the task any more, volunteer in their name. The Office for the Aging is always in need of volunteers for our countywide activities. This time of year, when it’s key to prevent isolation in senior citizens, we’d love to have you volunteer at one of our eight Senior Friendship Centers countywide – which also happen to be excellent places for seniors to socialize and stay connected to the community. You can find out more about Senior Friendship Centers and all our services at the Office for the Aging section ofwww.dutchessny.gov, or by calling 845-486-2555.
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: http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGIndex.htm
Upcoming Office for the Aging presentations and events:
Monday 12/19, 10 a.m. – “Successful Aging” at Hudson Valley Community Center
110 Grand Ave., Poughkeepsie
(845) 220-7332 or 471-0430 for info
Tuesday 1/10/17, 11 a.m. – “Successful Aging” at Rhinebeck Senior Friendship Center
Memorial Lutheran Church, 1232 Route 308, Rhinebeck (Rock City)
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 you need provide is a venue that’s accessible and open to the public, and a space to set up a projector and screen – and this time of year, an alternate date in case your venue is closed by winter weather.
“DAY OF INFAMY” DRAFT NOW ON DISPLAY IN HYDE PARK
Those of you who lived in Dutchess County during World War II may remember heightened security at President Franklin Roosevelt’s estate in Hyde Park. 75 years after the United States entered the war, FDR’s first draft of his post-Pearl Harbor “day of infamy” speech is now on display until early January at the FDR presidential library and museum. More here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/day-of-infamy-fdr-speech-1st-draft-on-display/
OFA HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
The Office for the Aging’s headquarters at 27 High Street in the City of Poughkeepsie will be closed for the Christmas holiday on Monday, December 26, and closed for New Year’s on Monday, January 2. Home Delivered Meals clients will receive their extra meal the week before each holiday. During the holiday weeks, the Aging News will be emailed on Tuesdays instead of Mondays.
Other aging news online:
A data-driven look at those who have lived to 110 and beyond: https://www.theguardian.com/society/datablog/2016/dec/03/the-oldest-people-who-have-ever-lived-in-data
The platypus: not only is it one of the oddest creatures in the animal kingdom, its venom holds promise as a type-2 diabetes treatment:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38153853
What older workers can learn from younger workers (and vice versa): https://hbr.org/2016/11/what-younger-workers-can-learn-from-older-workers-and-vice-versa
While we’re on the topic of work, the UK’s top doctor says working and otherwise staying active will keep you fitter and more mentally strong than a traditional age-65 retirement will: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/08/keep-working-old-age-good-health-says-top-doctor/
Still on the topic of work…older workers do lose capacity to process new information BUT also maintain productivity. New research aims to show why that is: http://qz.com/857430/researchers-have-identified-the-types-of-intelligence-that-make-aging-workers-valuable/
A remembrance of John Glenn from his hometown paper in Ohio: http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/2016/12/08/still-my-soul/95136924/
You’ve heard The Band’s classic song “The Weight” for almost 50 years now…but what on earth is the song actually about? After all this time, a clue or two: http://forward.com/culture/355808/one-of-the-greatest-rock-and-roll-songs-of-all-time-was-inspired-by-a-jewis/?attribution=articles-article-listing-2-headline
Succesful aging: in the UK, an 89-year-old widower grew tired of his life alone and the boredom that came with it – so he took out an ad in his local paper looking for work. A café snapped him up and he started his new part-time job last week: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-38195841
This week in senior birthdays:
Mon 12/12: Oldest living American Adele Dunlap (114)
Tue 12/13: Actor/singer/dancer Dick Van Dyke (91)
Wed 12/14: Tennis player Stan Smith (70)
Thu 12/15: Physicist/mathematician Freeman Dyson (93)
Fri 12/16: Singer/songwriter Benny Andersson (Abba) (70)
Sat 12/17: Pope Francis (80)
Sun 12/18: Actress Cicely Tyson (92)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
Email: bjones@dutchessny.gov
