Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of January 30
Note: If you’ve been interested in signing up for one of our “A Matter of Balance” classes, we do have a small number of openings for classes beginning in February or March in Dover Plains, Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck. If you have been concerned about falling, have already fallen, are 60 or older, ambulatory and can problem-solve, find out more about “A Matter of Balance” by calling the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 – classes fill up fast!
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
FIGHTING THE SENIOR LONELINESS EPIDEMIC
We don’t yet have any hard-and-fast numbers on the number of Dutchess County seniors affected by loneliness. Loneliness is hard to measure because the experience of being lonely is a subjective emotional state. Many socially active seniors nonetheless crave deeper meaning in their connections, while other seniors prefer to be alone. Still, studies have repeatedly shown that loneliness is a key factor in health problems ranging from high blood pressure to dementia, along with higher rates of smoking, alcoholism and inactivity. One long-term study from the University of San Francisco showed that among seniors who had described themselves as lonely, 23 percent were deadwithin six years, as opposed to 14 percent of the non-lonely. The 2010 Census showed that a quarter of senior men over age 75 and almost half of women in that age group are living alone, and a more recent study in Great Britain found that half a million seniors there felt lonely. If the same percentage of seniors in Dutchess County identified as feeling lonely, that would amount to over 2300 of our seniors.
What is indisputable is that social exclusion is a key hurdle for seniors, and it becomes a higher hurdle the older a person is. The British study referred to previously indicates that about one-sixth of that country’s seniors age 65 to 84 do not go out socially. That number jumps to nearly half for those 85 and up, and is likely even higher for rural seniors for whom transportation is an added challenge. The transportation factor also comes into play in Dutchess County, which is much less densely populated and much more likely to experience weather extremes, both of which can affect the ability to get around.
To help meet these challenges, the Office for the Aging operates eight Senior Friendship Centers around the county, open Mondays through Thursdays (and Fridays in the City of Poughkeepsie). They’re in Beacon at Forrestal Heights, in East Fishkill at the town community center (890 Route 82), in Millerton at the Village Hall community room (Simmons St. and Dutchess Ave.), in the City of Poughkeepsie at the Hudson Valley Community Center (110 S. Grand Ave.), in Rhinebeck at Memorial Lutheran Church (1232 Route 308, Rock City), in South Amenia at the First Presbyterian Church (229 South Amenia Rd., Wassaic), and in the Town of Poughkeepsie at American Legion Post 1302 (55 Overlook Rd.). Additionally, there’s a Friendship Center in Pawling open Tuesdays and Thursdays at Town Hall (154 Charles Colman Blvd.).
At the Friendship Centers there’s plenty of company and plenty to do, including games, dancing, guest speakers, holiday parties, exercise classes, guest presentations, nutrition counseling and health screenings. You can find out more about them by calling us at the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 or emailing ofa@dutchessny.gov.
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:
Thursday 2/2, 10:30 a.m. – “Successful Aging” at Beacon Senior Friendship Center
1 Forrestal Heights, Beacon
Snow date: Thu 2/16
Tuesday 2/7, 11 a.m. – “Successful Aging” at Tri-Town Senior Friendship Center
55 Overlook Rd., Poughkeepsie (rear of the American Legion building)
Includes “A Matter of Balance” informational presentation
Snow date: Thu 2/9
Wednesday 2/8, 12 noon – “Successful Aging” at Pine Plains Community Center
7775 Route 82 (above the library)
Snow date: 3/8
Tuesday 2/14, 1 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at Stanford Town Hall
26 Town Hall Rd., Stanfordville
Snow date: 2/28
Monday 3/6, 12 noon – “Successful Aging” at the Town of Fishkill Recreaction Center
793 Route 52
(845) 831-3371 for information
Snow date: 3/13
Monday 4/3, 2 p.m. – “Wills, Trusts and Elder Law” at Pawling Library
With John Wirth, Esq., Office for the Aging Advisory Board
11 Broad St.
(845) 855-3444 for information
Monday 5/22, 12 noon – The Celebration of Aging
Villa Borghese
70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls
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.
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS SOUGHT
The Office for the Aging is looking for community-minded volunteers to join its Advisory Board, which meets on a regular basis to offer input in the planning and delivery of services to senior citizens in Dutchess County. Board members are appointed by the County Executive, and also take part in at least one official public hearing each year to solicit input from senior citizens, services providers, advocates and the general public into its Annual Implementation Plan. If you are interested in joining us, send a résumé and/or brief biography to the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, attn: Todd Tancredi, 27 High St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601 or email your material tottancredi@dutchessny.gov.
MEDICARE REMINDER
If you find that you are not satisfied with your Medicare Advantage Plan (whether or not you enrolled in a new plan during Fall Open Enrollment), you can disenroll from that plan and switch to Original Medicare during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period. This period runs from January 1 to February 14 each year. Changes made during this period are effective the first of the following month. For example, if you switched from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare and a stand-alone Part D plan on February 10, your new coverage would begin March 1.
Please note: You are only able to change to Original Medicare. You are NOT able to change to another/different Advantage Plan. For more information: https://www.medicareinteractive.org/get-answers/overview-of-medicare-health-coverage-options/changing-medicare-health-coverage/switching-from-a-medicare-advantage-plan-to-original-medicare?utm_source=MedicareWatch&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletters
GAME DAY COMES TO RED HOOK COMMUNITY CENTER
Seniors who meet at the Red Hook Community Center (57 Fisk St.) now have additional entertainment options: Game Day, which takes places Thursdays 1-3 p.m. and features card games, board games, American mah-jongg and more. There’s a suggested $1 donation for refreshments. Coming soon will be computer, smartphone and mobile device assistance for seniors. For more information, call (845) 758-8626.
CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS MEET AT HEALTH QUEST FACILITIES
Support Connections Inc. will host support group sessions for women with breast, ovarian or gynecological cancers at two Health Quest facilities. The dates for February include:
- Putnam Hospital Center: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15.
- Vassar Brothers Medical Center: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.
Preregistration for all groups is required. To register or learn more, women may call 914-962-6402 or 1-800-532-4290.
Other aging news online:
The latest newsletter from the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley is now available: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtaWRodWRzb25wYXJraW5zb25zfGd4OjZmZjY0OWJmYzY1MjlhMWU
You may have seen a recent Time magazine story making the claim that “sitting ages you 8 years.” While it’s true that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t good for your health, the truth is a good deal more complex: http://www.healthnewsreview.org/2017/01/too-much-sitting-ages-you-8-years-lazy-headlines-and-a-lost-opportunity-to-educate/
Sooner or later you will fall, despite your best precautions. The trick is to fall the right way. It’s why we offer Matter of Balance classes, by the way: http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6og8d+ofNlzGx4R7tW3SV3S&user_id=ccddf25c17c9ab403c817a4247644b4a&email_type=eta&task_id=1485283216556653®i_id=0
The latest phone scam is a particularly sneaky one: http://wtkr.com/2017/01/24/can-you-hear-me-norfolk-police-take-action-warning-residents-of-new-phone-scam/
South Korean researchers believe they have found the link between inflammation and aging: https://www.asianscientist.com/2017/01/in-the-lab/inflammation-aging-mice/
You got up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep? Whatever you do, don’t look at the clock: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/how-to-fall-asleep-at-night-science-a7545231.html?cmpid=facebook-post
Former British prime minister David Cameron is now head of Alzheimer’s Research UK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/25/dementia-not-inevitable-says-david-cameron-becomes-president/
This past Saturday marked Chinese New Year’s Day. There’s a difference between the Mandarin and Cantonese ways to say it:https://service.goodcharacters.com/daily/20161227-mandarin-chinese-new-year-greetings.html
Comedy legend and former Dutchess County resident Mary Tyler Moore passed away last week at age 80. From 1991, here’s a look at her former home in Millbrook: http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/mary-tyler-moore-house-upstate-new-york
This week in senior birthdays:
Mon 1/30: Singer/songwriter/drummer Phil Collins (66)
Tue 1/31: Actress/singer/dancer Carol Channing (96)
Wed 2/1: Actor/comedian Garrett Morris (80)
Thu 2/2: Baseball Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst (94)
Fri 2/3: 1930’s/40’s film star Mary Carlisle (103)
Sat 2/4: Former vice president Dan Quayle (70)
Sun 2/5: Baseball Hall of Famer Henry Aaron (83)
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
