Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of April 3

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of April 3

Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

PUT SOME SPRING IN YOUR SPRING

Despite last month’s blizzard, spring really has arrived in Dutchess County, and that means more opportunities for you to begin or resume regular exercise. It’s the single most important factor within your control that can determine how long you will live independently. The Office for the Aging’s Senior Exercise Program holds classes twice a week at locations in virtually every municipality in Dutchess County. To find the class near you, visit

www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/6727.htm or call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. A doctor’s consent is required for the classes. You can find one at the link above, along with answers to frequently asked questions, class locations, and the necessary application form.

SUCCESSFUL AGING PRESENTATIONS

Office for the Aging Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones spent the winter making sure Dutchess County’s seniors were well-informed when it came to preparing for whatever Mother Nature dished out. Now, with spring getting underway and our “snowbirds” returning from the south, he’s continuing his travels throughout Dutchess County with two “Successful Aging” presentations coming up in the near future. Attendees will learn the steps they can take to ensure that they’re able to live happily, safely and independently for as long as possible, and will find out more about Office for the Aging services about which they may not be familiar.

“Successful Aging” presentations will take place at Blodgett Library in Fishkill (37 Broad St.) at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, and at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11 at the Office for the Aging Senior Friendship Center in Pawling (154 Charles Colman Blvd.).

For more information on either presentation, or to schedule a presentation for your own senior, civic, or house-of-worship group, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555.

PARKINSON’S AWARENESS MONTH NOW UNDERWAY

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley is busy with a full month of activities.

For most of the month, the lights of Mid-Hudson Bridge will glow in the group’s colors of green, which stands for strength. and gold, which stands for hope and optimism. The kickoff for the annual Awareness Walk on the Walkway over the Hudson takes place on Friday, April 28, and the walk itself takes place on Sunday, April 30 from 1 to 3 p.m. There will be wheelchairs for those who don’t have them and find they can’t make the entire walk without a little “lift;” and students will be available to push the wheelchairs. Participants who do have wheelchairs are welcome to bring them. For more information, go to: http://support.pdf.org/pdawarenesswalk, call (914) 475-2793, or emailnredkey@aol.com.

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 related events:

TODAY! Monday 4/3, 1 p.m. – “Microgreens in our Diet” at Kings Apartments

20 Pine Drive (Suite 1), Pawling

With Nimesh Bhargava, Office for the Aging Nutrition Coordinator

(845) 486-2545 for information

Wednesday 4/5, 2:30 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at Parkinson’s Disease Support Group meeting

Starr Library, 68 W. Market St., Rhinebeck

(845) 876-4030 for information

Thursday 4/6, 2 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at Blodgett Library

37 Broad St., Fishkill

(845) 896-9215 for information

Tuesday 4/11, 11 a.m. – “Successful Aging” at Pawling Senior Friendship Center

154 Charles Colman Blvd.

(845) 855-9308 or (845) 486-2555 for information

Tuesday 4/25 – Walkway and Dutchess Rail Trail senior walking groups resume (tentative date)

Monday 5/22, 12 noon – The Celebration of Aging

Villa Borghese

70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls

Tickets $25/person if paid before April 21; $40/person after that

Centenarians (turning 100+ in 2017) free, along with one guest

Couples married 70+ years in 2017 free

bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555 for information

Friday 6/16, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2017

Poughkeepsie Elks Lodge #275, 29 Overocker Rd., Poughkeepsie

weaad@evercare.org or (845) 485-1277 for information

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.

We feature presentations on Successful Aging, Office for the Aging services, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!

SPRING WELLNESS AT NORTHERN DUTCHESS HOSPITAL

On Monday, April 17^th from 2 to 3:30 p.m., join keynote speaker and memory coach Brent Sverdloff for “Train Your Brain: Improving Your Mental Agility and Recall.” This lively, interactive workshop will help you better remember people’s names and get you to think faster, increase your mental agility and enhance your social connectedness. Learn why “flexing your memory” is as vital to your health as proper diet, exercise and rest. To register, visit healthquest.org/wellness or call (845) 876-4745. The event is the first in Northern Dutchess Hospital’s Spring Wellness Series. All events will take place at the hospital’s Cafeteria Conference Room.

RETIREMENT PLANNING EVENTS AT BOARDMAN, STARR LIBRARIES

“What is the State of Your Estate?” is being presented on Tuesday, April 4 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Boardman Road library in the Town of Poughkeepsie (141 Boardman Rd). Matt Cavagnaro of Liberty Mutual Life Assurance and Concetta CP Chiarolanza, estate planning and elder law attorney, will speak. The presentation is aimed at individuals who have retired or are within 10 years of retirement age, but anyone is welcome. You’ll be able to obtain valuable information as how to best protect your assets and how to maximize your estate through strategic uses of life insurance and annuities. They’ll also discuss some of the basics of the new Department of Labor Law that will be implemented in 2017 in regard to 401(k) and IRA accounts. The presentation will be followed by a general question and answer session. You can also have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the experts. Register in advance at (845) 485-3445 extension 3702. All participants receive a free gift and an entry into the library’s monthly raffle for a $50 VISA gift card.

Also, the Starr Library (68 W. Market St., Rhinebeck, (845) 876-4030)) will host a free retirement-planning event hosted by Daniel D’Ordine on Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. Topics will include: how much you need to save, types of retirement plans, retirement plans for the self-employed, in what order should you contribute to your plans, taxes, Social Security and Medicare planning, investing basics, and saving for your children. Call the library to reserve a seat.

MEETING OF THE MINDS

The third annual Hudson Valley Regional Dementia Conference takes place on Thursday, May 18 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Tarrytown. Registration details at the link: http://www.alzhudsonvalley.org/meeting-of-the-minds-2016.html

Other aging news online:

The annual US price tag for Alzheimer’s/dementia, Parkinson’s disease and the other most common neurological diseases? $800 billion by now: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170328105855.htm

Still more findings that a positive outlook on life leads to better health outcomes and increased longevity: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/well/live/positive-thinking-may-improve-health-and-extend-life.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&_r=1 (first of a two-part series)

Another reason for seniors NOT to isolate themselves – when they catch colds, they report more severe symptoms:http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/30/521927344/lonely-people-report-more-severe-cold-symptoms-study-finds

Easter Island and its connection to anti-aging experiments: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603997/is-this-the-anti-aging-pill-weve-all-been-waiting-for/#comments

A promising development in research into multiple sclerosis – but as is standard for experiments involving mice, whether what works with mice also works with humans is a big “if”: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170327143656.htm?utm_content=51547765&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

Speaking of researchers, scientists age just like the rest of us: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/28/study-suggests-scientific-work-force-aging-younger-scientists-struggle-find-good

Interesting article…The Upside of 70: https://seniorplanet.org/the-upside-of-70/

Gov. Cuomo wants to restore FDR’s state car, a 1932 Packard Phaeton that hasn’t passed inspection since 1988:http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gov-cuomo-restore-1932-state-car-franklin-roosevelt-article-1.3011932

A 94-year-old woman is still putting in shifts at the McDonald’s in her home town of Evansville, Indiana: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/restaurants/loraine-94-has-working-mcdonalds-44-years-has-no-plans-retire/

Britain’s oldest man is 109, but refused a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth because she wasn’t smiling: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britains-oldest-man-109-age-robert-weighton-refuse-queens-birthday-card-elizabeth-ii-miserable-a7655651.html?cmpid=facebook-post

This week in senior birthdays:

4/3: Anthropologist Jane Goodall (83)

4/4: Actor/director Craig T. Nelson (73)

4/5: Singer/songwriter Agnetha Fältskog (Abba): 67

4/6: Pianist/composer/conductor André Previn (88)

4/7: Oldest living former major league baseball player Bobby Doerr (99)

4/8: Actor/comedian Shecky Greene (91)