Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
SUPER CENTENARIANS…AND ONE SUPERCENTERNARIAN
Vera Van Wagner, who at 112 years old is the oldest resident of both Dutchess County and New York State, is among the honorees scheduled to attend the Office for the Aging’s annual Celebration of Aging coming up Monday, May 22 at Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd. in Wappingers. Vera, who turns 113 during the week of the Celebration, is currently the 27th-oldest person in the world, the third-oldest in the United States and, according to the Gerontology Research Group, ranks among the 250 oldest people who have ever lived!
Also being honored at the event are county residents celebrating their 100th birthday and beyond during 2017, along with couples married 70 years or more, and the Senior Citizens of the Year. A few seats still remain for the luncheon, and we’d love it if you joined us. Tickets are $40 per person, with advance registration required. Call the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555 for more information. (Note: Each centenarian and one guest get in for free, as do couples married 70 years or more. Get in touch with us to save the seats!)
The Celebration of Aging is proudly sponsored by Wingate Healthcare, Prime Health Choice, Toll Brothers, EverCare, Hudson Cadillac Buick GMC, the Pines at Poughkeepsie, Medicare Resource Group, Ulster Savings and Hamaspik Choice.
THE RETURN OF PAVING SCAMS
Seniors who live in single-family homes, as well as their friends and family, need to be on the lookout this time of year for con artists driving through neighborhoods claiming to have “extra” paving material in their trucks, knocking on doors. They offer a cut-rate driveway job, then perform shoddy work, vastly overpriced work, or sometimes no work at all. Many times the elderly are targets for such scams. While authorities will prosecute and fine scammers heavily, such cases often take years to prosecute.
A variant on the paving scam is the “distraction” scam, where criminals pose as contractors. One scammer will persuade their victim to exit their home, distracting them with conversation while their accomplice goes into the home to steal valuables.
In the meantime, if your driveway or any other part of your home does need work, be sure to investigate multiple contractors before any money changes hands. Reputable contractors will provide a contract with a description of materials, labor, start and completion dates, company name, local address and telephone number. If you feel the contractor is using threats to make a sale, contact your local police.
PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
The Office for the Aging’s Senior Walking and Biking Groups are back out on the Dutchess Rail Trail and Walkway Over the Hudson, and they’ll be there every week until the end of November. The groups meet (weather permitting) on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. at the entrance to the Walkway on Washington St. in Poughkeepsie, and on Fridays at 9 a.m. on the Rail Trail in the back parking lot of Gold’s Gym on Titusville Rd. in LaGrange. Volunteers are needed to co-lead both groups, and if you’re interested you can contact the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555.
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
Upcoming Office for the Aging events and presentations:
Tuesday 5/2, 9 a.m. – Walkway over the Hudson senior walking group resumes
(rained out last week)
Meet at the top of the stairs at the Washington St. entrance
(845) 486-2555 for information
Walks take place every Tuesday until November
Wednesday 5/3, 1:30 p.m. – “Successful Aging” with Hudson Valley Home Matters
Unitarian Fellowship, 67 Randolph St., Poughkeepsie
bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555 for information
Monday 5/8, 2 p.m. – Office for the Aging Services presentation
The Manor at Woodside, 168 Academy St., Poughkeepsie
(845) 206-4282 for information
Monday 5/22, 12 noon – The Celebration of Aging luncheon
Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls
$40/person ($25/person before April 28)
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
Tue 5/23, 1 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at Wells Manor (Community Room)
Wells Manor Lane, Rhinebeck
(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. Keep in mind that during the summer, most of our Wednesdays are occupied with Summer Senior Picnics.
We feature presentations on Successful Aging, Office for the Aging services, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!
SHREDDERS IN HYDE PARK AND TIVOLI THIS WEEK; NEXT WEEK IN RHINEBECK, FISHKILL
If you’ve accumulated another year’s worth of personal documents you don’t need but don’t want to throw in the trash, keep in mind that many area financial institutions and some local governments periodically sponsor shredder-truck events, especially in the spring, summer and fall.
This Friday (May 5) a mobile shredder will be at the Hyde Park branch of Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union at the Hyde Park Mall on Route 9 from 9 a.m. to noon. The shredder will move to HVFCU’s Rhinebeck branch (Route 9 between Wiliams Lumber and Caremount) next Monday (5/8) from 9 a.m. to noon, then to HVFCU Fishkill (6 Schuyler Blvd. off northbound Route 9) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Saturday, May 6, a mobile shredder from Rhinebeck-based Mobile Storage Solutions will be stationed in the parking lot at Tivoli Commons (between Village Hall and the firehouse) on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call the Tivoli Library at (845) 757-3771 or go towww.tivolilibrary.org.
There may be limits on the amount of material you can bring for shredding. At the Tivoli event this Saturday, you can bring up to three banker boxes (dimensions of 10 inches by 12 inches x 15 inches) of shreddable material.
As a rule, items okay for shredding (besides the usual checks, receipts and other personal documents) include the following: spiral notebooks, staples, paper clips, binder clips, check books/registers, sale receipt books, newspapers, photographs, hanging folders, DVDs, CDs, tabbed dividers and credit cards. The following will not be accepted: books, magazines, plastic bags, ringed binders, top load sheet protectors, painted surfaces, heavy metal objects, computer hard drives or cardboard.
Some shredders will accept items that other shredders won’t, like brown paper bags – so check ahead if you have questions.
ANSWERS TO YOUR “KNEE-DLING” QUESTIONS
If you’ve been eager to get busy exercising now that warmer exercise-friendly weather is here, but your hip and knee joints are complaining too loudly for you to do all you’d like, set aside May 18 on your calendar. Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Stamer of Poughkeepsie will be speaking that evening (6-7 p.m.) at The Pines at Poughkeepsie (100 Franklin St.), covering topics like common knee and hip ailments and what can be done to get you moving freely once again, including minimally-invasive surgery in many cases. Advance registration is required; call Samantha Cerbone at (845) 454-4100 for more information.
Other aging news online:
Nurse practitioners in New York lobbied state lawmakers last week to expand their practice to include executing do-not-resuscitate orders:http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Nurse-practitioners-seek-right-to-oversee-11098847.php
Another indication that exercise helps the aging brain as well as the aging body: https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2017/apr/26/get-moving-grandad-exercise-improves-brain-health-in-the-over-50s
You may have seen a recent news story touting the possibilities for a “pacemaker” for the brain that could prevent memory decline. A closer reading of the article indicates we should get too giddy about the development (yet): http://www.healthnewsreview.org/review/no-new-york-times-a-pacemaker-for-the-brain-cant-help-memory-yet/
The way somebody walks may predict memory decline: http://www.health.harvard.edu/alzheimers-and-dementia/walking-movements-may-predict-memory-decline?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=042417
It can be difficult to determine what’s just a routine memory lapse and what’s a sign of the onset of dementia: http://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2017-04-14/alzheimers-red-flag-or-false-alarm
What does an exotic species of frog that lives in southern India have to do with the flu? Find out: https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/south-indian-frog-oozes-molecule-that-inexplicably-decimates-flu-viruses/
And just because…some truly gorgeous old cars from (mostly) the 1930’s: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/04/08/spirit-tomorrow-gorgeous-cars-art-deco-era-2/
This week in senior birthdays:
5/1: Singer/songwriter Judy Collins (78)
5/2: Singer/pianist Englebert Humperdinck (81)
5/3: Singer/actor Frankie Valli (83)
5/4: Journalist/commentator George Will (76)
5/5: Actor/comedian Michael Palin (74)
5/6: Baseball legend Willie Mays (86)
5/7: Jets quarterback Babe Parilli (87)
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
27 High Street
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
