Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of May 29, 2017
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
The Office for the Aging’s 2017 Senior Picnic Program launches this week with a picnic at Thomas Boyce Park in Wingdale, for residents of the towns of Amenia, Dover, Pawling and Union Vale. We’ve got 11 more picnics to go! Dutchess County residents age 60 and over are invited to come out and socialize with their friends and neighbors at the event designated for their 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. All picnics begin at noon.
Again this year, attendees are invited to bring their unused and/or expired medications to the senior picnic to be disposed of in convenient drop boxes. In addition to prescription medications, residents can also dispose of medicated ointments, inhalers and over-the-counter medications. Medications should be brought in their original packaging inside sealable plastic bags. Hazardous materials and needles of any kind will not be accepted. 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.
For those unable to attend a picnic, medication disposal sites, open 24 hours a day, are available 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;
- NYS Police, Troop K Headquarters, 2541 Route 44 in Salt Point.
Additionally, a disposal site at the Red Hook Police Department, 7467 South Broadway, is available daily between 8 AM and midnight. In Millerton, village police are available to accept medications from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, on Saturdays from noon to midnight, and on Sundays from 4 p.m. to midnight. In Pawling, call (845) 486-3800 for drug drop-off assistance at the sheriff’s office substation, 9 Memorial Ave.
Proper disposal of unused medications is an important step to making sure these substances do not get into groundwater, and it also keeps drugs out of the hands of those who could abuse them.
The Senior Picnic Program is made possible through private/public partnerships with support from many local municipalities and businesses. Special thanks to our platinum level sponsors for 2017: Wingate Healthcare, Hudson Cadillac Buick GMC, Medicare Resource Group, The Pines at Poughkeepsie, EverCare, and the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services – Protective Services for Adults. Sponsorships for the rest of the picnics are still available. Volunteers of all ages are needed at many picnics to help with set-up, bringing meals to attendees with mobility issues, and cleanup. Call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 for more information.
Seating at picnics is limited; therefore, reservations and proof of residency are required. Call (866) 486-2555 to make a reservation. There is a $4 charge for anyone 59 or younger or non-resident guests. A complete listing of the Dutchess County Senior Picnics is available at:
http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGseniorpicnic.htm
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: www.dutchessny.gov/aging
Upcoming Office for the Aging events and presentations:
Tue 5/30, 11 a.m. – “Calcium, Vitamin D and Prevention of Osteoporosis” with OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
at Maplewood Apartments, 457 Maple St., Poughkeepsie
(845) 486-2555 for information
Wed 5/31, 3 p.m. – “Nutrition and Prevention of Cancer) with OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava
St. Simeon I & II, Beechwood Ave., Poughkeepsie
(845) 486-2555 for information
Thu 6/8, 2 p.m. – “Successful Aging” at East Fishkill Community Library
348 Route 376, Hopewell Junction
(845) 221-9943 for information
Friday 6/16, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2017
(booked, but with waiting list spots possibly available)
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!
CELEBRATING ANOTHER CELEBRATION OF AGING
Our deepest thanks to all the seniors, caregivers, volunteers and friends who attended the May 22 Celebration of Aging at Villa Borghese in Wappingers.
Congratulations again to our Seniors of the Year: Jane Cole Geisler of Verbank, John Thomas of Hyde Park, Carol and Nick Annas of Red Hook, and the residents of Castle Court at Concord Village in Poughkeepsie. Their selflessness continues to serve as an inspiration to the thousands of Dutchess County senior volunteers who offer their skills and services throughout the year.
Congratulations as well to the four couples honored for marriages of 70 years or more: Lossie and Sam Lee of Fishkill (77 years), Anna and Andrew Fishburn of Wappingers (74 years), May and Andrew Ambrosio of Clinton (72 years), and Louise and Otto Tatar of Rhinebeck (71 years). Additionally, we congratulate the centenarians who joined us at the Celebration: 100-year-olds Elizabeth Browne, Dottie Hoff, Martha Mercer and Esther Paskey; 101-year olds Bea Lacativa and Mary Summa, and 102-year-old Connie Caccoma, the oldest person at the Celebration.
Thanks also to our musical guests, singer Lucy Almada and guitarist Jake Carter. Lucy is the great-grandaughter of our honorees May and Andrew Ambrosio. Please contact the Office for the Aging if you’re interested in having them perform at your function.
If you are wondering about the whereabouts of Dutchess County’s first supercentenarian, Vera Van Wagner…she didn’t make it to the Celebration this year, but she celebrated her 113th birthday this past Tuesday at her residence at the Baptist Home in Rhinebeck. As of her birthday, Vera was the oldest person in New York State, the oldest native-born Dutchess County resident ever, the third-oldest person in the United States, and the 27th-oldest in the world. Vera and the Baptist Home’s other centenarians will be honored in a ceremony at the Baptist Home on Tuesday, May 30 at 1 p.m. Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro and Office for the Aging director Todd Tancredi will both be there.
The 2018 Celebration of Aging is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 21, 2018. If you know a senior friend or family member who lives in Dutchess County and will be turning 100 or more in 2018, or a couple whose marriage will reach 70 years or more in 2018, let us know by getting in touch with outreach coordinator Brian Jones at (845) 486-2555 or bjones@dutchessny.gov. If you know a senior Dutchess-resident volunteer who deserves countywide recognition for their achievements, we’ll be accepting nominations for the 2018 Senior Citizens of the Year starting this coming winter.
VOLUNTEER DRIVERS AND PICNIC HELPERS WANTED
The Office for the Aging is seeking volunteer drivers for its Home Delivered Meals program, especially in Poughkeepsie and surrounding areas. With key help from our volunteers, we provide hundreds of hot nutritious meals for homebound seniors every weekday. Call (845) 486-2555 to find out more.
We’re also looking for help at our twelve Senior Picnics, which begin this Wednesday (5/31) at Boyce Park on Route 55 in Wingdale. If you are free any time during the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays this summer from now until August 30, get in touch with OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555.
HEALTH AND FITNESS DAY – THIS WEEK! – MAY 31 AT ST. SIMEON, POUGHKEEPSIE
The St. Simeon/St. Anna senior apartment complex on Beechwood Avenue in Poughkeepsie is hosting a Health and Fitness day this Wednesday, May 31. For more information, call 845-471-0171. Here’s their schedule of events:
9:00 am at St. Simeon Second Mile – Walk the Property
9:45 at St. Simeon II – Alleviate Stress by Preventing Elder Financial Abuse, presented by Lisa Morris, Assistant Vice President, PR & Corporate Communications, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
11 a.m. at St. Anna – Arthritis Overview and Adaptations, presented by Sydney Leone, Community Health Educator & Medicare partnership Development, MVP Healthcare)
12:00 noon –Free Lunch, prepared by Chef Kim Constable, OFA
1:00 pm – Meet and Greet and Brief presentations by Local Resources
2:15 p.m. at St. Simeon Second Mile – Balance for Seniors: How to Improve Balance and Prevent Falls, presented by Sarah Anson & Don Cao, Physical Therapists, HealthQuest
3:30 p.m. at St. Simeon II – The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Cancer, presented by Nimesh Bhargava, RD, CDN, Nutrition Services Coordinator, Dutchess County Office of the Aging
Also…free blood pressure readings, presented by the Arlington Fire Department:
9:00-10:00 am – St. Simeon Second Mile
10:00-11:00 am – St. Anna Library
2:00-3:00 pm – St. Simeon II
Other aging news online:
If you’re looking to age in place in your own home, the options are endless whether your budget is tiny or huge: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/where-we-live/wp/2017/05/23/10-ways-to-prepare-your-home-for-aging-in-place/?utm_term=.18cbdb37def1
Another key if you’re planning larger-scale renovations… get that contractor lined up before you find yourself waiting. Check references, and credentials where necessary. Credentialing is handled mainly on a municipal level here in Dutchess: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/health/aging-in-place-contractors.html?hpw&rref=health&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0
More on enjoying the outdoors while keeping ticks away, especially the black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease bacteria: https://entomologytoday.org/2016/07/20/cdc-scientists-evaluate-lyme-disease-prevention-methods/
70 years ago today in Rhinebeck: http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/Rhinebeck%20NY%20Gazette/Rhinebeck%20NY%20Gazette%201945-1947/Rhinebeck%20NY%20Gazette%201945-1947%20-%201060.pdf
This week in senior birthdays:
5/29: New York Knicks star Richie Guerin (85)
5/30: Mathematician Joan Birman (90)
5/31: Actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood (87)
6/1: Singer/actor Pat Boone (83)
6/2: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (76)
6/3: Novelist/screenwriter Larry McMurtry (81)
6/4: Therapist/author Dr. Ruth Westheimer (89)
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
