Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of August 28, 2017
Note: We’ve got one more picnic left in our 25th season of Senior Picnics, and it’s for senior residents of the city of Poughkeepsie, this Wednesday (8/30) at Waryas Park. If you’d like to volunteer to help out your senior friends and neighbors with picnic setup, parking, bringing food and drinks, or cleaning up afterwards, there’s information in this issue of the Aging News. Keep reading!
Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
“FOOT” NOTES
A lot of major health problems start to reveal themselves as foot trouble, even though many of us don’t pay attention to taking care of our feet until a problem arises. The foot is one of the most complex parts of the body, with 52 bones, 66 joints and more than 200 tendons, muscles and ligaments, plus a half-million sweat glands.
If you have diabetes, you’re more likely to have narrowed blood vessels in your feet, which leads to nerve damage (neuropathy) along with foot pain, numbness and weakness. Because of loss of sensation, individuals with diabetic neuropathy may be unaware of treatable foot injuries until infection sets in, and sometimes the damage is severe enough that amputation is required. The National Institutes of Health reports 60 percent of all amputations are diabetes-related.
By way of example, here’s an illustration of the value of checking inside your shoes before putting them on:
A participant in an Everyone with Diabetes (EDC) program in Queens whose pinky toe had to be amputated found out that they’d been walking around for months with a toy soldier inside their shoe. The individual hadn’t noticed the growing infection that led to the loss of the toe until they visited their doctor, at which point it was too late.
Whether or not you have diabetes, it’s easy to keep your feet healthy if you take up a simple daily foot-check routine. Here are some recommendations from the EDC Initiative:
First thing in the morning, or right before bedtime, check your feet for injuries. Look for blisters, cuts, ingrown nails, swelling and red spots. If you notice any sores, get in touch with your doctor.
Keep your feet clean by washing with soap and warm water, and carefully dry between the toes. Untreated athlete’s foot is another potential cause of infection.
If you have difficulty keeping toenails properly trimmed, ask your health care provider about assistance with trimming.
Keeping your blood sugar controlled can at least slow nerve damage, and may prevent it.
Protect your feet from extremes of hot and cold.
When sitting, avoid crossing your legs, which can restrict blood flow. Walking, swimming and dancing are also great for blood flow, as is quitting smoking.
Avoid flip-flops and walking barefoot. When buying shoes, have your feet measured so that you pick the right size and width. Pick shoes with flexible fittings, either laces or Velcro. Try on the shoes while wearing socks. There should be room in the shoe’s “toe box,” the part that covers your toes, for your toes to move. No part of the shoe should pinch, and your foot should not slide around inside.
Choose socks or stockings without seams, and that are not too tight. When putting on your shoes, check inside them for foreign objects.
Next time you visit the doctor, be sure to get your feet checked. Medicare pays for regular visits to a podiatrist, which include a check-up and grooming.
These are simple steps, but neglecting them can be painful and costly.
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
SUBSTITUTE AND VOLUNTEER DRIVERS STILL WANTED
We have an opening for a paid part-time Office for the Aging substitute driver for our Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program, which serves hundreds of seniors throughout the county. Qualifying drivers are required to have a CDL license. For application information, contact the Office for the Aging using the information in the previous paragraph.
The HDM program is also in need of volunteer drivers to bring nutritious meals to homebound seniors all over Dutchess County.
If you have your own vehicle and license, and can drive in any or all of the following communities:
Beacon • East Fishkill • LaGrange • Millerton • Pawling • Poughkeepsie • South Amenia
We’d love to have you join us!
Hours are 9:30am-12:30pm weekdays. Mileage will be reimbursed.
To find out more about these opportunities, get in touch with the Office for the Aging: (845) 486-2555 or nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava at nbhargava@dutchessny.gov.
OFFICE FOR THE AGING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Tue 9/12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – USA Parties (reservations required)
At all Office for the Aging Senior Friendship Centers
Call your local Senior Friendship Center or (845) 486-2555 for more information
Fri 9/22, 10 a.m. – Office for the Aging Services presentation
At the September meeting of the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group
Unitarian Unversalist Fellowship, 67 S. Randolph St., Poughkeepsie
With outreach coordinator Brian Jones
nredkey@aol.com for more information
Sat 9/23, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – The Golden Gathering
Arlington High School
1157 Route 55, LaGrangeville
(518) 455-2945 for vendor participation information
(845) 229-0106 for any other questions
More details: https://go.usa.gov/xNedE
Wed 9/27, 11 a.m. – Office for the Aging Public Hearing
East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center
890 Route 82, Hopewell Junction
(845) 486-2555 for more information
Thursday, October 5, 11 a.m. – Office for the Aging Public Hearing
Interfaith Towers
66 Washington Street, Poughkeepsie
(845) 486-2555 for more information
Mon 10/16, 12 noon – The Senior Prom
This year’s theme: “School Days”
Villa Borghese, 70 Widmer Rd., Wappingers Falls
$20/person before September 15
$30/person after September 15
Printable entry form here: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/prom17.pdf
Thu 11/2, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Office for the Aging Senior Seminars
New Hackensack Reformed Church, 1580 Route 376, Wappingers
Registration information to be announced (watch this space!)
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 your group needs to provide is a venue that’s accessible and open to the public, with 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!
ONE MORE SUMMER PICNIC LEFT – VOLUNTEERS ALWAYS WELCOME
The 25th season of Office for the Aging Senior Picnics will draw to a close this Wednesday, August 30, with a picnic for City of Poughkeepsie seniors at Waryas Park. Many thanks to our Platinum sponsors for their continuing support of all 12 picnics: EverCare At Home, Hamaspik Choice, Wingate Healthcare, Hudson Cadillac, the Pines at Poughkeepsie, Byron’s Hudson Valley Hearing Aid Centers, and Medicare Resource Group.
If you’re available to volunteer and help our seniors at the Waryas Park picnic, get in touch with Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at(845) 486-2555 or bjones@dutchessny.gov.
Note: on the morning of the picnic, there will be a training session for seniors on the use of smartphones and similar devices, sponsored by AT&T, close to Waryas Park at the Walkway over the Hudson, starting at 10 a.m. We encourage you to stop by, either on your way to the picnic or on your way home afterwards, as an increasing number of seniors have found smart devices to be tremendously useful in staying connected and involved in the community.
A FEW “MATTER OF BALANCE” SPOTS LEFT IN EASTERN DUTCHESS
If you’ve been trying to sign up for the Office for the Aging’s “A Matter of Balance” classes, we still have a few spaces available at our classes beginning in September in Dover Plains. Our other seven fall classes are full, and for “Matter of Balance” hopefuls who couldn’t get a spot in this fall’s classes there’s a waiting list for classes beginning in the later winter or spring of 2018.
If you’d like to sign up for the Dover Plains sessions, or get on our 2018 waiting list, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. From the 518/838 area code in northeastern Dutchess, our toll free number is (866) 486-2555.
Many thanks to Health Quest for its continuing support of “A Matter of Balance.”
Other aging news online:
Osteoarthritis in humans has doubled since the middle of the 20th century, and the Harvard researcher who conducted the study believes it has something to do with lower levels of activity: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/august-19-2017-1.4252722/skeletons-say-arthritis-isn-t-about-aging-it-s-about-activity-1.4252755
The fashion magazine “Allure” won’t be using the term “anti-aging” any more: https://www.allure.com/story/allure-magazine-phasing-out-the-word-anti-aging/amp
If you’ve still got your protective glasses from last week’s total eclipse, you can help schoolchildren in the South Pacific and Central and South America watch the next one, which is arriving in 2019. More here: https://astronomerswithoutborders.org/
(The next eclipse coming to the US will be here on Monday, April 8, 2024, and will pass over part of northern and western New York. Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, the Adirondacks and Plattsburgh will be close to the center of totality. Mark your calendars!)
Poughkeepsie senior softball has developed a worldwide reputation, with players ranging in age from 60 to 87: http://hudsonvalleynewsnetwork.com/2017/08/22/video-mens-senior-softball-thriving-poughkeepsie-beyond/
This week in senior birthdays:
8/28: Yankees outfielder/manager Lou Piniella (74)
8/29: Vietnam War veteran/senator John McCain (81)
8/30: Businessman/philanthropist Warren Buffett (87)
8/31: Singer/songwriter Van Morrison (72)
9/1: Actor/singer George Maharis (88)
9/2: NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw (69)
9/3: Cartoonist Mort Walker (94)
