Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of May 28

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of May 28

Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

SUMMER COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

Many young people have community service requirements they need to fulfill for their school and/or house of worship. As the academic year winds down and summer approaches, the Office for the Aging has community service opportunities aplenty.

Our annual countywide Senior Picnic program offers a chance for young people and volunteers of all ages to help their senior friends and neighbors. Volunteers help set up and break down chairs and tables for each picnic, guide senior guests to seating and services, and help bring food and drinks to guests’ tables.

There are 12 picnics: one every Wednesday between Memorial Day and Labor Day, save for July 4 and August 8. You can volunteer at one picnic, all of them, or any number in between. For more information on volunteering, contact the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 or bjones@dutchessny.gov.

There are also weekday volunteering opportunities in our Home Delivered Meals program, and at our eight Senior Friendship Centers, located in Beacon, East Fishkill, Millerton, Pawling, Red Hook, South Amenia, plus one each in the City and Town of Poughkeepsie. Contact us for more information.

For a comprehensive list of volunteering opportunities countywide, check this link: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/community/volopportunities.htm

FIVE BEHAVIORS FOR ANOTHER DECADE OF LIFE

One of the centenarians honored at this month’s OFA Celebration of Aging, 100-year-old Martha Mercer of Poughkeepsie, keeps herself mentally active by learning as much as she can about what makes it possible for more of us to live as long and as independently as possible. Martha shared with us the findings from the American Heart Association journal “Circulation,” which indicate that five easy-to-understand behaviors could extend life expectancy at 50 by more than a decade for both men and women:

o Eating a healthy diet;

o Not smoking;

o Getting regular physical activity;

o Moderate alcohol consumption;

o Maintaining a normal weight.

If you’d like to learn the kind of things Martha’s been learning, join the Office for the Aging email list. We send out a weekly “Aging News” email blast which includes this column, a listing of local events for the aging and their caregivers, and a wealth of information on aging-related topics.

If you don’t use email, the quarterly “Spotlight on Seniors” is going to print shortly. It’s also packed with information relevant to Dutchess seniors, their families and caregivers. Contact the Office for the Aging to join our mailing list.

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

Office for the Aging upcoming events

Unless otherwise indicated, call (845) 486-2555 for more information

Wed 5/30 – 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – 25^th Annual National Senior Health and Fitness Day

St. Simeon Properties, 24 Beechwood Ave., Poughkeepsie

There will be an exciting day of educational programs focusing on health and wellness, a free delicious lunch, a presentation from OFA nutrition coordinator Nimseh Bhargava, and door prizes! Call for more information and registration: 845-471-0171

Thu 5/31, 11 a.m. – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Preview Presentation

With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones, and Lisa Morris, Assistant Vice President, PR & Corporate Communications, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union

East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center, 890 NY 82, Hopewell Junction

Tue 6/5, 11 a.m. – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Preview Presentation

With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones, and Lisa Morris, Assistant Vice President, PR & Corporate Communications, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union

Tri-Town Senior Friendship Center, 55 Overlook Rd., Poughkeepsie

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 orbjones@dutchessny.gov. All your group needs to provide is a venue that’s wheelchair-accessible and open to the public, with space to set up a projector and screen. We have our own projector and screen – but if you have those, let us know.

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

TICK TALK IN MILLERTON (Wed 5/30)

Join representatives of the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the North East-Millerton Library Annex (28 Century Blvd.) at 6:30 p.m.on Wednesday, May 30, for training on Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses present in Dutchess County – and how to prevent them.

RSVP by May 29 to (518) 789-3340 or info@nemillertonlibrary.org.

DRIVING FOR SENIORS EVENT (Mon 6/11)

Golfers, get a round in for a good cause on Monday, June 11^th at the McCann Memorial Golf Course (Wilbur Blvd., Poughkeepsie) for “Driving for Seniors,” proceeds from which will benefit Friends of Seniors, which provides telephone companionship and non-emergency medical transportation for seniors throughout Dutchess County. Services also include grocery shopping, visiting services, and respite for primary caregivers.

The cost is $150 per golfer, and includes a continental breakfast, lunch at the turn, and dinner afterwards at Christo’s.

One lucky golfer will get a chance to try for a Hole-in-One Shot for one million dollars.

Every player will the opportunity for a Hole-in-One Shot for $25,000, and other valuable prizes are also available.

For more information, call 845-485-1277.

WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY 2018 (Fri 6/15)

This annual event had been held in Poughkeepsie for many years, but it has drawn attention from around the Hudson Valley. Organizers say a larger venue was needed to host this year’s event – therefore, it’s been scheduled for Friday, June 15, at the Aquinas Theatre at Mount Saint Mary College in the City of Newburgh (330 Powell Ave.). According to organizers, in future years, the event will be held in rotating locations including Dutchess County, and the event remains open to all guests from any county who register in advance while there’s space.

Dutchess County will be represented at the conference by Patricia Sheldon, Director of Adult Protective Services. Additionally, Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro will join Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus at the conference for opening remarks. The event is presented by EverCare with cooperation from St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and Mount Saint Mary College.

Space will be limited, so register by emailing weaad2018@evercare.org, or by calling the Orange County Office for the Aging at (845) 615-3700.

Check the OFA calendar of events in this newsletter for advance presentations leading up to the WEEAD event at several of our Senior Friendship Centers.

Additional information: https://www.evercare.org/know-more-age-loudly-against-elder-abuse/

In related news, for those of you in northern Dutchess who are unable to make the trip to Newburgh, a different World Elder Abuse Awareness Day event is taking place on June 15 in Hudson (Columbia County), from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. at the Hudson Area Library (51 N. 5^th St.), featuring elder-scam experts from the state Attorney General’s office. Information on legal services will also be available, and WWII/Korea veterans will be honored as well. Call (518) 751-0207 or go to www.georgesjustice.com to find out more.

Other aging news online:

Keeping the legs active can help keep your brain active: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-leg-critical-brain-nervous-health.html

It’s okay to eat romaine lettuce again; the recall from earlier this year is over and done with: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/05/22/613254356/cdc-gives-the-all-clear-to-start-eating-romaine-lettuce-again?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=atc&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180522

Thieves who steal personal data using credit-card skimmers have been adapting: https://www.consumerreports.org/scams-fraud/thieves-get-craftier-with-skimmers-debit-cards-credit-cards/?EXTKEY=I175E000&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_source=keywee&utm_campaign=money&utm_content=thieves-get-craftier-with-skimmers-debit-cards-credit-cards&utm_keyword=desktop&kwp_0=805421&kwp_4=2771947&kwp_1=1174310

This week in senior birthdays:

5/27: Author Herman Wouk (103)

5/28: Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani (75)

5/29: New York Knicks star and NBA Hall-of-Famer Richie Guerin (86)

5/30: Mathematician Joan Birman (91)

5/31: Actor/director/producer Clint Eastwood (88)

6/1: Singer/actor Pat Boone (84)

6/2: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts (77)