Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of December 24

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of December 24

Note: the Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s Senior Friendship Centers and Home Delivered Meals programs will not be in operation on December 24th and 25th, and on December 31st and January 1st.

The Office for the Aging headquarters will be OPEN for regular hours (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) on Monday, December 24th, but closed for the Christmas holiday on Tuesday, December 25th. We’ll also be OPEN regular hours on Monday, December 31st but closed for New Year’s Day on January 1st.

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

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

 

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS

            By late January, after 22 years in our current facilities, the Dutchess County Office for the Aging will move its offices, central kitchen and Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center to a brand-new home in one location in Poughkeepsie. This week, workers are putting the finishing touches on the new building, at 114 Delafield St. in Poughkeepsie, just off Route 9 and close to Dutchess County Public Transit’s City of Poughkeepsie Westside Shuttle Route P.

            During the transition from one location to another, there may be a brief change in operating hours for OFA offices and the Friendship Center; our phone number and email address, however, will remain the same.

            New facilities are essential as we prepare for decades of growth in our senior population. OFA’s current Poughkeepsie facilities have outlived their useful lives. The latest U.S. Census figures from 2016 show the 65+ population now makes up at least 15% of most Census tracts in Dutchess County, a figure that continues to rise every year. Significant parts of many municipalities now have 65+ communities that make up over 20% of the population, including the towns of East Fishkill, Pawling, Red Hook, Wappinger, Washington (Millbrook), and both the City and Town of Poughkeepsie. In Rhinebeck, the 65+ population is already over 30%.

            Cornell University’s County Projections Explorer indicates the 65+ population of Dutchess County will continue to grow until at least 2036, from its current level near 60,000 to over 72,000.       Among the first to see the benefits of our new facilities will be the hundreds of homebound seniors in our Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program. OFA Nutrition Services Coordinator Nimesh Bhargava says the new central kitchen will enable his team to improve delivery times and serve a wider array of nutritious meals to more seniors than ever.

            There’s no time like the present to become an HDM volunteer driver, and we have other options if driving isn’t your preferred method of volunteering. We’re always looking for volunteers to lead our Brain Games or senior exercise classes, help with clerical work, and assist at our Senior Friendship Centers countywide. You can also become a trained volunteer HIICAP (Health Insurance, Information, Counseling and Assistance Program) counselor, and help seniors learn about the coverage, costs and options of Medicare, managed care, Medigap insurance and long term care insurance. To find out more about any of these volunteering opportunities, contact us using the information at the end of the column.

 

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

All events subject to unannounced schedule changes

Sat 3/16/19, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – LaGrange Association Library volunteering event

                        With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones

                        488 Freedom Plains Rd. (Route 55) #109

                        www.laglib.org or (845) 452-3141 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 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, scam prevention, senior housing, a wide range of topics related to nutrition, and more!

MAJOR JAMES BROPHY MEMORIAL BENEFIT EVENT IN RED HOOK (Sat 12/22)

VFW Post 7765 in Red Hook has partnered with the Brophy family of Staatsburg to hold a benefit in honor of Major James Brophy, who perished over the Sea of Japan on December 6th on active duty.

The benefit will be held at 8 p.m. this Saturday (12/22) at the Post, at 30 Elizabeth Street in Red Hook. There will be karaoke, food and a cash bar. Major Brophy’s father is slated to attend as well. All donations will go directly to the fund started to support Major Brophy’s family.

Any questions can be directed to VFW Post 7765 at (845) 758-6212. For those who cannot attend, Poughkeepsie-based VFW Post 170 is also collecting donations for this cause. Please make any checks payable to “VFW Post 7765.”

DECEMBER ONLY (1 WEEK LEFT) – PATHSTONE ACCEPTING SECTION 8 WAITING LIST APPLICATIONS

            PathStone’s Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program this month is accepting applications for placement on the program’s waiting list.

            The PathStone Section 8 program administers vouchers subsidizing low income individuals and families in Dutchess County. Applications will be available until December 31, 2018, only at

PathStone
29 Marshall Rd Suite F

Wappingers Falls NY 12590

            Applications will only be available between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

            Completed applications must be returned by mail via the US Postal Service to the above address.

            No walk-in applications will be accepted.

            The head of household for the person or family requesting an application must be at least 18 years old at the time of application. Only one application per family will be accepted. There is a limit of one application per envelope. Individuals submitting more than one application per family will be disqualified. All Dutchess County residents must provide proof of address.

            Applications postmarked after December 31, 2018 will not be accepted. Incomplete or illegible applications will be returned to sender and logged as ineligible.

            Phone calls requesting an application will not be accepted.

            Preliminary eligibility will be based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Voucher program income guidelines. Applications must have annual household incomes no greater than the following limits by family size:

Household size Income limit
1 $33,150
2 $37,850
3 $42,600
4 $47,300
5 $51,100
6 $54,900
7 $58,700
8 $62,450

(subject to HUD revisions)

            Upon receipt of a completed application, you will receive notification via U.S. mail of your acceptance to the waitlist.

            Being placed on the waiting list is neither a guarantee of a Section 8 voucher, nor a final determination of eligibility for a voucher.

            PathStone Corporation promotes fair housing and equal opportunity. Reasonable accommodations may be available to disabled families upon request. PathStone Corporation does not discriminate against creed, race, religion, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, family status or disability.

MILLERTON SENIOR FRIENDSHIP CENTER MOVES JANUARY 2ND

            The Village of Millerton and Town of North East are in the early stages of a Community Development Block Grant-funded effort to improve access to village and town government offices in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.   Because the OFA Millerton Senior Friendship Center is located in the same building as village offices, the Friendship Center will be relocating in advance of expected renovations, around the corner to the Millerton/North East Library Annex at 28 Century Blvd., effective January 2, 2019.

            The historic Library Annex is used for many other community activities, so seniors who use the Friendship Center at the new location will be able to find out about more things to do in the community…and as its name indicates, it’s within a few feet of the library.

            For more information, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. Outside the 845 area code, including in the 518/838 area codes, call toll free (866) 486-2555.

Other aging news online:

Here are a few ways to help ease holiday loneliness among older adults: https://health.usnews.com/wellness/slideshows/8-ways-to-ease-holiday-isolation-for-older-adults

Another story on Alzheimer’s research that fits into the “if it sounds too good to be true” category:https://www.healthnewsreview.org/review/guardian-jumps-to-conclusions-about-an-alzheimers-study-that-hasnt-even-begun/

Puzzles and games might help the aging brain:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-puzzles-games-aging-brain.html#nRlv

Puzzles and games might NOT help the aging brain:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-regular-problem-mental-decline.html#nRlv

(Yes, those two stories ran on the same day on the same website.)

This week in senior birthdays:

12/24: Author Mary Higgins Clark (92)

12/25: Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett (73)

12/26: Singer Abdul “Duke” Fakir (The Four Tops) (83)

12/27: Yankees outfielder/coach Roy White (76)

12/28: Actor/director Denzel Washington (64)

12/29: Actor/producer Ted Danson (71)

12/30: Brooklyn/LA Dodgers Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax (83)

And regardless of what holiday you celebrate in late December, you’re getting three Bad Jokes (two French hens, partridge, pear tree etc. not included).

 

Q: Why did Santa’s helper see the doctor?

A: Because he had a low “elf” esteem.

Q: Who is Santa’s favorite singer?

A: Elf-is Presley.

Q: What is Santa’s primary language?

A: North Polish.

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

Website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging

Author: Harlem Valley News