Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of January 7

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of January 7

Note: the Office for the Aging and our Senior Friendship Centers will be closed for the federal and state Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21. Clients of our Home Delivered Meals program will have received a shelf-stable meal in advance of the holiday.

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

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

 

INFLUENZA ON THE RISE IN DUTCHESS

            The 2018-19 influenza season is growing in intensity, and Dutchess County is among New York State leaders in confirmed cases of influenza outside the New York City metro area. According to the state’s flu tracking website, Dutchess County had 86 confirmed influenza cases as of December 22, compared to 21 cases the previous week. You can follow the progress of this season’s flu with updates from the state health department, published every Friday in our Aging News e-newsletter. Subscribe at www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessDelivery, where you can also sign up for a wide range of alerts and advisories from county government.

            For those who aren’t online, you can find information on 10 influenza myths and information on how to fight the flu in the winter edition of our Spotlight on Seniors newsletter. You can get one at any library in the county.

SPRING 2019 “MATTER OF BALANCE” SIGNUPS UNDERWAY

A serious fall can happen to anybody in a split second. For seniors, such a fall can lead to a loss of independence or even life-threatening complications – but falling is NOT just one of those things that happens in old age. You can do something positive about your risk for falling.

The Office for the Aging is looking for senior citizens from Dutchess County who may be interested in participating in the award-winning, evidence-based fall prevention program, “A Matter of Balance.”  A series of eight, two-hour sessions will get underway late this winter or early in the spring, depending on the location of the class in which you enroll.  The classes are specifically designed to help seniors reduce the fear of falling and increase their activity levels.  Participants will learn to:

  • View falls and fear of falling as controllable;
  • Set realistic goals for increasing activity;
  • Improve their living environment to reduce fall risk factors;
  • Promote exercise to increase strength and balance.

            If you are concerned about falls, have fallen in the past, restrict activities because of concerns about falling, are age 60 or over and able to problem-solve, then this class is for you. For a brochure or an application, call (845) 486-2555.

2019 EVENT SPONSORSHIPS COMING SOON

                       Office for the Aging events are excellent ways for businesses which serve Dutchess County seniors and caregivers to improve their visibility, while at the same time helping defray the costs of staging the events, which include our Celebration of Aging in May, the Senior Picnics that take place throughout the summer, and the Senior Prom in October.

            Many events with limited sponsor space sell out quickly, so businesses interested in finding out more about sponsoring Office for the Aging events should email  bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2555 for more information. We expect to contact prospective sponsors in late January or early February.

 

Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High St., 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!

2018-19 ADDITIONAL HEAP BENEFIT NOW OPEN

You may be eligible for an Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefit if:

  • You have received HEAP or SNAP HEAP during the 2018-19 HEAP season,
  • Your electricity is necessary for your heating system or thermostat to work and is either shut off or scheduled to be shut off,
  • Your electric or natural gas heat is off or scheduled to be shut off,
  • You are out of fuel, or you have less than one quarter tank of fuel oil, kerosene or propane or have less than a ten (10) day supply of wood, wood pellets, corn, or other deliverable heat source,
  • Your household’s available resources are:
    • less than $2,000 if no member of your household is age 60 or older; or
    • less than $3,000 if any member of your household is age 60 or older.

Emergency HEAP applications are completed over the phone- no written application or in-person interview is required. Contact HEAP at the Office for the Aging by calling 845-486-2553 to request an Emergency HEAP Benefit, or for more information.

The Regular HEAP benefit is still open, so if you haven’t applied for HEAP yet, please call the number above for eligibility details or to request an application.

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION DUTCHESS COUNTY HOSTS CITIZEN’S PREPAREDNESS TRAINING

 

On Tuesday, January 8th, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County will host a Citizen’s Preparedness Training at the Farm and Home Center at 2715 Route 44 in Millbrook. The training will begin at 2:00 p.m. The New York State Citizens Preparedness Corps will be presenting.

This training prepares us for disasters and teaches residents to have the tools and resources to respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. The training course will provide an introduction to responding to a natural or man-made disaster. Participants will be advised on how to properly prepare for any disaster, including developing a family emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies.

This training is open to anyone interested. Advance registration is required. Please contact Maureen Roche at 845-677-8223 x 100 to register.

“DEATH CAFÉ” IN POUGHKEEPSIE (Sat 1/5)

            It can be tremendously difficult to make end-of-life decisions on behalf of a loved one or oneself, but death is an event in everyone’s life that needs discussion. A “death café” is aimed at overcoming that reluctance through an open exchange of ideas in a safe space.

            Circle of Friends for The Dying (www.cfdhv.org) is hosting a Death Café on Saturday, January 5th from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Boardman Road Library in the Town of Poughkeepsie (141 Boardman Rd.).

            For those who can’t make it to this event, another Death Café will be held on Saturday, February 2nd, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Hyde Park Free Library (2 Main St.).
To RSVP for either event, call Tony at (845) 505-7155.

HOW’S THE OFA MOVE GOING?

            We are still on schedule to move later this month to our new facilities at 114 Delafield St. in the City of Poughkeepsie. If the weather and other factors cooperate, we may be able to alert you as to our exact move date by this time next week. Fingers crossed, and stay tuned!

Other aging news online:

Here’s this week’s NY state influenza activity report: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/surveillance/2018-2019/flu_report_current_week.pdf

Four words to help you age more successfully? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/well/30-day-well-challenge-helping-you-live-well.html

Many employers aren’t ready for their older workers to retire: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/30/aging-workforce-retirement-older-employees-benefits-costs

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson on aging: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-love-wisdom/201812/emersons-felicities-aging

Google’s anti-aging spinoff company called Calico is up to something…what it’s up to is unclear:https://beta.canada.com/news/world/what-is-calico-the-mysterious-google-owned-company-that-has-pledged-to-halt-aging/wcm/866ebb3d-b8ed-4b37-98d0-e1d55b16e858/html

Farewell to Don Lusk; the last surviving animator from Disney’s ‘golden age’ was 105. He was active as a Disney animator and/or director for 65 years, from 1936 to 2001: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/don-lusk-last-living-disney-animator-of-golden-age-dies-at-105-168427.html?fbclid=IwAR2Vtgntvel9nKa1SKt9VECEc5IDyNCVLIRezflyt01XrPI3Blc1zefm1K4

This week in senior birthdays:

1/7: Singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins (71)

1/8: Singer Dame Shirley Bassey (82)

1/9: Novelist Judith Krantz (91)

1/10: Singer/songwriter Rod Stewart (74)

1/11: Singer/songwriter/actress Naomi Judd (73)

1/12: Magician the Amazing Kreskin (84)

1/13: Actor/comedian Rip Taylor (84)

And the weekly Bad Joke is one you can adapt for your own children and grandkids:

Today, my son asked “Can I have a book mark?” and I burst into tears. 13 years old, and he still doesn’t know my name is Brian.

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