Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of January 21
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
“MOVING DAY” IS HERE
In the case of an organization with as many differing roles as the Office for the Aging, it’s more like “moving month” – but by the time the calendar reads February, we expect to have finished consolidating all our operations within the City of Poughkeepsie from three locations into one.
This week, we’re moving dozens of computers and telephones, along with countless boxes of documents and publications, from our venerable headquarters at 27 High St. to a new building at 114 Delafield St., in the North Point Centre complex just east of Route 9 near Marist College and north of the Walkway over the Hudson.
The new building will feature a ground floor fully accessible entrance. This will be a major improvement for visitors, especially those with mobility challenges or who stop in during the winter. Because we’ll be sharing the parking lot with another office building and a restaurant, over 60 new parking spaces have been added to the complex’s parking lot.
Moving OFA offices is just one facet of our transition. We’re also preparing to open a new Senior Friendship Center at the new building, which will take the place of the previous Poughkeepsie friendship center that closed at the end of 2018. During the transition, seniors from that center have been sharing space with our existing “Tri-Town” friendship center at the American Legion Arlington Post 1302 on Overlook Rd. in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
Finally, we’re also moving the central kitchen for our Home Delivered Meals program for homebound seniors. Moving a facility that cooks hundreds of hot meals every weekday and stores hundreds more units of frozen and shelf-stable meals has presented its own unique challenges, but OFA staff and our food contractor, Bateman Senior Meals, have been up to the challenge.
If you know a homebound senior who might benefit from the Home Delivered Meals program, contact us at (845) 486-2555 or email Nutrition Services Coordinator Nimesh Bhargava at nbhargava@dutchessny.gov.
CALL BEFORE YOU VISIT
We’re planning a grand opening event for some time in March. In the meantime, we’re doing our best to accommodate walk-in clients at the new facility as quickly as possible. Before stopping in, please call ahead at (845) 486-2555 so we can be sure you choose a time to visit when we’ll be able to meet your needs completely.
We don’t expect the transition of offices to take more than one or two business days, and a lot of the heavy moving will have taken place during weekends when the offices are closed.
If the Office for the Aging is on your organization’s mailing list, here’s that new address once again: 114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601.
All our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield 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
Thu 1/31/19, 10:30 a.m. – Senior Pedestrian Safety
With Emily Dozier, Senior Planner, Dutchess County Transportation Council…and Brian Jones, OFA outreach coordinator
Tri-Town OFA Senior Friendship Center
55 Overlook Rd., Arlington (rear of American Legion building)
Tue 2/5/19, 3:30 p.m. – Successful Aging
With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones
The Grand at River Valley, 140 Main St., Poughkeepsie
Space limited; contact jreece@thegrandhealthcare.com to register
Thu 2/7/19, 10:30 a.m. – Senior Pedestrian Safety
With Emily Dozier, Senior Planner, Dutchess County Transportation Council…and Brian Jones, OFA outreach coordinator
Town of Poughkeepsie Senior Center, 14 Abe’s Way
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!
SENIOR SNOW AND WINTER SAFETY
As of the time the Office for the Aging sent out this week’s Aging News, the weather forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday looked most unpleasant – a considerable amount of snow on Saturday into Sunday, followed by bitterly cold conditions on Monday, with single-digit high temperatures and lows below zero.
Even if an older adult stays indoors for the duration of the coldest, snowiest weather, simply being cold can cause health problems. That’s because older adults tend to lose body heat more quickly than younger people, and that loss of body heat can quickly become hypothermia – that is, a drop in body temperature well below the customary 98.6 degrees.
If the temperature inside an older adult’s home is in the 60-65 degree range, that may not be warm enough, especially if a senior is living alone with nobody else around to notice potential signs of hypothermia.
There’s more information on the following pages. We’ve inserted some page breaks to make it easier to print and save this information.
From the National Institutes of Health, here are some tips for keeping warm while you’re inside:
- Set your heat to at least 68–70°F. To save on heating bills, close off rooms you are not using. Close the vents and shut the doors in these rooms, and keep the basement door closed. Place a rolled towel in front of all doors to keep out drafts.
- Make sure your house isn’t losing heat through windows. Keep your blinds and curtains closed. If you have gaps around the windows, try using weather stripping or caulk to keep the cold air out.
- Dress warmly on cold days even if you are staying in the house. Throw a blanket over your legs. Wear socks and slippers.
- When you go to sleep, wear long underwear under your pajamas, and use extra covers. Wear a cap or hat.
- Make sure you eat enough food to keep up your weight. If you don’t eat well, you might have less fat under your skin. Body fat helps you to stay warm.
- Skip the alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks can make you lose body heat.
- Ask family or friends to check on you during cold weather. If a power outage leaves you without heat, try to stay with a relative or friend.
You may be tempted to warm your room with a space heater – but, some space heaters are fire hazards, and others powered by fossil fuels can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
What are some signs of hypothermia? First, here are the early signs:
- Cold feet and hands
- Puffy or swollen face
- Pale skin
- Shivering (in some cases the person with hypothermia does not shiver)
- Slower than normal speech or slurring words
- Acting sleepy
- Being angry or confused
Later signs of hypothermia:
- Moving slowly, trouble walking, or being clumsy
- Stiff and jerky arm or leg movements
- Slow heartbeat
- Slow, shallow breathing
- Blacking out or losing consciousness
Call 9-1-1 right away if you think someone has warning signs of hypothermia.
What to do after you call 9-1-1:
- Try to move the person to a warmer place.
- Wrap the person in a warm blanket, towels, or coats—whatever is handy. Even your own body warmth will help. Lie close, but be gentle.
- Give the person something warm to drink, but avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine, such as regular coffee.
- Do not rub the person’s legs or arms.
- Do not try to warm the person in a bath.
- Do not use a heating pad.
Keep reading on to the next item for more about how qualifying seniors can get help keeping their homes warm.
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.
MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS SEMINAR SERIES
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) of Dutchess County offers a FREE seminar series each month at locations throughout Dutchess County. Seating at the seminars is limited, so pre-registration is required by emailing MRC coordinator Joe Ryan: jryan@dutchessny.gov.
Here are the upcoming seminars:
NARCAN TRAINING
Wednesday, January 23rd 4:30 PM
Learn how to administer the life-saving drug Narcan to someone who is experiencing an overdose. Each participant will receive a free Narcan kit at the end of the training. This training will be held at the Department of Behavioral & Community Health, 230 North Road in Poughkeepsie (Entrance 1).
CITIZENS PREPAREDNESS
Tuesday, January 29th 7 PM (Red Hook)
Thursday, January 31st 6:30 PM (Hopewell Junction)
What can you do now to prepare for virtually any type of disaster or emergency situation in Dutchess County? This training is open to everyone and is required training for all MRC volunteers. Free emergency backpacks are distributed to all attendees to get started on a Go-kit. Two identical class sessions will be offered: Thursday, January 29th at Red Hook Town Hall, 7340 S. Broadway (Route 9) and on Thursday, January 31st at the Beekman Library, 11 Town Center Blvd, Hopewell Junction.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
Thursday, January 31st 6 PM (Poughkeepsie)
Saturday, February 9th 10 AM (Eastern Dutchess)
Psychological First Aid (PFA) aims to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery following a traumatic event, natural disaster, public health emergency, or even a personal crisis. This training is especially helpful for first responders, but everyone can benefit from its concepts. The training will be led by Amy Nitza, Ph.D., LMHC, Director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. Choose from either session: Thursday, January 31st at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, 392 Creek Road in Poughkeepsie and on Saturday, February 9th at the Wassaic Fire House, 27 Firehouse Road in Wassaic.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION
Thursday, February 7th 6PM
Learn how to become a volunteer member of the Dutchess MRC, what is required of you and what missions you can participate in. This training is open to the public and will take place at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, 392 Creek Road in Poughkeepsie.
LAST VIEWING TIMES FOR 2018 SENIOR PROM IN NORTHWEST DUTCHESS
If you’d like to watch last October’s OFA Senior Prom, you’ll have a few more opportunities to do so.
In Rhinebeck, Red Hook and Tivoli, the prom will air on PANDA 23 public access television on the following dates and times:
Saturday 1/19, 4 p.m.
Sunday 1/20, 6 p.m.
And if you’d rather watch online, the prom is available by clicking this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e4A7bc9Tk436PAmXaCmH3glExZy31xFF/view
We also have a very small number of DVD’s from some previous years’ proms. Email bjones@dutchessny.gov to find out more.
“SAGE” TEA FOR LGBTQ OLDER ADULTS, IN KINGSTON (Wed 1/23)
The Kingston-based Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center (300 Wall St., Kingston) is increasing their social opportunities for older adults throughout the region, and will be hosting a “SAGE” (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) Tea at the center on Wednesday, January 23rd from 1 to 3 p.m. Light fare and beverages provided; call (845) 331-5300 for information.
Other aging news online:
Sloths need retirement homes, too: https://www.thecut.com/2019/01/sloth-retirement-home-opens-at-folly-farm-zoo-in-wales.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=y1&utm_campaign=slate&fbclid=IwAR2WNQ7ft789GOPomdxMZ8MxvyqEpgnImg3-ToGGiKiTl2Vr7ThrsUrK1yY
In honor of Broadway legend Carol Channing, who passed away this past week at age 97, here are the best Broadway songs about aging: https://www.nextavenue.org/13-best-broadway-songs-about-getting-older/?fbclid=IwAR3TPZtUI80aY78oKiHdcijsV1JrqL9q-N62XhdVAqF0r-fBLTBI3mMr8rw
This week in senior birthdays:
1/21: Golf legend Jack Nicklaus (79)
1/22: Chef/author Graham Kerr (85)
1/23: Actress/singer/dancer Chita Rivera (86)
1/24: Singer/songwriter Neil Diamond (78)
1/25: Jazz saxophonist Benny Golson (90)
1/26: Sportscaster/actor Bob Uecker (84)
1/27: Drummer/songwriter Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) (75)
And this week’s Bad Joke:
Q: How many apples grow on an apple tree?
A: All of them.
