Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of February 11

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of February 11

Note: the Office for the Aging and OFA Senior Friendship Centers will be closed for two holidays in February:

  • the Lincoln’s Birthday state holiday on Tuesday, February 12th;
  • the President’s Day national holiday on Monday, February 18th.

Clients of our Home Delivered Meals program will receive shelf-stable meals in advance of each holiday.

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

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

 

WHY TRY TAI CHI?

            You may have heard from friends about local tai chi classes, but perhaps you were a bit puzzled about what went on in the classes. Any confusion is understandable. Tai chi has been described both as “meditation in motion,” but in one of its earliest forms it was also a type of Chinese martial art, translated into English as “boundless fist” or “supreme ultimate pugilism.”

            For the purposes of this column, we’re going to focus on the meditative aspects of tai chi, along with the evidence-based positive effects it can have on your health.

            The positive effects of Tai Chi on balance and fall prevention have been widely researched. Tai Chi is now generally accepted to be effective in improving balance and preventing falls – and, according to Harvard Medical School, it’s an exercise that’s within the skill of just about everybody. Tai chi can even be adapted for people in wheelchairs and those who have recently undergone surgery.

            In recognition of tai chi’s wide-ranging benefits, the federal government’s Administration for Community Living (ACL) has awarded a grant to New York State to make more tai chi classes available to older adults throughout the state.

            Five volunteers from the Office for the Aging have completed training in the ACL’s recommended Tai Chi program. The program, called “Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention/” is appropriate for older adults who wish to improve balance; reduce risk for falling; move with greater ease; and enjoy a healthier life in general.

            Tai chi classes will begin in March, at two sites: one in Poughkeepsie, another in East Fishkill. Because space is limited for the classes, their specific locations will be disclosed once a student is admitted. The one-hour classes will take place twice a week for eight weeks. After that, arrangements will be made for follow-up classes.

            The OFA also offers “A Matter of Balance” and the Senior Exercise Program – both aimed at helping seniors reduce their risks for falling. We recommend that all seniors consider taking “A Matter of Balance,” following up with at least one of our two other exercise programs.

            Contact the OFA now to apply for tai chi, A Matter of Balance or the Senior Exercise Program. Space is limited for tai chi and A Matter of Balance. Participants are admitted on a first come, first served basis.

            Contact us also if you’re interested in volunteering for the Office for the Aging in general. We have volunteering opportunities at our Poughkeepsie offices; at our eight Senior Friendship Centers around the county; in our Home Delivered Meals program; in our Health Insurance, Information and Counseling program (HIICAP), and at our summertime Senior Picnics.

 

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

 

MILLERTON-AREA VOLUNTEERS WANTED

            This one’s a little different from our usual requests for volunteers.

            Not only is the OFA friendship center in Millerton (28 Century Boulevard, at the North East-Millerton Library Annex) looking for volunteer drivers to deliver meals to homebound seniors in northeastern Dutchess, they’re also looking for volunteers who’d like to take part in intergenerational events involving seniors from our Millerton friendship center and area kids.

            For more information and a sign-up form, email OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2544.

LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES WORKSHOP (STARTS 3/14)

            A six-week “Living Well with Diabetes” workshop is being offered in March and April by HRHCare Community Health in conjunction with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health and Mental Health America.

            The program is aimed not only at people living with diabetes, but also their caregivers and loved ones, and will help with

    • Finding ways to deal with sick days, fatigue and pain;
    • Discovering better choices in food and exercise;
    • Understanding new treatment choices;
    • Learning better ways to talk with your doctor and loved ones about your health;
    • Learning real-life skills for living a full and healthy life.

            Workshops will take place at the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health, 85 Civic Center Plaza in Poughkeepsie (a/k/a the Poughkeepsie Journal building), and will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. every Thursday, starting on March 14th and running through April 18th.

            For more information or to sign up, contact Marlene Taylor at (845) 473-2500 extension 1309, or emailmtaylor@mhadutchess.org.

Other aging news online:

If you’re a longtime Poughkeepsie resident and a Facebook user, the City of Poughkeepsie Public Library District has a challenge for you. They have lots of photos in their Local History Special Collections that have no markings to indicate where/when/who they are. Check their Facebook page every Monday for a new image. They’ll post one image a week (on Mondays) and are hoping for your help in identifying the images so that they can update their catalog records. Here’s an example, which people believe is from College Hill Park: https://www.facebook.com/PoughkeepsiePublicLibraryDistrict/photos/a.220117857999567/2354703421207656/?type=3&theater

A lack of sleep has been tied to the increased presence of two brain proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease:https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lack-sleep-tied-increases-two-alzheimers-proteins-brain?fbclid=IwAR2EFpEPWUSJvwkX55VELoHriiwjC0y4RVFyba4icEldsxw_nkQUQ7mGVxE&linkId=63206924

You can expect to get more robocalls as tax day approaches: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/robo-call-flood-tax-season-175529946.html

Latinos are the fastest-growing group of seniors in the US – here, the National Institute on Aging explores how their risk factors for Alzheimer’s may differ from that of the general population: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/studies-explore-alzheimers-risk-factors-biomarkers-latinos

Here’s three ways to avoid boredom in retirement: https://www.nextavenue.org/bored-boomer-in-retirement/?fbclid=IwAR3Zccnzge4T28n2Bic-mPqWkR_GdAAwgJ53nn8k8_eCG6Vlq38HpQSrKQM

This week in senior birthdays:

2/11: Pianist/composer Sérgio Mendes (78)

2/12: NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell (85)

2/13: American pilot/general Chuck Yeager (96) – here’s an excellent biographical site for Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier: http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-chuck-yeager/

2/14: American journalist Hugh Downs (98)

2/15: Actress/producer Jane Seymour (68)

2/16: Actor/director LeVar Burton (62)

2/17: Actor/director Hal Holbrook (94)

Last, and probably least, the Bad Joke:

I said to my wife, “I need to call the doctor today.”

“Which doctor?” she asked.

“No, the regular kind,” I said.

Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator

Dutchess County Office For the Aging

NEW ADDRESS

114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601

Author: Harlem Valley News