Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of February 18
Note: the Office for the Aging and OFA Senior Friendship Centers will be closed for 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 the holiday.
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
VOLUNTEERS OF EVERY GENERATION WANTED IN NORTHEASTERN DUTCHESS
This request for volunteers is a little different from requests you may have seen in this column before.
Not only is the Office for the Aging Senior 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 center and local youngsters.
To learn more about volunteering and to receive a sign-up form, email OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones atbjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2544. For more information on the intergenerational programs in Millerton, call the OFA Senior Friendship Center at (518) 789-3081.
LIVING WELL WITH DIABETES WORKSHOP STARTS MARCH 14th
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 (DBCH) 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; and
- learning real-life skills for living a full and healthy life.
Workshops will take place at the DBCH training room, 85 Civic Center Plaza in Poughkeepsie (the Poughkeepsie Journal Building), and will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Thursday, starting on March 14th and concluding April 18th.
For more information or to sign up, contact Marlene Taylor at (845) 473-2500 extension 1309, or emailmtaylor@mhadutchess.org.
A TIP FROM A READER
Many thanks to Richard in Pleasant Valley for the following hint for rural Dutchess homeowners who use heating oil and do not have their deliveries scheduled ahead of time:
Pay attention to what day of the week your deliveries take place; and keep an eye on the level of oil in your tank. The tank should be equipped with a measurement gauge. Some providers only deliver to rural locations once a week, so it could spell trouble if you notice your oil is running low on Wednesday and the next scheduled delivery day isn’t until the following Tuesday.
What to do if you find yourself unexpectedly running low, as described above by Richard? From our experience with OFA clients who take part in our Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) for low-income individuals, we generally recommend contacting another oil company that delivers to your community on a different day of the week. For example, if it’s Wednesday but your regular company can’t deliver until next Tuesday, look for a company that can deliver on short notice, or can fit you into their Wednesday, Thursday or Friday schedule.
If you’d like to find out more about your possible eligibility for HEAP, which continues through winter’s end, contact us using the information below.
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
HATS OFF TO THE TIMES
This past Tuesday’s issue of the New York Times contains an excellent article on the role played by exercise in falls prevention (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/well/move/the-best-exercises-to-prevent-falls.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FElderly#commentsContainer). There’s still time for you to sign up for our spring “A Matter of Balance” classes, which will be taking place late this winter and early in the spring throughout Dutchess County. There are still a few spaces left in classes coming up in Millbrook and Wappinger.
There is also time to sign up for Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention, which will be held in Poughkeepsie and Hopewell Junction starting in the spring. Specific locations for the classes will be provided for those who enroll. Space is limited.
And as always, you can also sign up for a Senior Exercise class at a location near you. To find out more, call (845) 486-2555 or email ofa@dutchessny.gov.
Registration is limited to Dutchess County residents age 60 and above.
LONG TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS
The Hudson Valley Long Term Care Community Coalition Ombudsman Program is looking for volunteers in Dutchess County, along with Orange, Columbia, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, who are interested in a flexible opportunity to become a long term care Ombudsman, providing resident-centered advocacy in long term care facilities (adult homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes etc.) throughout the region.
For more information please call (845) 229-4680 or email gloria@hudsonvalleyltcop.org.
Other aging news online:
“A Lifetime of Sleep” is the name of the article, with useful information whether you’re 8 or 88:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/10/guide-to-sleep-at-every-age-sleep-patterns
Unfortunately, promising false cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is big business; recently, the Food and Drug Administration warned 17 companies that their marketing practices needed changing: https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/fda-warns-17-companies-illegally-selling-products-for-alzheimers-parkinsons/
Aging in rural China is a major challenge: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/07/asia/china-elderly-people-new-year-intl/index.html
Once in a while, a long-departed musical artist from our younger days still has a few “new” songs left behind. That’s the case for Marvin Gaye, who would’ve turned 80 this year: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/marvin-gaye-lost-album-youre-the-man-release-791201/
This week in senior birthdays:
2/18: Nobel laureate Toni Morrison (88)
2/19: Singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson (79)
2/20: Actress/designer Gloria Vanderbilt (95)
2/21: Activist/politician John Lewis (79)
2/22: NBA Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving (69)
2/23: Singer/songwriter Howard Jones (64)
2/24: Actor/singer Dominic Chianese (88)
And, to put the cherry on top of it all, a Bad Joke.
I went to a new Mary Poppins-themed restaurant the other night. Here’s my review: Super cauliflower cheese, the lobster was atrocious.
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
NEW ADDRESS
114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601
(all OFA phone and email contact info stays the same)
Phone: (845) 486-2555 Fax: (845) 486-2571
Email: bjones@dutchessny.gov
Website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging
