Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of May 20th
Note: the Office for the Aging and our Senior Friendship Centers are closed on Monday, May 27th, for the national Memorial Day holiday. OFA Home Delivered Meals clients will receive shelf-stable meals for Monday in advance.
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
The Office for the Aging’s 2019 Senior Picnic Program launches May 29th at Thomas Boyce Park in Wingdale, for residents of the towns of Amenia, Dover, Pawling and Union Vale. It’s the first of 12 picnics on the schedule for Dutchess County residents age 60 and over.
Seniors can socialize with their friends and neighbors at the event designated for their hometown, enjoy a nutritious meal, and learn more about the programs and services offered by the Office for the Aging. Other county departments, as well as businesses and non-profit organizations whose services may be of interest to seniors, will also be there. All picnics begin at noon. Seating at picnics is limited; therefore, reservations and proof of residency are required. Call (866) 486-2555 to make a reservation. The May 29th picnic in Wingdale is already at maximum capacity and no more reservations are being accepted. There is a $4 charge for anyone 59 or younger or non-resident guests. A senior may reserve a seat for one non-resident guest.
Attendees are invited to bring their unused and/or expired medications to the senior picnic to be disposed of in convenient drop boxes. In addition to prescription medications, residents can also dispose of ointments, inhalers and over-the-counter medications. Medications should be brought in their original packaging inside sealable plastic bags.
Needles, syringes and lancets, or “sharps” of any kind, will not be accepted. According to the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Agency, sharps from Dutchess County households can be taken to area hospitals for proper disposal. For more information, call (845) 463-6020.
Special thanks to Dutchess County Stop DWI, the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board and the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for arranging for this special service.
For those unable to attend a picnic, medication disposal sites, open 24 hours a day, are available at these locations:
- Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, 108 Parker Ave. in Poughkeepsie;
- East Fishkill Police Department, 2468 Route 52, Hopewell Junction;
- Hyde Park Police Department, 3 Cardinal Rd.;
- City of Beacon Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza;
- Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, 19 Tucker Drive;
- Wappingers Falls Police Department, 2628 South Avenue;
- NYS Police, Troop K Headquarters, 2541 Route 44 in Salt Point.
Additionally, a disposal site at the Red Hook Police Department, 7467 South Broadway, is available daily between 8 a.m. and midnight. In Millerton, village police are available to accept medications from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, on Saturdays from noon to midnight, and on Sundays from 4 p.m. to midnight. In Pawling, call (845) 486-3800 for drug drop-off assistance at the sheriff’s office substation, 9 Memorial Ave.
Proper disposal of unused medications is an important step to making sure these substances do not get into groundwater, and it also keeps drugs out of the hands of those who could abuse them.
The Senior Picnic Program is made possible through private/public partnerships with support from many local municipalities and businesses. Special thanks to our platinum level sponsors for 2019: Wingate Healthcare, The Pines at Poughkeepsie, EverCare At Home and Home Energy Consultants. Volunteers of all ages are needed at many picnics to help with set-up, bringing meals to attendees with mobility issues, and cleanup. Call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 for more information, or emailbjones@dutchessny.gov.
A complete listing of Dutchess County Senior Picnics is available at www.dutchesnny.gov/SeniorPicnic.
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone (845) 486-2555, email:ofa@dutchessny.gov website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging
Office for the Aging events schedule
See the online calendar at www.dutchessny.gov to find out more
(All events subject to change)
Mon 5/20 – 21st Annual Celebration of Aging – SOLD OUT
Wed 5/29 – 27th annual OFA Senior Picnic series begins
To volunteer, email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2544
For seniors’ reservations for the picnic in your community (seating is extremely limited, and some picnics are already fully booked), call (845) 486-2555
Fri 6/14, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. – OFA at World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2019
Drumlin Hall, Dutchess Community College
Free, with required advance registration
Space is limited to 450 attendees – fewer than 80 seats left!
Call (845) 486-2555 to reserve a seat
JUNE SCAM PREVENTION PRESENTATION BEING RESCHEDULED
A scam prevention presentation from the state division of consumer protection that had been scheduled for June 7th at the OFA Senior Friendship Center in Poughkeepsie has been postponed. We’ll let you know about the new date as soon as it’s re-scheduled.
In the meantime, if your group would like to schedule an OFA scam prevention presentation, contact Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2544.
CLERICAL VOLUNTEERS WANTED (Mon 6/3 and/or Mon 6/10)
If you’re looking for ways to help your senior friends and neighbors, we’re looking for assistance here at the Office for the Aging in assembling about a thousand small bags which will contain a small number of magnetic puzzle pieces. This month, in support of Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15th, 2019, participants of OFA’s Home Delivered Meals program will receive the puzzle pieces with their meal delivery. Each puzzle piece will display a safety tip to assist in the recognition and prevention of elder abuse.
If you are available to help at our offices on Monday, June 3rd and or Monday, June 10th, email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2555.
26TH ANNUAL NATIONAL SENIOR HEALTH AND FITNESS DAY (Wed 5/29)
This informative event is hosted by St. Simeon Properties, 24 Beechwood Ave. in Poughkeepsie. It’s an exciting day of educational programs focusing on health and wellness, a free delicious lunch, and door prizes!
Call for more information and registration: 845-471-0171
Other aging news online:
A lot of ground is covered in this New Yorker article on aging: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/20/can-we-live-longer-but-stay-younger
This rundown of things to do to prevent dementia is pretty straightforward, but it does note that there’s no evidence that vitamin supplements prevent dementia, whatever good they may do otherwise: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clldg965yzjo?fbclid=IwAR2knOr0E2IFFS3rbnGloWH8FwmoDmYsRpUnqWOojTI4pl0yWc9k3Hmf_pA
Like a lot of seniors, Gov. Cuomo and girlfriend Sandra Lee are selling their large Westchester home now that the kids have moved out: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2019/05/15/andrew-cuomo-sale-westchester-home-spurred-daughters-moving-out/3681639002/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Timesunion_Capcon
(And if you’re in the same home-downsizing situation, here are some general tips: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/realestate/helping-the-elderly-downsize.html andhttps://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-08-2011/retirement-downsizing.html)
75-year-old Mick Jagger had heart surgery in April, which forced a postponement of this year’s Rolling Stones tour. Here in May, he’s back working on his stage moves (video):https://www.theguardian.com/music/video/2019/may/16/moves-like-mick-jagger-even-after-heart-surgery-video
This week in senior birthdays:
5/20: NFL Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant (92)
5/21: Actor/wrestler Mr. T (67)
5/22: Businessman T. Boone Pickens (91)
5/23: Boxer/actor Marvelous Marvin Hagler (65)
5/24: Singer/songwriter Bob Dylan (78)
5/25: Actor/activist/wizard Ian McKellen (80)
5/26: Sportscaster Brent Musberger (80)
And the Bad Joke:
A farmer counted 197 cows in his field.
But when he rounded them up he had 200.
Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator
Dutchess County Office For the Aging
Main office: (845) 486-2555
Direct line to my desk: (845) 486-2544
NEW ADDRESS
114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie NY 12601
