Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of July 1

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of July 1

Note: the Office for the Aging and its Senior Friendship Centers will be closed for Independence Day on July 4th. The OFA Home Delivered Meals program will not operate on July 4th and July 5th, with clients receiving shelf-stable meals in advance.

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

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

 

FUNDS AVAILABLE TO HELP SENIOR CITIZENS WITH HOME REPAIRS

If you’re a Dutchess County senior who owns their own home, there may be help available for you to make minor to moderate repairs aimed at helping you continue to live safely and independently.

Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro has announced the availability of funding for such projects, through the County’s Senior Rehab Program.

The program is administered by the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development. It provides zero-percent loans and deferred payment loans up to $20,000 to income eligible senior citizens. Loans are repaid through a monthly payment, while deferred payment loans have no monthly payment and are repaid when the homeowner leaves or sells the property. Households making between 0-50% of the county median receive deferred payment loans, and households making between 50-80% of the county median receive zero percent interest loans.

Eligible applicants must be 62 years of age or older at the time of application. They must be named on the deed as an owner, and their total household income must be below the following maximums:

Family Size Income Limit
1 $52,850
2 $60,400
3 $67,950
4 $75,500

Other parties may be named on the deed, as long as the applicant is also one of the owners. Life tenants, properties owned by trusts, and properties with reverse mortgages are ineligible. Applicants must show the property is their principal residence.

Eligible repairs include minor to moderate rehabilitation necessary to remedy building code violations. The focus of the program is repairs to “major systems” such as roofs, furnaces, decks/porches, structural problems, handicapped accessibility, electrical, and plumbing. Properties with necessary repairs that substantially exceed $20,000 will not be eligible for assistance. The property must need a minimum of $1,000 in repairs. Routine maintenance, such as cleaning gutters and painting, is ineligible.

Eligible properties include single-family detached properties. Additionally, the federal funding source for this program limits assistance to “modest” homes. In Dutchess County, a home must be valued at or below $253,000 for 2019 to be eligible for the program; this limit is established annually by the federal government. Generally, the County can use the “full market value” listed on a homeowner’s most current property tax bill to determine this value.

Mobile homes, condominiums and townhouses are not eligible for the program.

Eligible properties may by located in any Dutchess County municipality except the City of Poughkeepsie, which has its own Community Development Block Grant allocation.

Guidelines and applications are available by contacting the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, 85 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 107, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 at (845) 486-3600, or at the County’s website, www.dutchessny.gov.

 

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 events schedule

See the online calendar at www.dutchessny.gov to find out more

(All events subject to change)

 

Mon 7/15, 11 a.m. – The Benefits of Local Farmers Markets       

                With OFA nutrition coordinator Nimesh Bhargava

                Kings Apartments, 20 Pine Dr., Pawling

Thu 7/25, 1 p.m. – OFA Scam Prevention Presentation

                With OFA outreach coordinator Brian Jones

                Arbor Ridge, 11 Mountain Laurel Lane, Rhinebeck

Sat 9/28, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Golden Gathering

                Presented by OFA and state senator Sue Serino

                Arlington High School, 1157 NY 55, LaGrangeville

                (845) 229-0106 for information

                Vendor contact information to be announced

 

SUMMER 2019 SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS IS NOW OUT

        In case you missed our email blast of earlier this week containing the new Spotlight, here’s the link again: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/Docs/Spotlight-On-Seniors-Summer-2019.pdf

        Print and save page 7 of the Spotlight (the next to last page) for a handy list of key contact numbers for scam prevention. Call us at (845) 486-2555 or emailbjones@dutchessny.gov if you’d like to schedule a scam prevention presentation for your group.

        Those who prefer a hard copy of the Spotlight, or don’t have a computer, can be added to the mailing list by calling the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. We plan to mail the new Spotlights in early July.

        We also distribute copies of the Spotlight to every public library, Senior Friendship Center, and town/village/city hall in the county. They should be available by mid-July.

CLINTON/HYDE PARK PICNIC VOLUNTEERS WANTED (Wed 7/10)

        The next Senior Picnic, for residents of the Towns of Clinton and Hyde Park, is taking place at Fran Mark Park (337 Clinton Hollow Rd., Salt Point) on Wednesday, July 10th – and if you’d like to volunteer to help your senior friends and neighbors enjoy the day, please get in touch with OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones atbjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555.

The complete picnic schedule is available at www.dutchessny.gov/seniorpicnic.

ANIMALS NEED DISASTER PREP, TOO – AND YOU CAN HELP (Mon 7/1)

        The Dutchess County Animal Response Team (DCART) is looking for animal lovers who’d like to learn about becoming a DCART member.

        DCART, part of the county Medical Reserve Corps, provides ongoing programs and trainings to members and the community in pet preparedness and pet first aid, and may assist Dutchess County Emergency Management in a disaster involving companion animals or livestock.

        A DCART information session is taking place on Monday, July 1st, at 6 p.m. at the Department of Emergency Response, 392 Creek Rd. in Poughkeepsie.

        To reserve a spot, email jryan@dutchessny.gov.

DEMENTIA DISCUSSION IN BEACON (Tue 7/16)

        The Fishkill Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (22 Robert Kasin Way, Beacon (just north of I-84), (845) 231-5703 is hosting a discussion on dementia and related issues from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16th at the center’s main lounge. Fishkill Center administrator Michael Zyskind will present the discussion. No need to RSVP; light refreshments will be served.

WORKSHOP: 10 SIGNS OF POSSIBLE ALZHEIMER’S (Wed 7/24)

        If you or someone you know is experiencing memory loss or behavioral changes, you can learn the facts at a workshop presented by the Alzheimer’s Association, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24th, at the Alzheimer’s Association Chapter Office, 2649 South Road, Suite 101, Poughkeepsie.

        To RSVP or ask questions, call (800) 272-3900.

        You can also find out more at www.alz.org/10signs

Other aging news online:

Mobile devices can be tremendously useful for seniors, but there are way to avoid overpaying for your plans: https://seniorplanet.org/are-you-overpaying-for-your-phone-plan/?mc_cid=25e825a960&mc_eid=4149ad7bda

An unidentified man in Portugal has become the first person with HIV to reach 100 years of age: https://www.hivplusmag.com/uu/2019/4/16/oldest-person-living-hiv-turns-100?fbclid=IwAR38zU9AH-glKNYpJQ98iXWZFeI_37y5r0c1yq5CUrb2EmTxu7-UFBwqK6Y

Learning more about technology is easier than you think, even if you’re a complete noob. If you don’t know what a “noob” is, maybe this article is for you:https://www.aginginplace.org/how-to-become-tech-savvy-for-seniors-in-10-days/

(“Noob” is short for “newbie” – somebody who’s not yet savvy.)

103, and she’s a sprinter. And she didn’t start running until she reached 100: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/20/sports/julia-hawkins-running.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage

This week in senior birthdays:

7/1: Actress Olivia de Havilland (103)

7/2: Fashion designer Pierre Cardin (97)

7/3: Apollo 17 astronaut/former senator Harrison Schmitt (84)

7/4: Singer-songwriter Bill Withers (81)

7/5: Singer/songwriter Huey Lewis (69)

7/6: Oldest living American and oldest living New Yorker Alelia Murphy (114)

7/7: Trumpeter/conductor Doc Severinsen (92)

And a patriotic Bad Joke for Independence Day…

Q: What does a patriotic rooster say?

A: Yankee doodle doo!

Brian Jones
Outreach Coordinator

Dutchess County Office For the Aging

114 Delafield St.
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Main office: (845) 486-2555
Direct line to my desk: (845) 486-2544

Author: Harlem Valley News