Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of July 8

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of July 8

 

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

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

YOU’VE RETIRED – HOW TO SHIFT GEARS?

Many seniors have ideas about doing more volunteering once they retire, but not necessarily anything specific – which is where we at the Office for the Aging can come in handy.

We spend considerable time recruiting the recently-retired to join us in our mission of helping Dutchess County’s seniors continue to live safely and independently.

This time, before we make our traditional pitch for you to join us, we want to help you clarify your ideas about what you’d like to do as a volunteer.

It may help to begin by asking yourself a simple question, like:

“What bugs me?”

Maybe you’ve looked around your community over the years and said to yourself “Somebody really ought to do something about…” Now you have the chance to complete that sentence; although, with your retirement, that sentence changes somewhat, to

I really ought to do something about…”

You don’t have to figure out the end of that sentence right away.

Ask yourself whether you’re looking to share the skills you acquired during your career, or whether you’re looking to volunteer in a field that’s new to you. For example, we have long-serving volunteers in our Health Insurance, Information and Community Assistance Program (HIICAP) who have extensive experience in insurance and health care, and others who started with little direct experience; but all of them take advantage of our regularly-updated training for HIICAP counselors. We have volunteer leaders in our Senior Exercise program who have been active all their lives, and others who came to lead exercise programs after a more sedentary past.

If drives in the countryside suit you, OFA has opportunities for volunteer drivers in our Home Delivered Meals program. Areas of immediate need for drivers include the Towns of LaGrange, Pawling, Poughkeepsie and Union Vale, but we’ll be glad to hear from you if you can drive elsewhere in the county.

If being outdoors and staying active is a goal, there are still several Office for the Aging Senior Picnics left on this year’s schedule. You’ll be more than busy enough helping seniors enjoy their special day with their friends and neighbors.

For more information about any OFA volunteering opportunities, email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2555. If your available hours don’t match ours, Dutchess County’s website (www.dutchessny.gov) lists dozens of other local volunteering opportunities.

OFA also works with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), who provide volunteers age 55+ for nonprofit organizations throughout the county. More information about RSVP can be found by calling (845) 452-5104 x101, or by emailing rsvp@dutchesscap.org.

Friends of Seniors, another OFA partner, specializes in providing free basic support services for seniors in Dutchess, including non-emergency medical transportation, grocery shopping for those who can’t otherwise obtain food, telephone reassurance, visiting and more. You can volunteer to join their efforts by calling (845) 485-1277.

Both Friends of Seniors and RSVP are partially funded by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging.

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, 2 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. – The 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

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 at bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555.

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

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:

Many commonly-believed medical “facts”…aren’t factual: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/health/medical-myths-doctors.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Health&login=email&auth=login-email

According to this report, retirees are leaving a LOT of money on the table: https://www.nextavenue.org/trillion-retirees-social-security/?fbclid=IwAR2n_GIzLl0bIaR4bbU0wdtgXG84XgoUdNRNdU4q7Cu5bIoQ8rgjNi8BXNI

Celebrity health news should be taken with a grain of salt. Anecdotes are not data: https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2019/06/alex-trebeks-near-remission-story-serves-as-a-reminder-beware-celebrity-health-news/

Finland is using “virtual visits” to help address the needs of its aging population: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/26/virtual-visits-finland-remote-care-ageing-population

This week in senior birthdays:

7/8: Actress/director Anjelica Huston (68)

7/9: Author Dean Koontz (74)

7/10: Singer/activist Mavis Staples (80)

7/11: Fashion designer Giorgio Armani (85)

7/12: Actress Cheryl Ladd (68)

7/13: Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (95)

7/14: Football player/actor Rosey Grier (87)

And the official Bad Joke to conclude this week’s Aging News:

The rotation of the earth really makes my day.

Author: Harlem Valley News