Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of June 22nd
Note: the Office for the Aging will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, in observance of the national Independence Day holiday. Seniors in OFA’s Home Delivered Meals program will receive their July 3rd 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
OFA VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Thank you to all the Dutchess County residents who have responded to the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic by volunteering to join the temporarily expanded Office for the Aging Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program as drivers and meal packagers. We now serve well over 800 homebound seniors a week, nearly triple the number we serve through our regular HDM program and our temporarily closed Senior Friendship Centers.
The County’s gradual reopening puts us at a crossroads. Many new volunteers joined us because they had been temporarily laid off or furloughed and wanted to use their unexpected free time to help Dutchess County’s most vulnerable seniors; now, with some volunteers returning to their regular jobs, we will need new volunteers to lend a hand.
As of now, the main areas of need for HDM volunteers are in the county’s two cities, Beacon and Poughkeepsie, but HDM volunteers are welcome anywhere they can help. Email OFA Nutrition Services Coordinator Nimesh Bhargava at nbhargava@dutchessny.gov to find out more.
VOLUNTEERS OF ANY AGE ARE WELCOME
Many OFA volunteers are senior retirees, but there are opportunities for younger volunteers as well. We’re working on a safe and socially distanced alternative to our traditional countywide Senior Picnic program, which will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning in the last week of July and continuing through early September. More information is available from OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov. Volunteers under age 18 will need a parent or guardian to sign a waiver, in addition to completing the standard volunteering application.
WHEN WILL TEMPORARY HDM ELIGIBILITY END?
With so many seniors finding themselves homebound to keep them safe as the pandemic struck in March, New York State temporarily expanded statewide HDM eligibility. Coming soon, though, these seniors will make the transition back to more frequent public activity. State officials have not yet advised us as to how long the temporarily expanded HDM eligibility will continue. One thing is clear: Those seniors who were eligible for HDM services before the pandemic will remain eligible after the temporary expansion ends.
Meanwhile, our preparation for the eventual transition through Phases 3 and 4 continues. Keep an eye on your mailbox, in particular: The Office for the Aging is mailing advisories to all Dutchess County registered voters turning 70 or older this year, letting them know we can provide one pair of machine-washable face coverings for free, if needed, while supplies last.
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.
Other aging news online:
Maybe you’ve got a new grandchild you haven’t met yet. Under pandemic restrictions, when would it be safe to say your first in-person hellos? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/16/parenting/baby/grandparents-meet-newborn-coronavirus.html
An exploration of steering a course between COVID-19 presentation and avoiding loneliness in seniors: https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/87049?xid=nl_popmed_2020-06-15&eun=g1261622d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyUpdate_061520&utm_term=NL_Daily_Breaking_News_Active
News on insurance-related COVID-19 scams: https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/money/auto-insurance/covid-19-insurance-scams/?mqsc=ED4115294&utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=AAA_ListAAA%20Daily&utm_campaign=Jun15_Daily20_Mon
“Successful aging” is something you’ve heard the Office for the Aging talk about, but it turns out it’s been an idea ever since…would you believe 77 AD? For those of you who took Latin in high school or college, this may bring back memories: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D7%3Achapter%3D49&fbclid=IwAR27AkgSeTjQwa5NLFsJqz_yqlvx7934E-8z5mmSmRx4iRa4ajNUyyF-GWA
Some ideas for passing the time: https://seniorplanet.org/open-thread-coping-with-lockdowns/
Mets legend Tom Seaver withdrew from public life since a diagnosis of dementia last year; here, some reflections from an author who was Tom’s friend for 40 years: https://www.nextavenue.org/friendship-with-baseball-legend-tom-seaver/?fbclid=IwAR3FiXZtIuIkIUO7MRa0yG9xZpEC5bVuC58JCWA0EsAH9PQGMxMO19-kTRk
The Bronx’s own Dion (DiMucci) is 80 and has a new album out: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/16/dion-dimucci-80-interview-blues-with-friends
This week in senior birthdays:
6/20: Singer/songwriter Brian Wilson (78)
6/21: Character actor Bernie Kopell (87)
6/22: Singer/songwriter/actor Kris Kristofferson (84)
6/23: US Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas (72)
6/24: Guitarist/songwriter Jeff Beck (76)
6/25: TV/stage actress June Lockhart (95)
6/26: Singer Billy Davis, Jr. (The Fifth Dimension) (82)
This week’s Bad Joke is for everybody who wears glasses. Read it like you’re the announcer for a TV commercial:
Do you need to wear glasses and a mask at the same time? You may be entitled to condensation!
