Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of July 20th
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
GOOD NEWS (MAYBE) IN THE BATTLE AGAINST PHONE SCAMS
For the first time, major phone providers are reporting a sustained drop in unwanted robocalls.
Verizon reports a 30% drop in robocalls since March, and seven straight months of declining robocalls.
Telecommunications analysts believe some of the drop can be attributed to scam operations being disrupted by the worldwide COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic; however, scammers are notorious for changing tactics when a previously reliable method no longer works for them. While overall robocall numbers have been dropping, there’s been an increase in scams related to the ongoing pandemic – everything from attempts to steal personal insurance and Medicare information, to offering fraudulent cleaning services.
And while the quantities of calls may have dropped, there are still billions of robocalls being made – about 100 million every day as of June – so don’t lower your guard, and remember these tips:
Don’t engage. Don’t pick up the phone until you’re certain of who’s calling. Caller ID information can be faked – “spoofed” is the term you may have heard for this. Telephone service providers and governments here, and around the world, are making steady progress on a system to authenticate the source of a call no matter where on earth it’s coming from. Federal regulators have set a summer 2021 deadline for US providers to have such systems up and running.
Don’t let them into your head. Phone scammers will try to trick you into engaging with appeals to emotion in hopes of overriding your intelligence. They’ll try to scare you, anger you or excite you. They’ll falsely claim you’ve got a grandchild in jail, there’s a problem with your computer, the IRS is after you, there’s a massive lottery prize waiting for you, you’ve got unpaid parking tickets, and so forth. For scammers, manipulating your emotions is the key that turns the lock. Don’t let them do it.
Don’t assume you’re too smart to be scammed. In multiple FINRA Investment Education Foundation studies of investment fraud going back to 2003, one key finding repeatedly appears that you might not expect: Victims of financial scams were both more financially literate and more educated than the general population. The US Securities and Exchange Commission advises that you always check the background of anyone selling or offering you an investment and confirm that the person is currently registered or licensed. It only takes a few minutes using the free and simple search tools on www.Investor.gov. Scammers will try to rush you into a bad investment by insisting it’s “for a limited time only.” That’s another attempt to override your intelligence with an appeal to emotion. Don’t let them do it. When an offer looks too good to be true…it is. Not engaging with them in the first place is the smartest move, but if they’ve already got you on the line, just hang up.
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
COVID RENT RELIEF INFO
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced a one-time rent subsidy is available for low-income County residents who were previously “rent-burdened” prior to March 1, 2020 and have experienced an additional decrease in income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic through New York State’s COVID Rent Relief Navigator. There is a very short application period, and eligible residents are encouraged to submit applications quickly.
More information at this link: https://hcr.ny.gov/RRP
SFMNP DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION
Because of pandemic-related safety needs, we cannot distribute SFMNP coupons to walk-in visitors this year.
Distribution of SFMNP coupon booklets is happening on a drive-thru basis, only on the following days, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the OFA parking lot at 114 Delafield St. in Poughkeepsie.
Monday, July 20th
Wednesday, July 22nd
Monday, July 27th
When storms are in the weather forecast, please call ahead before leaving home.
Residents of low-income senior housing can find out more about obtaining SFMNP coupons from their residence manager.
Participants in OFA’s Senior Friendship Center program now receiving meals at home due to pandemic restrictions will receive SFMNP information from Friendship Center site managers.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT AT AN OFA DRIVE-THRU SENIOR PICNIC
We’ve been sending out postcards to senior citizens throughout Dutchess County, reminding them to reserve a spot at the Office for the Aging Drive-Thru Senior Picnic serving their community. But you don’t have to wait for your postcard to arrive to reserve a spot by calling OFA at (845) 486-2555; in fact, response has been such that as of this week at least one picnic was already fully booked. Here’s the full Senior Picnic schedule:
The schedule of picnics is as follows. Note that some of the picnic venues have changed this year:
Tuesday, July 28th
Pleasant Valley
West Road School
181 West Road, Pleasant Valley
Thursday, July 30th
Beacon
Memorial Park ballfield
Robert Cahill Drive, Beacon
Tuesday, August 4th
Town of Wappinger, Village of Wappingers Falls
Wappingers Junior High School
30 Major Macdonald Way, Wappinger
Thursday, August 6th
Town of Poughkeepsie
Bowdoin Park
85 Sheafe Road, Poughkeepsie
Tuesday, August 11th
North East, Pine Plains, Stanford and Washington
Stissing Mountain High School
2928 Church Street, Pine Plains
Thursday, August 13th
City of Poughkeepsie
St. John’s Church
55 Wilbur Boulevard, Poughkeepsie
Tuesday, August 18th
Clinton and Hyde Park
Regina Coeli Church
2 Harvey Street, Hyde Park
Thursday, August 20th
Town of Fishkill, Village of Fishkill
Geering Park
Geering Way, Fishkill
Tuesday, August 25th
Beekman and LaGrange
Freedom Park
212 Skidmore Road, LaGrange
Thursday, August 27th
East Fishkill
Hopewell Recreation Park
890 Route 82, Hopewell Junction
Tuesday, September 1st
Milan, Red Hook, Rhinebeck
Dutchess County Fairgrounds
6636 Route 9, Rhinebeck
Thursday, September 3rd
Amenia, Dover, Pawling, Union Vale
Boyce Park
6420 State Route 55, Wingdale
The OFA’s 2020 Senior Picnic Series is sponsored by EverCare at Home and Home Energy Consultants, Inc.
County residents of any age who would like to volunteer at any of this summer’s Senior Picnics can contact the OFA at bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2555. For volunteers under age 18, a parental waiver is required.
Other aging news online:
A new study will examine why women and men age differently: https://gero.usc.edu/2020/06/15/usc-study-to-explore-why-females-age-differently-than-males/
Are there feasible alternatives to nursing homes and other congregate care facilities, or not? https://undark.org/2020/06/19/covid-19-nursing-home-alternatives/
If you’re a fan of pickled capers, read on…: https://www.genengnews.com/news/proteins-required-for-brain-and-heart-function-activated-by-pickled-capers/
A locked-down nursing home in the UK has found a way to pass the time by re-created classic album covers, using its residents and staff as the models: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/13/890569181/at-u-k-care-home-residents-brilliantly-recreate-iconic-album-covers
This week in senior birthdays:
7/18: Yankees/Mets manager Joe Torre (80)
7/19: Songwriter/guitarist/astrophysicist Brian May (Queen) (73)
7/20: Guitarist/songwriter Carlos Santana (73)
7/21: Cartoonist Garry Trudeau (72)
7/22: WWII veteran/politician Bob Dole (97)
7/23: Retired US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (84)
7/24: Actress/comedian Ruth Buzzi (84)
Finally, a Bad Joke.
My spouse says I never listen. Strange way to start a conversation if you ask me.
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
