Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of November 23rd
Note: the Office for the Aging is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26th. OFA Home Delivered Meals clients will receive their meals in advance of the holiday, and in advance of Friday, November 27th.
Meal deliveries are not taking place on the 27th, but OFA headquarters in Poughkeepsie will be open on a regular weekday schedule. Please call or email OFA before making any visits, because pandemic restrictions only allow us to accept visitors under strict limitations.
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
HEALTH INSURANCE COUNSELING OPTIONS FOR LOCAL SENIORS ABOUND
We’re thrilled so many Dutchess County seniors have taken advantage of the Office for the Aging’s annual series of counseling sessions through the Health Insurance Information, Assistance and Counseling Program (HIICAP). Due to the overwhelming response, the sessions through the end of Medicare open enrollment, December 7th, have reached capacity.
There remain, however, plenty of insurance counseling options available, aside from our HIICAP sessions:
1. You may call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and receive the same assistance as OFA provides;
2. If you have some computer experience, you may go on the Medicare website, www.medicare.gov, and be guided through the process of finding health plans;
3. You can provide OFA with your name and phone number (cell phone or landline), and we will forward it to the New York State Office for the Aging, which has several organizations who assist them in providing the same HIICAP insurance assistance that we provide. You will receive a return call from one of those organizations.
4. If you belong to New York State EPIC (Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Program), we can still assist you, after December 7th. You would still have your new plan in place, effective January 1st, 2021. Contact OFA via email or phone to find out more.
For those of you about to become eligible for Medicare for the first time, HIICAP operates year-round and provides free, unbiased assistance as you arrange for the plan(s) that best meet your health insurance needs.
ADAPT AND PLAY IT SAFE THIS THANKSGIVING
Traditional large family Thanksgiving gatherings are on hold until 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and recommendations against large indoor gatherings. What can be done to adapt the holiday to stay connected with friends and family while remaining physically safe? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has offered a few practical recommendations.
If you have a lot of family nearby and you’re tasked with making one of the side dishes, but you don’t want to expose yourself and loved ones, it’s still possible to split up portions for safe distribution among the households who ordinarily gather together. Just leave your wrapped dish of food on their porch. And if your side dish is a particularly tasty one, send the recipe to ofa@dutchessny.gov.
Schedule a time to share your meals with each other virtually. Share recipes, too.
Since it’s Thanksgiving, start a gratitude activity. Write down things you’re grateful for, and share them with those in your household, along with anybody else gathered remotely.
Organize your own socially distanced neighborhood parade. Call your loved ones as the parade rolls toward their homes, and wish them a happy Thanksgiving.
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
OFA TAI CHI – NOW ENROLLING
The Office for the Aging is enrolling seniors in a Tai Chi class via Zoom, with twice-a-week one-hour sessions beginning in mid-December. For a printable class application, call the Office for the Aging or visit this link: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/Docs/TaiChiApplicationAndRelease.pdf
WINTER 2020-21 SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS COMING SOON
Our quarterly Spotlight on Seniors newsletter covering the upcoming winter is almost ready for publication. As an Aging News email subscriber, it’ll be emailed to you; it’ll also be available on the OFA website. Estimated publication date is in the next week or two.
Seniors who don’t have internet connections and would like to be added to the Spotlight mailing list can call OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at (845) 486-2544 or email bjones@dutchessny.gov.
Copies will also be available at any Dutchess County libraries and municipal buildings that are open – but keep in mind that many have limited hours due to the pandemic.
We have a limited supply of Spotlights for distribution at senior housing developments and apartment complexes, along with any medical offices that would like to distribute them. Please use the above contact information to get on the distribution list.
Free Virtual Balance Classes – Wednesdays in November
Balance, flexibility and strength are all necessary to complete everyday tasks in and out of the home. If you haven’t yet been able to sign up for one of OFA’s “A Matter of Balance” classes, here’s an alternative – free virtual classes taking place on Zoom every Wednesday in November. If you participate via a mobile device, be sure that Zoom is downloaded on your mobile device before joining the class. It’s also possible to participate over the phone.
Zoom meeting ID: 854 0147 8842
passcode: special
By phone: 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 85401478842 passcode: 5295607
For additional information, email dmtsantes@gmail.com. To find out more about “A Matter of Balance,” contact the Office for the Aging.
Other aging news online:
Deep sleep may help fend off dementia in later life: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/11/17/935519117/deep-sleep-protects-against-alzheimers-growing-evidence-shows
When it comes to treatment for depression, many seniors are overlooked: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mishagajewski/2020/11/16/why-wont-seniors-with-depression-get-treatment/?sh=bb849bb3e7a4
In Great Britain, many seniors don’t know what “mild cognitive impairment” is – do you? Take a look: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mild-cognitive-impairment-symptoms-memory-b1724194.html
Turkey wasn’t always the centerpiece of Thanksgiving: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/raccoon-was-once-thanksgiving-feast-fit-president-180973665/
This week in senior birthdays:
11/21: NBA Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (76)
11/22: Director/actor Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) (80)
11/23: Former MLB pitcher Luis Tiant (80)
11/24: Comedian/actor Billy Connolly (78)
11/25: Former Yankees infielder Bucky Dent (69)
11/26: Bass player John McVie (Fleetwood Mac) (75)
11/27: Educator/TV host Bill Nye (65)
This next Bad Joke is a little different. Only people who can read minds will get it.
