Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of December 28th
Note: the Office for the Aging (OFA) will be closed for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays on Friday, December 25th and Friday, January 1st. Clients of our Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program will receive their meals for those days in advance of the holidays.
OFA will be open for regular business all other weekdays – but keep in mind that in-person visitation is limited by pandemic restrictions, and many of your questions can be answered while you remain safe at home, by calling (845-486-2555) and/or emailing (ofa@dutchessny.gov).
AGING IN PLACE IN RURAL DUTCHESS – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
For many Dutchess County seniors who ordinarily spend winters in warmer climates, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant they’re adapting to the necessities that come with spending the winter of 2020-21 here in Dutchess. Seniors in several rural Dutchess County communities have met this challenge over the years by forming aging-in place “villages,” with organizational assistance from the Village to Village Network (www.vtvnetwork.org). This week’s column was prepared with assistance from leaders in two such organizations based in Dutchess County: Nina Lynch, President, Rhinebeck at Home, and Linda Hogan, President of Board of Directors, Millbrook at Home.
During October, over 600 people attended a virtual (online) gathering of aging-in-place ‘villages’ throughout the country. Among the engaging and challenging speakers on the gathering’s Zoom connection was Acting Director of the New York State Office for the Aging, Greg Olsen. He was enthusiastic to learn of the ongoing success of the Aging in Place Village Movement: nonprofit, grassroots, membership organizations that are redefining aging by being a key resource to community members wishing to age in place.
Here in Dutchess County there are two operating villages and a third in development. For our purposes, the term “village” embodies a conceptual more than a geographic community.
- Rhinebeck at Home (www.rhinebeckathome.org, (845) 379-1114) is an incorporated non-profit, all volunteer member organization open to people in the Town of Rhinebeck.
- Settled and Serving in Place (SSIP) Taconic (www.ssip209.org, (845) 266-4270) is an un-incorporated member group covering the Clinton/Stanford area and nearby communities.
- Millbrook at Home (www.millbrookathome.org) is an incorporated group still in the process of developing itself, in the area surrounding and including the Village of Millbrook.
The “village” movement started with Beacon Hill Village in Boston in 2002. Today there are more than 250 open villages and more than 100 in development nationwide. The Village to Village Network shares best practices among its members and advocates on the State and Federal level on critical issues for the Village Movement and, most importantly, for older adults.
Rhinebeck at Home is an all-volunteer, dues-paying group, with 125 members. During the pandemic, they are staying in touch by phone, email, Zoom and, during warmer weather, lunch gatherings at local parks.
Millbrook at Home will be staying in touch with its participants this winter through the telephone, email and occasional Zoom meetings. A bi-monthly newsletter and Facebook page is available to keep all up to date with the latest happenings. Visit the website at millbrookathome.org to stay informed and to keep in touch.
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
THE LATEST ON THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN DUTCHESS
Dutchess County is excited about the soon-to-be available COVID-19 vaccine! While details are still in the works, vaccine will be distributed according to priority groups – those groups at greatest risk for COVID-19 infection. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks at DutchessNY.gov/Coronavirus.
DUTCHESS RESPONDS – CONTINUALLY-UPDATED FOOD PANTRY INFO
A reminder:
You may know of the County’s “Dutchess Responds” initiative for its ongoing COVID-19 response work. It also includes several other features, including a continually updated list of local food pantry availability and hours. It’s all at www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessResponds.
Other aging news online:
Tips to make mealtime easier for seniors with dementia: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/tips-make-mealtimes-easier-people-alzheimers?utm_source=nia-mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=adear-20201222
Every week there’s more information about robocall scam prevention – the scam-prevention mistake described in the following links is answering the phone when you’re not certain the caller is legitimate. But we all have made that mistake with robocallers at least once. What you do if you’ve picked up a scam call by mistake is just hang up. No saying anything, no pressing buttons, just hang up: https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/money/retirement/scams-targeting-seniors/?mqsc=ED4116063&utm_source=AdobeEmail&utm_medium=Daily&utm_campaign=201221_YourAAADaily&cid=DM175283&bid=61127699&hme=f0cf0a8a5b7325e0660e56c41aa6b7ce5658c27c483fece30d7a8bcf02463554
Scientists are looking to outer space to study aging: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/to-study-aging-scientists-are-looking-to-outer-space-iss/
(video) A sneak peak at Peter Jackson’s upcoming “Get Back” Beatles documentary, with loads of previously unseen footage: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/peter-jackson-beatles-sneak-peek-1106383/
Are you opening this email early on Christmas to get at the Bad Joke within?
My special talent is always being able to know what’s inside a wrapped present. It’s a gift.
