Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of January 4th

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of January 4th

 

Note: the Office for the Aging is closed for New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1st. Clients of OFA’s Home Delivered Meals Program receive meals in advance of the holiday.

WHEN’S THE COVID VACCINE COMING?

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. For even more information, follow Dutchess County Government on social media at facebook.com/DutchessCoGov and twitter.com/DutchessCoGov.

Dutchess County also maintains a Coronavirus Information Line at (845) 486-3555, and the New York State Department of Health Coronavirus Hotline is at 1-888-364-3065.

EMERGENCY ‘HEAP’ SEASON GETTING UNDERWAY

Early January is no time to be worrying about making sure the heat stays on. That’s why the Office for the Aging takes part in the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), funded through New York State. HEAP provides assistance with home energy needs for low-income, older individuals and families. Services include financial assistance with fuel bills, and emergency financial assistance for fuel/utility terminations. HEAP is an income eligibility program, and those who qualified in previous years were sent an application in the fall of 2020.

But if HEAP is new to you, or you’re a senior currently having a heating emergency, please get in touch with the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555.

Here’s how Emergency HEAP works:

If you are eligible, the Emergency HEAP Benefit can help you heat your home if you experience a heat or heat-related emergency. Emergency HEAP benefits and eligibility are based on income, available resources, and the type of emergency. You may be eligible for an Emergency HEAP benefit if:

• Your electricity is necessary for your heating system or thermostat to work and is either shut off or scheduled to be shut off;

OR

• Your electric or natural gas heat is off or scheduled to be shut off;

OR

• You are out of fuel, or you have less than one quarter of a tank of fuel oil, kerosene or propane, or have less than a 10-day supply of wood, wood pellets, corn, or other deliverable heat source.

AND

• Your income is at or below current income guidelines, or you receive Family Assistance, Safety Net Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) or Code “A” Supplemental Security Income.

AND

• The heating and/or electric bill is in your name and your household’s available resources are less than $2,000 if no member of your household is age 60 or older; or less than $3,000 if any member of your household is age 60 or older.

Households are ordinarily only eligible to receive one regular HEAP benefit each winter, and then one emergency HEAP benefit in the event of an energy crisis; however, additional HEAP assistance beyond these limits was approved for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether a similar HEAP extension is approved for 2021 will depend in great part on progress against the pandemic.

Please contact OFA with questions.

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 ACTIVITIES IN 2021

The Office for the Aging is working on at least two versions of its 2021 events calendar. Depending on events, we may need both versions – or more. The first calendar builds on the successful adaptations of traditional OFA events to keep seniors physically safe and socially active. We’re planning to bring back the successful Drive-Thru Picnic and Drive-In Bingo programs, with an eye on starting as soon as the weather makes it practical to do so. We’re also on the lookout for more new activities to add to the OFA calendar, especially in the spring, summer and fall.

The second calendar will include whatever else can be done if we are strong and fortunate enough in 2021 to no longer need New York State restrictions on in-person gatherings. There’s been no indication that the restrictions will end, but we want to be prepared to act whenever they do end.

It wasn’t possible to hold an in-person Senior Prom in 2020, but we are hoping for the opportunity to do so in 2021. Fingers crossed, everybody…because it will be our 25th prom, whenever it happens. For those of you who spend a whole year preparing for the next year’s prom, the theme remains what it would have been in 2020: “Silver Anniversary.” In other words, incorporate silver into whatever you’ll be wearing to the prom.

If restrictions are lifted, we’ll let you know about the prom’s date.

Other aging news online:

If you’re interested in studying global trends in aging and how the United States compares to other nations, there’s a new Census Bureau report on that very subject: https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=3d832796999042daae7982ff36835e2e

The right level of humidity in your home could help slow the spread of COVID-19: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/op-ed-humidity-can-aid-in-the-fight-against-covid-19/

This week in senior birthdays:

1/1: Actor Frank Langella (83)

1/2: World’s oldest verified living person Kane Tanaka (Japan) (118)

1/3: Actor Dabney Coleman (89)

1/4: Singer-songwriter Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) (61)

1/5: Actor/director Robert Duvall (90)

1/6: Former NY Jets/college football coach Lou Holtz (84)

1/7: Singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins (73)

1/8: Singer Dame Shirley Bassey (84)

1/9: Singer/songwriter/activist Joan Baez (80)

1/10: Singer/songwriter Rod Stewart (76)

And here’s the first Bad Joke of the New Year.

Q: How does a frog remove a band-aid?

A: They…rip it.

Author: Harlem Valley News