Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of February 22nd

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of February 22nd

Looking for the latest from Dutchess County on the COVID-19 vaccine and related issues? Go to www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus

Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers

Todd N. Tancredi, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

OFA SEEKS NEW “HIICAP” VOLUNTEERS

Many Dutchess County seniors find themselves confused by health insurance concerns – and need accurate, unbiased, understandable guidance to find the options that best meets their needs.

You can help them, as an Office for the Aging “HIICAP” volunteer.

HIICAP stands for Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program. HIICAP educates the public about Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, EPIC, and other health insurance options and issues. HIICAP assists Medicare beneficiaries to access needed health care and to apply for programs such as the Medicare Savings Programs.

That may sound like a lot to learn, but you need no health insurance expertise to train to become a HIICAP volunteer. OFA takes care of the training, with regular follow-up sessions to keep volunteers up-to-date.

OFA is holding a socially-distanced three-part HIICAP training session for new counselors in March, at our City of Poughkeepsie headquarters. The training is focused specifically on volunteers who would like to help clients with Medicare issues, and will take place on three consecutive Tuesdays: March 2, 9 and 16, with each class lasting from (time) to (time).

The ability to speak languages in addition to English is desired, but not required.

For more information, call the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555 or email ofa@dutchessny.gov.

SPRING/SUMMER OFA EVENTS TAKING SHAPE

We’re preparing a 2021 events calendar that’s even busier than the 2020 schedule turned out to be. Our countywide summer Senior Picnic program will return in late May, once again in drive-thru format, and serving more seniors than ever before. Additionally, we’re planning to build on the success of the Drive-In Bingo events we hosted last fall. Look for announcements of Drive-In Bingo events taking place in the spring as well as the fall – plus one special event coming up in about one month’s time.

A GOOD TIME TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO

If you’re on the mailing list for OFA newsletters and have moved to a new home recently, we might not have your current address on file. If you’re not on the mailing list yet, there’s still time to add your address before we publish the Spring 2021 issue of our Spotlight on Seniors newsletter in early March. (And since you’re receiving this Aging News newsletter via email, you’ll also get the Spotlight emailed to you when it publishes, sometime late this month or in early March.)

To join the mailing list or update your contact information, contact OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or (845) 486-2544. We also post the Spotlight online at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, and make hard copies available at libraries and senior housing throughout the county.

If your facility needs a supply, please get in touch so we know how many copies to print. If your facility is restricting public access due to the pandemic but is expected to reopen to the public in the spring, let us know about that as well.

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

TAI CHI AND “MATTER OF BALANCE”

The Office for the Aging is planning for remote and socially-distanced in-person Tai Chi and “A Matter of Balance” falls prevention classes to take place in the spring. A doctor’s approval is required for Tai Chi and Senior Exercise.

For more information, contact the Office for the Aging.

Free Virtual Balance Classes – Wednesdays in FEBRUARY

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 February. 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.

Here’s the technical particulars:

Zoom Meeting Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85401478842?pwd=dG1XNTN5Smp3b3czMkxSTEtQYndRZz09

Zoom App/Online information:

Zoom Meeting ID: 854 0147 8842 Passcode: special

Join Zoom by Phone/landline – audio only – call 1-646-558-8656

Meeting ID: 85401478842

Password: 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:

Nine things about the pandemic that we’ve learned, that will endure after the pandemic, whenever that might be: https://www.nextavenue.org/things-we-learned-during-covid-19-that-will-endure/?mc_cid=db8890dd9f&mc_eid=f90ff348a8

You’re just trying to drive from point A to point B, doing the best you can, and somebody’s tailgating you? Here’s AAA’s advice on how to deal with it: https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/money/auto-insurance/dealing-with-a-tailgater/?mqsc=ED4116063&utm_source=AdobeEmail&utm_medium=Daily&utm_campaign=210218_YourAAADaily&cid=DM183205&bid=228438934&hme=f0cf0a8a5b7325e0660e56c41aa6b7ce5658c27c483fece30d7a8bcf02463554

A reminder from the state DEC – intentionally feeding deer is illegal in New York. In the following link, they explain the reasons it can do more harm than good to the deer and the wider environment. In the meantime, if you’ve got bird feeders, keeping the food more than 8 feet off the ground should stop deer from being tempted by birdseed, which isn’t good for them: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7197.html

This week in senior birthdays:

2/22: NBA Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving (71)

2/23: Singer/songwriter Howard Jones (66)

2/24: Opera legend Renata Scotto (87)

2/25: British actor Tom Courtenay (84)

2/26: Singer/songwriter Michael Bolton (68)

2/27: Actress Joanne Woodward (91)

2/28: Actress/singer Bernadette Peters (73)

And your Bad Joke:

I went to the boomerang store the other day. They have a great return policy.

Author: Harlem Valley News