Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of March 1st
Looking for the latest on COVID-19 response and vaccine news in Dutchess County? 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
TELEPHONE TOWN HALL – MARCH 24th
It’s great to see more Dutchess County seniors adapting to new technology, especially for how it helps them stay connected when they can’t see friends and family in person during this pandemic. But it’s essential to remember seniors who remain offline, whether by choice or circumstance. There are still large cell signal “dead zones” in much of rural Dutchess, and in many communities it’s a challenge to find a reliable high-speed home internet connection at a manageable price.
If you’re offline, you can participate in the next in County Executive Marc Molinaro’s series of Telephone Town Halls on Wednesday, March 24th from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. You can listen and participate by calling (845) 765-7121 during that time.
The event will also be available on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/dutchesscogov, and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from Mid-Hudson Interpreter Service will be on screen to sign the questions and answers.
The full schedule of Telephone Town Halls and Facebook Live events is available on the calendar at www.dutchessny.gov.
2021 SENIOR PICNIC SEASON COMING SOON
We’ve been planning our 29th season of Summer Senior Picnics since the conclusion of last summer’s unique adapted Drive-Thru picnics, and are putting the finishing touches on the 2021 schedule and the reminder cards we send to tens of thousands of seniors throughout the county.
For those of you who are new to the Senior Picnic program, our picnic season begins just before Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. In ordinary years, it would be a big sit-down get-together with hundreds of seniors, live music and sponsor tables. We’d love to get back to doing that – but, because of ongoing state restrictions on in-person gatherings, we adapted the 2020 program to a drive-thru format, to great success. We served more seniors in 2020 than ever before, and plan to continue as such in 2021.
Every senior over the age of 60 living in Dutchess County is eligible for one free drive-thru meal at the picnic that serves their home community, while space is available.
Reservations are required for all Senior Picnics. We start taking reservations once we publish the schedule and the cards go out, starting in mid-April – so watch your mailbox. We send out the cards as reminders. You don’t need to receive a card to call us for a reservation. If you’re a senior who’s new to Dutchess County, the Drive-Thru Picnics could make for a useful introduction to the Office for the Aging and what we offer.
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
virtual COVID-19 support group
Older adults are invited to join a virtual COVID-19 Isolation Therapy Group offered by the Rhinebeck-based Center for Healthy Aging. The online support sessions are from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of every month, beginning March 2. The group will be led by the center’s licensed clinical social worker, Allison Gould, who works closely with people 65 and older and has seen firsthand the consequences of staying distanced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By bringing people together to discuss their COVID-19 experience and the feelings that come with it, Gould hopes to provide a space to process and heal as well as an opportunity for human connection.
To register, visit nuvancehealth.org/wellness, or call Kathy McQuade at (845) 876-4745 (TTY/Accessibility: 800-421-1220).
Other aging news online:
Examining the connection between lack of sleep and dementia: https://www.aging-us.com/article/202591/text
This New Jersey woman is 105, survived COVID, and ascribes her longevity to a daily regimen of nine gin-soaked raisins: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/nyregion/new-jersey-lucia-declerck-covid.html
This week’s virtual museum tour: The Cloisters in upper Manhattan: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-cloisters-museum-and-gardens
This week in senior birthdays:
2/29: U.S. astronaut Jack Lousma (Skylab 3) (85)
3/1: Singer/activist Harry Belafonte (94)
3/2: Musician/songwriter John Cowsill (65)
3/3: Singer/songwriter Jennifer Warnes (74)
3/4: Golfer/sportscaster Peter Jacobsen (67)
3/5: Football player/actor Fred Williamson (83)
3/6: Actor/director/producer Rob Reiner (74)
3/7: TV personality Willard Scott (87)
And the Bad Joke:
Q: Why do chicken coops have two doors?
A: Because if they had four doors they’d be chicken sedans, and if they had three doors they could be chicken…hatchbacks.
