utchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of March 15th
www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus has up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine availability, and much more.
ROBOT PETS – HELPING SENIORS COPE
When Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, one of the first uses he envisioned for it was to sell dolls and toys with phonographs inside that could play snippets of human speech. The dolls he brought to market in the late 19th century never caught on, but countless inventors took Edison’s idea and improved it. You might have grown up with a “robotic” baby doll that could walk, talk, sing, drink and wet. The theory was that children would learn the basics of taking care of a baby. The reality may have been that parents learned the basics of cleaning up doll spills.
Here in 2021, robotic and animatronic technology has grown spectacularly, and a new market has emerged for robotic companion animals: seniors, especially those with mental and neurological conditions like dementia, and those who have isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep themselves physically safe.
While biological pets have made great companions for thousands of years, the effort and cost involved in taking care of a real-life pet could easily be too much to handle for an isolated individual challenged by dementia. It could be a challenge for the pet’s well-being as well.
Today’s animatronic pets are remarkably lifelike in sound and movement, and many include facial-recognition technology. In other words, they meow or bark happily if they detect someone walking into the room they’re in. They don’t need walks, food, litter boxes or trips to the vet, won’t roll around in mud puddles, and don’t cause allergies to act up. According to manufacturers, the robots can be sanitized to prevent viral transmission.
Preliminary research on the use of such pets in long-term care facilities is encouraging, with reported reductions in loneliness, agitation, depression, medication use and nursing staff stress.
New York State ordered 1,100 animatronic dogs and cats for distribution, a few of which were allotted to seniors in Dutchess County. The initial distribution in late 2020 and early 2021 went well, and we’re hoping to acquire more should they become available.
The cost of the pets may one day be covered by Medicare and other health insurers. Talks to accomplish this got underway last year between the pets’ manufacturers and certain Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans. In the meantime, the pets retail for about $130, going by our informal survey of online and local merchants.
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
DUTCHESS COUNTY VACCINE OUTREACH COALITION ORGANIZES
The Dutchess County Vaccine Outreach Coalition held its organizational meeting last Tuesday, March 9th. County Executive Marc Molinaro assembled the group to help disseminate information to ensure the public has knowledge of the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and how the distribution system works, and ensure equitable vaccine distribution.
The goal of this diverse group of community leaders and county officials is to provide accurate, up-to-date information about the vaccination process, to ensure public trust in the vaccine. The coalition will focus on hard-to-reach populations and dispel myths about the vaccine through conversations with individuals and organizations and by distributing information provided by the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH), the Office for the aging, and other reputable health sources.
Learn more about the coalition and its mission at: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/County-Executive/County-Forms-Dutchess-County-Vaccine-Outreach-Coalition.htm?fbclid=IwAR1I9FwYLyngfPmPmUxqwM-cWe-rlfyJ5msx7kMOO18RVC9BpPSGdFIXfkU
“PANCAKES IN THE PARK” AT BOWDOIN – SIGN UP, SENIORS!
The snow’s melting and you’ve been looking for more ways to safely get out of the house for social activity…and the Office for the Aging and Dutchess County Parks have just what you’re looking for: “Pancakes in the Park” at Bowdoin Park (85 Sheafe Rd., Poughkeepsie).
The free event is taking place on Friday, March 26th, starting at 11:30 a.m. Seniors receive a to-go package of pancakes, turkey sausage and Bowdoin Park’s own maple syrup. Additional bottles of syrup are available for purchase, while they last.
Availability is limited to 250 seniors. Reservations are required, and can be made by signing up with the Office for the Aging at (845) 486-2555. All participants must be masked in accordance with COVID-19 safety rules.
ENROLLING NOW: OFA TAI CHI PROGRAM, AND “A MATTER OF BALANCE” – REMOTE AND SOCIALLY-DISTANCED CLASSES BOTH AVAILABLE
(volunteer leaders wanted, too!)
Office for the Aging exercise and tai-chi classes are a great way to stay physically and mentally active while remaining physically safe – and our “A Matter of Balance” classes provide valuable help in preventing falls and potentially serious injury.
There are spaces available NOW for participants in both remote and socially-distanced in-person classes. Classes are beginning later this month.
You can join as a volunteer class leader as well. Specifically, an OFA class in LaGrange is seeking a volunteer leader for its Tuesday and Friday morning socially-distanced one-hour sessions. Classes take place at 9:00 a.m., starting later this month.
For more information about volunteering as an exercise and/or tai chi leader, or questions about OFA volunteering opportunities in general, email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call (845) 486-2544.
For more information about participating in OFA classes, including the “A Matter of Balance” fall prevention program, call the OFA front desk at (845) 486-2555. Both socially-distanced and remote classes are available.
SPRING CLEANING SEASON UPDATES
With spring beginning next week, we’ll post county and municipal bulk and/or hazardous waste disposal events as we find them.
Dutchess County’s 2021 Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic collection events will be held May 8th, June 19th and October 2nd. All three days are Saturdays.
Registration for each event opens one month prior to the event. April 8th is the first day to register for the May 8th event.
For registration starting April 8th and a list of acceptable items please visit
the Dutchess County Solid Waste Management website: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Solid-Waste-Management/Solid-Waste-Management.htm
Village of Pawling residents, there *will* be a bulk trash pickup in your village, coming in April. Details here: http://www.villageofpawling.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Bulk-Clean-Up-Bulletin-041421.pdf
REBUILDING TOGETHER’S SPRING – A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN 2021
Rebuilding Together Dutchess County, the local affiliate of the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership by providing no-cost home repairs and accessibility modifications to income-qualified homeowners, is gearing up for another year of assisting Dutchess County residents.
Rebuilding Together will be accepting applications this year for its three home repair programs. The Home Safety and Fire Prevention program installs code-compliant smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, and reflective house numbers. Applications are accepted all year-round, however, due to the pandemic, installations are on hold until further notice.
The Handyman program is specifically tailored to seniors 60-years and older to provide small-scale repairs and accessibility modifications. Eligible applicants can submit an application and once it is deemed safer to enter people’s homes, the process will continue with a staff member conducting a home visit to assess their needs.
Rebuilding Together will release its Rebuilding Day application for large-scale repairs in May. This program takes a whole-house approach to improve the overall health and safety of the home. Applications received between May and the deadline of September 30, will be considered for service in 2022.
For more information on Rebuilding Together’s programs, eligibility, and to apply, please visit their website at www.rtdutchess.org, or call (845) 454-7310.
Other aging news online:
More help for aging brains: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/help-for-aging-brains/2021/03/05/717ab738-79d6-11eb-85cd-9b7fa90c8873_story.html
New resources for research into men’s health: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/blog/2021/03/two-rich-new-resources-mens-health-research
For seniors with dementia still living in the community, mixing medications that shouldn’t be mixed continues to be an issue: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/91541?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2021-03-10&eun=g1261622d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Top%20Cat%20HeC%20%202021-03-10&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition
This week’s virtual tour – the British Museum: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-british-museum
This week in senior birthdays:
3/15: Bassist/songwriter Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead) (81)
3/16: TV personality Chuck Woolery (80)
3/17: Actor Kurt Russell (70)
3/18: Pianist/composer John Kander (94)
3/19: R&B singer and pianist Clarence “Frogman” Henry (84)
3/20: Actor/director Hal Linden (90)
3/21: Soul singer Russell Thompkins Jr. (The Stylistics) (70)
This week’s Bad Joke:
Q: What do you get for telling the world’s best knock-knock joke?
A: The No Bell Prize.
