Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of April 5th
CATCHING UP ON HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL
The COVID-19 pandemic may have interrupted your traditional spring cleaning plans in 2020, but Dutchess County Solid Waste Management (www.dutchessny.gov/solidwaste, 845-463-6020) can help you safely dispose of much of the hazardous household waste that may have accumulated over the past year.
There will be three Household Hazardous Waste and Electronic collection events in 2021, all on Saturdays: May 8th, June 19th and October 2nd. Registration for each event opens one month prior to the event, so April 8th is the first day to register for the May 8th event. The fee for each event will be $10, payable in advance.
WHAT IS AND ISN’T ACCEPTABLE AT COUNTY DISPOSAL EVENTS
You’ve gone into your closet, shed and garage to search for materials to be disposed of – but as you do, keep in mind that not every item that looks hazardous to you can be accepted at the county’s collection events. Some items can even be disposed of in regular trash.
The county does not accept latex paint at hazardous waste disposal events – because there’s a simpler way to dispose of latex paint at home. Dry the paint using kitty litter, sawdust or sunlight. Re-lid the can, put in a sturdy plastic bag and throw in the trash.
Cans of oil-based or alkyd paints, stains, enamels, varnish and so forth are accepted at county collection events.
As for old fluorescent lights, it depends: Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs can be dropped off at retailer drop boxes, such as at Lowes and Home Depot. Traditional fluorescent bulbs are considered hazardous waste rather than electronics. If you bring any to a county disposal event, please tape them together or put in a box, to prevent breakage.
Air conditioners are not accepted at county events, but can often be disposed of at municipal transfer stations. Contact the transfer station in your community to learn more.
OTHER SPRING CLEANING TIPS FOR SENIORS
Check the medicine cabinet. Are medications stored in properly labeled containers? Be sure to store medications in a cool, dark, dry place – NOT your bathroom. A better place is an airtight plastic container on a shelf in a closet outside the bathroom.
If you need to get rid of outdated medications, there are 11 secure drop-box locations in Dutchess County. Municipal police in Beacon, East Fishkill, Hyde Park, Millerton, (Town of) Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck and Wappingers Falls operate drop boxes, as does the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) headquarters at 108 Parker Ave. in Poughkeepsie, the DCSO satellite office in Pawling, and New York State Police Troop K headquarters in Salt Point. Contact the relevant agency for operating hours and additional details.
Outdated medications are also accepted during the summer at every OFA Senior Picnic.
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
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SENIORS WANTED THROUGHOUT DUTCHESS
The Office for the Aging and several other Dutchess County organizations who serve seniors are in continual need of volunteer assistance. Volunteers who can deliver meals to homebound seniors and/or drive seniors to non-emergency medical appointments and COVID vaccine appointments are particularly helpful.
Below is a quick rundown of the relevant contact information.
Office for the Aging Home Delivered Meals (Mon-Fri, middays)
(845) 486-2555 or ofa@dutchessny.gov
Friends of Seniors
(845) 485-1277 or www.friendsofseniors.org
North East Community Center (northeastern Dutchess)
(518) 789-4259 or info@neccmillerton.org
Pawling Resource Center (Pawling/Holmes)
(845) 855-3459 or email info@pawlingresourcecenter.org
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (for volunteers age 55+):
rsvp@dutchesscap.org or (845) 452-5104
DUTCHESS COUNTY SEEKS INPUT FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT STUDY
Dutchess County Public Transit (DCPT) is hosting an online survey for residents to share information on their past, present and future use of DCPT services as well as private transportation services, as part of an ongoing transit study to develop ways to further enhance the transit system. The survey is available online in English and Spanish now through April 16.
Other aging news online:
Loneliness in middle age has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/91811?xid=nl_mpt_SR_specialty_update_2021-03-26&eun=g1261622d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SpecialtyUpdate_Neuro_032621_%7BOpt:0060z0000244a5qAAA%7D&utm_term=NL_Spec_Neurology_Update_Active
Fighting vaccine fraud can be a complicated undertaking: https://www.medpagetoday.com/podcasts/trackthevax/91862?xid=nl_covidupdate_2021-04-02&eun=g1261622d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyUpdate_040221&utm_term=NL_Gen_Int_Daily_News_Update_active
Innovations for caregivers, based on what’s been learned during the pandemic: https://longevity.stanford.edu/innovations-for-caregivers/?mc_cid=25d6c258c4&mc_eid=f90ff348a8
Five things to know about New York State’s plan to legalize adult recreational use of marijuana: https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/5-things-to-know-about-legalizing-marijuana-in-16059175.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Timesunion_DailyBrief&stn=nf&sid=593181d83f92a45314a67226
It’s possible for adults to grow new brain cells? https://www.npr.org/2021/03/05/973801760/sandrine-thuret-how-can-adults-grow-new-brain-cells
This week in senior birthdays:
4/5: Singer/songwriter Agnetha Fältskog (Abba) (71)
4/6: Actor/singer Billy Dee Williams (84)
4/7: Activist/author Daniel Ellsberg (90)
4/8: Actor/comedian Shecky Greene (95)
4/9: Singer/songwriter/comedian Tom Lehrer (93)
4/10: Novelist/travel writer Paul Theroux (80)
4/11: Philanthropist Ethel Kennedy (93)
And here’s the week’s Bad Joke to share with the grandkids:
A man goes to his doctor, complaining that he’s hearing a tiny voice coming from his right leg. The doctor gets out his stethoscope and listens – and indeed, he hears a tiny voice saying “Does anybody have ten bucks? Five? Anything?”
And he tells the patient “The problem’s obvious. Your leg’s broke.”
