Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of June 7th
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
JUNE 15TH IS WORLD ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY
Every year on June 15th, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD) is observed throughout the United States and around the world, raising awareness about the millions of older adults who experience abuse, financial exploitation and neglect. The federal government’s Administration for Community Living defines elder abuse as “any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.” It can take the form of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse; often accompanied by neglect, exploitation and/or abandonment.
In the past, local WEEAD events have taken place in alternating years in Dutchess and Orange Counties, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of last year’s event and has shelved plans for a local, in-person 2021 WEEAD. We hope the Office for the Aging can participate in a renewed observance in 2022.
In the meantime, we all have critical roles to play in advancing justice for seniors. Elder abuse goes unrecognized in many parts of the world, and tends to go underreported in the United States. Official estimates of elder abuse show it affects up to ten percent of older Americans, but only one case in 14 comes to the attention of authorities. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in May estimated the annual losses to victims of financial abuse as at least $36.5 billion.
Scams aimed at seniors also fall under the DOJ definition of elder abuse. While scammers are continuously changing their techniques to avoid being caught, many forms of scam remain popular with criminals because, unfortunately, they’re effective.
Impostor scams remain widespread. The Social Security scam is a common one aimed at seniors: The scammer calls the prospective victim and falsely claims that the victim’s Social Security number has been “suspended” because of suspicious activity, then tricks the victim into giving up their Social Security number. Similar impostor scams involve criminals claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, Medicare, and countless other government agencies. Scammers also impersonate “tech support,” concocting stories about computer problems – even if you don’t have one.
In the highly unlikely event that you were in hot water with any of these agencies or businesses, they would never contact you by phone.
More key information about recognizing and preventing elder abuse is available at www.justice.gov/elderabuse, and from the Bronx-based Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Center for Elder Justice (www.theweinbergcenter.org).
A regularly updated Scam Prevention Resources flyer with contact information for local scam-prevention resources is available at the Office for the Aging’s website: www.dutchessny.gov/aging. The flyer is also in the Summer 2021 edition of OFA’s Spotlight on Seniors newsletter, due out later this month. The Spotlight will be available at libraries countywide as well as on the county website. It will also be emailed to those on the county’s Dutchess Delivery OFA mailing list, and physical copies mailed to those on the OFA postal mailing list.
To get on the email list, visit www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessDelivery; to get on the physical mailing list, call 845-486-2544.
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 WANTED FOR OFA DRIVE THRU PICNIC (WED 6/9)
The Office for the Aging’s Drive-Thru Senior Picnic for seniors living in the Towns of Milan, Red Hook and Rhinebeck takes place on Wednesday, June 9th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
If you are available to volunteer at this picnic, please email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call 845-486-2544 by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8th.
There are nine other picnics remaining on the schedule, with the full list at www.dutchessny.gov/OFApicnics. If you can volunteer at any or all of the picnics, please contact us using the information above.
The event is open to volunteers of all ages; volunteers under age 18 will require a signed parental waiver.
WEBINAR: BEST (OM)BUDS OF THE HUDSON VALLEY AND TRI-COUNTY (Thu 6/17)
If you have a loved one in a long term care facility, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult care facilities or family-type homes, we hope you’re aware of the Hudson Valley’s Long Term Care Ombudsman program (LTCOP), which advocates for long term care residents in Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, Orange, Putnam and Ulster Counties.
Ombudsmen respond to concerns about long-term care: quality of care; abuse and/or neglect; rights violations; lost and stolen belongings; nutrition concerns; and discharge, eviction or termination of services.
In this program, Hudson Valley LTCOP director Gloria Murray and Tri County LTCOP director Judy Farrell discuss how to use free ombudsman resources to ensure that your loved ones are getting the care and services that they need. Other speakers include volunteers and family members who will share their experiences with the Hudson Valley and Tri County ombudsman programs. The program will conclude with an ombudsmen Q&A. Submit a question at http://nursinghome411.org/ask-ombudsman-form .
Who should attend? Residents, families, advocates, ombudsmen, and prospective ombudsmen from the Hudson Valley (Dutchess, Sullivan, Orange, Greene, Columbia, and Ulster) and Tri County (Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam), and New York state. Visit http://nursinghome411.org/volunteer for information on how you can help long term care residents in the region.
This program is sponsored by the Long Term Care Community Coalition.
STILL SPACE FOR IN-PERSON TAI CHI CLASSES STARTING MON 6/21
Seniors interested in signing up for an in-person Office for the Aging tai-chi class in Poughkeepsie on 6/21 can call OFA at 845-486-2555 to sign up and get more information. Class location and time will be provided upon registration.
Masks and social distancing are no longer required for fully-vaccinated seniors, but feel free to wear yours to tai chi if you’d like.
A BIT MORE ABOUT MASKS…AND SENIOR PICNICS
Many seniors tell us masks have come in handy during high-pollen days. Even before the pandemic, many individuals with seasonal allergies would use masks for the short term during yardwork, especially when pollen counts were high, to provide some measure of protection and reduce severity of allergy symptoms.
One caution, though – masks obviously don’t protect the eyes, so those prone to conditions like allergic conjunctivitis are less likely to benefit from mask-wearing. Pollen also has a way of sticking to clothing, hair and skin.
Following state and federal guidance, our Drive-Thru Senior Picnics no longer require masking for fully-vaccinated participants, and most of the remaining picnics on the schedule will have seating areas available (where space permits) for those who would like to take their to-go meal and park at the picnic site to enjoy their lunch.
The full picnic schedule is at www.dutchessny.gov/OFApicnics.
SAVE THE DATE – THURSDAY 11/18, 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR CAREGIVERS
The Office for the Aging is participating in the 16th annual Conference for Caregivers, taking place on Thursday, November 18th at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie (176 Rinaldi Blvd.).
Registration for this free event is required, and will open in the fall.
The event is being organized by the Hudson Valley chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, along with the Office for the Aging, Hudson Valley Hospice, the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley, and Wingate Healthcare.
Other aging news online:
A simple blood test has been developed which, in conjunction with memory tests, can show who will develop Alzheimer’s disease in the future with a high degree of accuracy: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/92848?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2021-05-31&eun=g1261622d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Top%20Cat%20HeC%20%202021-05-31&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition
4 ways exercise fights aging: https://time.com/6053055/how-exercise-fights-aging/
This week in senior birthdays:
6/7: Director/producer/screenwriter James Ivory (93)
6/8: Singer/actress Nancy Sinatra (81)
6/9: Comedian/actor Jackie Mason (90)
6/10: Yankees broadcaster and ex-ballplayer Ken Singleton (74)
6/11: Race car driver Jackie Stewart (82)
6/12: Sportscaster Marv Albert (80)
6/13: Actor Stellan Skarsgård (70)
You’ve gone a whole week without a Bad Joke. It’s time to refresh!
I got carded at a liquor store, and my Blockbuster card fell out of my wallet. The cashier said never mind.
