Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of June 28th
Note: The Office for the Aging is closed on Monday, July 5th, in observance of the national Independence Day holiday. Clients of our Home Delivered Meals program will receive their meals in advance of the holiday.
SUMMER 2021 “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS”
The Summer 2021 edition of the Office for the Aging’s quarterly newsletter Spotlight on Seniors is now available. You can see the newsletter online, along with back issues, by going to www.dutchessny.gov/aging and clicking on the Spotlight on Seniors link.
If you would like to become a regular email subscriber to the Spotlight on Seniors and our weekly Aging News, sign up via www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessDelivery, which you can also use to subscribe to alerts and newsletters from other Dutchess County Government departments. The Aging News is emailed every Friday, and homebound clients of our Home Delivered Meals program receive weekly print copies.
If you have subscribed to receive a print copy of the Spotlight through regular mail, you should receive it within the next few weeks. If you don’t have internet access and want to be on our mailing list, you can request a copy of the Spotlight to be mailed by calling the office at 845-486-2555. We do not share or sell our mailing lists.
The Spotlight will also be distributed at all Dutchess County public libraries. If you manage a senior housing complex or a medical office with a significant senior clientele, we can drop off a supply while they remain available. Email OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov to find out more.
WHERE’D MY OFA EMAIL GO?
If you use an email address provided by your internet service provider (ISP), sometimes their email programs’ spam filters mistakenly classify legitimate emails as spam, including emails from OFA. That can mean our emails never make it to your inbox. If you don’t immediately see our emails, check your spam filters and reclassify any OFA emails as “not spam.” That may help your ISP send more emails to their correct destination.
If you still don’t see our emails, try setting up email subscriptions via Dutchess Delivery.
NEW EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT
The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program, aimed at helping families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households.
According to the FCC, a household is eligible for EBB if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below:
- Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline;
- Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
For additional details, visit www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit or contact your broadband provider.
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
PRINTED “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS” COMING SOON
The print version of the Summer 2021 edition of OFA’s Spotlight on Seniors newsletter is being prepared for delivery throughout Dutchess County, but you can read it right now by going to www.dutchessny.gov/aging and clicking on the box marked “Spotlight on Seniors.”
For those without internet access, and anybody else who would like a physical copy of the Spotlight, we’re bringing newsletters to libraries, senior centers and other senior-frequented locations around Dutchess County.
For those on the Spotlight mailing list, your copy should arrive within the next two weeks.
HOME DELIVERED MEALS – VOLUNTEER DRIVERS WANTED
If summer means you have more time available to volunteer, keep reading!
If you are available during middays on weekdays to deliver for the Office for the Aging Home Delivered Meals (HDM) Program in the greater Poughkeepsie area, the city of Beacon, and/or northwestern Dutchess County (Red Hook/Rhinebeck), please contact the Office for the Aging. If you’re available in other areas of the county, we also want to hear from you.
A printable volunteer application is available at the OFA website, or you can have one emailed to you by sending an email to bjones@dutchessny.gov.
Mileage reimbursement can be arranged for volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles for deliveries.
VETERAN & FAMILY SUNSET PICNIC (Fri 7/30)
Come enjoy an evening of great food, fun, and most importantly, great camaraderie with other Dutchess County Veterans, Friday, July 30th from 4 to 6 p.m. at Bowdoin Park, Pavilion 5 (85 Sheafe Rd., Wappinger).
This event is free for all Dutchess County Veterans and a plus one – but registration is required and space is limited, so contact MHA of Dutchess County Vet2Vet to reserve your spot, at 845-473-2500 x1306, while space remains available.
Come hungry and leave happy!
Other aging news online:
Innovations in assistive technology may help older adults: https://www.techpluto.com/5-innovations-in-assistive-technology-to-keep-on-your-radar/
Got a song stuck in your head? That’s good for you: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210616094104.htm
Uh-oh…Dad’s on Tinder? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/style/my-70-year-old-father-joined-tinder.html
This week in senior birthdays:
6/28: Actor/director/performer/screenwriter Mel Brooks (95)
6/29: Actor/screenwriter Richard Lewis (74)
6/30: Mets/Yankees outfielder Ron Swoboda (77)
7/1: Singer/songwriter Debbie Harry (Blondie) (76)
7/2: Auto racing legend Richard Petty (84)
7/3: Astronaut Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17) (86)
7/4: Jazz/funk trombonist Fred Wesley (78)
And a Bad Joke:
A blue whale is so big that if you laid it end-to-end on a basketball court the game would have to be played somewhere else.
