Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of July 5th
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.
Golden Living . . . News for Seniors, Their Families and Caregivers
Todd N. Tancredi, Director
Dutchess County Office for the Aging
THE “ANTI-AGING” MARKET
While researching topics for “Golden Living” columns, an article crossed our path covering the massive growth expected over the next decade in something called “the anti-aging market:” cosmetic products and procedures, medical tourism, and the wide array of exotic-looking gadgetry supposedly involved in reducing the outward appearance of aging.
Almost $200 billion was spent in the worldwide anti-aging market last year, even with the COVID-19 pandemic slowing business considerably. By 2030, anti-aging spending is predicted to more than double.
Does any of it work? Let’s just say, in the words of the Temptations, that beauty is only skin deep. There’s a more practical option. Plenty of science-backed, anti-aging information is available from the Office for the Aging – and you can get it without having to open your wallet.
Lifestyle changes are key. They’re a big part of what we call successful aging – all the things we can do to ensure the best possible chance at a long, healthy, happy and independent life.
SUCCESSFUL AGING CAN BEGIN IN MIDDLE AGE
First, a thought for younger readers between 30 and 60: Stay on top of your lifestyle choices and health issues in middle age, and you’re setting yourself up for more successful aging later. Still, it’s never too late to begin working toward successful aging.
Whether you’re in midlife or past it, the fundamental advice applies. Keep blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar under control, and maintain good sleep habits. Any kind of exercise is useful, whether it’s a walk around the block or a trip to the gym.
Turning off the television can help, too. Three recent studies presented at an American Heart Association meeting found that moderate to high amounts of TV viewing during midlife was linked to lower volumes of gray matter in your brain. If you switch from watching the game on TV to listening on the radio while you work in the garden, that counts as exercise.
The Office for the Aging’s Nutrition Services division publishes monthly newsletters with plenty of science-backed nutrition tips and simple recipes for tasty, nutritious meals and snacks. For clients of OFA Senior Friendship Centers and the Home Delivered Meals program, we also publish each month’s menu. Start at www.dutchessny.gov/OFAnutrition and look for the Nutrition News and Program Menu News. You can subscribe to updates from OFA Nutrition Services as well as OFA newsletters at www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessDelivery.
BACK IN THE SADDLE
With most COVID-19 pandemic restrictions having lifted, we’re also resuming in-person presentations to seniors’ groups, senior housing facilities, and other civic and caregiver organizations. If your group would like to know more about OFA services, scam prevention, nutrition and more, please contact OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov or 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
PRINTED “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS” NOW AVAILABLE
The print version of the Summer 2021 edition of OFA’s Spotlight on Seniors newsletter has been delivered to libraries, senior centers and other facilities 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.”
If your organization would like some copies of the “Spotlight” while they’re still available, please contact OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov.
For those on the Spotlight mailing list, your copy should arrive within the next week or two.
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, please contact the Office for the Aging.
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!
“E.A.T.” FOR LOCAL INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH AUTISM
Several restaurants in Dutchess County (plus Highland, just over the Mid-Hudson Bridge; and Elizaville, just across the northern border of Dutchess) are participating in the “E.A.T. For Autism Summer Ice Cream and Pizza Party,” a July event benefitting individuals living with autism in the Hudson Valley. For more information, a list of sponsors, and each day’s participating restaurants, go to www.adshelps.org.
Other aging news online:
June 30th was a key deadline in the battle against phone scams: https://www.cnet.com/news/robocalls-are-out-of-control-could-change-after-june-30/
We hope you’ve been able to make it to one of our Drive-Thru Senior Picnics, but if you also want to do one of your own picnics, here’s a few tips to make your picnic successful: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-summer-picnic-tips/
For more on the latest phone scam prevention efforts, visit www.fcc.gov/TRACEDAct.
If you’ve heard about personal computers upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11, this may help head off some confusion: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/heres-what-youll-need-to-upgrade-to-windows-11/?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=spotlight-nl&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_mailing=thematic_spotlight_062821_1&utm_medium=email&bxid=5cec26a424c17c4c64607b7a&cndid=21991033&hasha=b2946d7b42377b4841b3ffa8671b2edb&hashb=ba91f3a063159a5c023d7932d9b913dadf31574d&hashc=f0cf0a8a5b7325e0660e56c41aa6b7ce5658c27c483fece30d7a8bcf02463554&esrc=thematicseed&sourcecode=thematic_spotlight&utm_term=Thematic_Spotlight
71-year-old Bruce Springsteen is back on Broadway, now reopening: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/theater/bruce-springsteen-broadway.html
This week in senior birthdays:
7/13: Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (93)
7/14: Football player/actor/minister Rosey Grier (89)
7/15: Singer/songwriter Linda Ronstadt (75)
7/16: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Rubén Blades (73)
7/17: Actor/producer Donald Sutherland (86)
7/18: Yankees/Mets manager Joe Torre (81)
7/19: Songwriter/guitarist/astrophysicist Brian May (Queen) (74)
And a Bad Joke:
Q: What’s the difference between a rabbit and a plum?
A: They’re both purple except for the rabbit.
