Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of August 23
Note: the Office for the Aging will be closed on Monday, September 6th, for the national Labor 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
MID HUDSON VALLEY FALL PREVENTION WEEK IS SEPTEMBER 20 – 24
It doesn’t take much to trigger a life-changing fall: a pet darting between your feet, a late night trip to the bathroom, a loose rug in the hallway, a bit of olive oil spilled on the kitchen floor. And down you go. It happens to one out of four older adults every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Maybe you’re able to get back up and go about your business with nothing worse than a bruised ego, but is that a gamble you want to keep taking? The CDC reports that one out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury, along with three million trips to emergency departments and 950,000 hospitalizations.
The financial costs are enormous, too: $50 billion for Medicare/Medicaid, in a 2018 study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. Another $12 billion was paid out-of-pocket and by private insurers. With the senior population expected to grow faster than the general population, especially in Dutchess County, those costs can only be expected to continue expanding.
Scaling back your activities due to fear of falling makes falls more likely, not less, because less-active people become weaker, which in turn leads to an increased risk for falling.
You can act to reduce your fall risk. One way is by participating in an Office for the Aging “A Matter of Balance” class, beginning in September. Classes meet once a week for eight weeks. Space is limited for OFA “A Matter of Balance” classes; for additional information and to lock in your spot in a class, call the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555.
Fall begins on Wednesday, September 22nd, and the first day of fall coincides every year with Falls Prevention Week. This year that’s the week of September 20th – 24th. In Dutchess County, Mid Hudson Valley Fall Prevention Week is hosted by the Office for the Aging along with New York State Senator Sue Serino, Lower Hudson Valley Fall Prevention Network, and the Vassar Brothers Medical Center Trauma Department. Visit www.facebook.com/lhvfallprevention for a calendar of events.
You can also reserve a spot on Thursday, September 23rd for a live tai chi class, along with a demonstration of “Bingocize,” which combines traditional bingo and exercise. Lunch will be provided. The event also includes a walk with a naturalist, and an OFA Senior Exercise demonstration. The event takes place at Bowdoin Park, 85 Sheafe Rd. in Wappingers Falls. Reserve your space by calling the Office for the Aging.
To find out more about Mid Hudson Valley Fall Prevention Week, contact Jill Bubel at jill.bubel@nuvancehealth.org or call 845-797-6768.
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
NEW DUTCHESS DBCH MASK RECOMMENDATIONS
Dutchess County has seen new COVID-19 case count rise at a dramatic pace over the past several weeks, with active case counts increasing nearly 200% since the end of July. Dutchess County is currently classified as a “High Transmission” area by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
To prevent COVID-19 spread, Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) strongly urges all community members to follow CDC Disease Prevention Guidelines, including:
• Get Vaccinated! While more than 55% of Dutchess County’s population is fully vaccinated, and more than 71% of adults in the County have received at least one dose, there remains a significant portion of the population who are unvaccinated, providing greater opportunity for transmission of the virus. COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, free and readily available. Anyone 12 years and older is eligible to be vaccinated. For information about where to get COVID-19 vaccine, visit http://www.DutchessNY.gov/covidvaccine.
• Wear a mask in indoor public spaces, even if fully vaccinated.
• Wash hands regularly with soap and water; or using hand sanitizer when necessary.
• Practice physical distancing – particularly in congregate settings
• Stay home when sick! Anyone experiencing cold or COVID-19 symptoms, including coughing, sneezing, loss of taste or smell; should stay home to rest, recover, and help prevent the spread of virus and disease.
In accordance with CDC guidance, the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) recommends universal masking for indoor public settings – all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly urged to wear a face covering.
With the Delta variant, which is highly infectious, as the dominant circulating strain throughout the nation, masks protect vaccinated and unvaccinated persons from acquiring and transmitting COVID-19. Universal masking is an important mitigation step to enable for businesses and events to continue operating and for schools to reopen without disruption.
For the full CDC public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people, please see the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
For information about local vaccine availability and other COVID-19 updates, please visit www.DutchessNY.gov/Coronavirus or call the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health at 845-486-3555.
WILCOX WALK RESCHEDULED TO FOLIAGE SEASON
The Senior Walk at Wilcox Park (entrance on Route 199, Milan, just east of the Taconic State Parkway) that was postponed by poor weather last week has been rescheduled to 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 15th. We’re hoping that’ll be close to the peak of fall foliage season.
Space is limited for this event, and registration is required. Call OFA at 845-486-2555 to reserve your spot.
SENIORS DISC GOLF AT WILCOX (Thu 9/2)
Wilcox is home to one of the region’s finest disc golf courses as well, and a Senior “Learn to Disc Golf” event is taking place on Thursday, September 2nd, at 10:00 a.m. Again, sign up at 845-486-2555 and meet up with us at the Wilcox Park office.
Veteran Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) competitor, tournament director and course designer Dan Doyle, who designed the 27-hole disc golf course at Wilcox, will be there to provide pointers.
DRIVE-IN BINGO IS BACK
“Drive In Bingo” is returning in September and October!
Advance registration is required, and can be done by calling 845-486-2555. Seniors can sign up for as many Drive-in Bingo events as they like. Here’s the schedule thus far:
Tuesday, September 7th (rain date September 8th) – Beekman Recreation Center, 31 Recreation Rd., Hopewell Junction
Monday, September 27th (rain date to be determined) – Wilcox Park, Route 199, Milan/Stanford
We’ll add more to the calendar soon! Each bingo event begins at 1:00 p.m. and lasts about 90 minutes. If you’re new to drive-in bingo, here’s how it works:
Park your car and listen to OFA call bingo numbers on your car radio. We have a short-range FM radio transmitter for this purpose, so make sure your car has a working FM radio. Whenever you’ve got your bingo, start honking until we come to verify your bingo card.
In between games there’ll be trivia contests with even more prizes.
Space is limited, so please register in advance – we need to know how many people are planning on joining us. Call 845-486-2555 to sign up.
Other aging news online:
Seven tips on Alzheimer’s and brain health: https://gero.usc.edu/2021/06/29/seven-tips-about-alzheimers-and-brain-health-from-usc-experts/
A new study on adult metabolism shows it does not slow as people age, as was commonly believed. At least from ages 20 to 60 that’s the case. After 60, though…: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/metabolism-adulthood-does-not-slow-commonly-believed-study-finds-n1276650
Legendary romance novel cover model Fabio thinks sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber will prevent aging. (The science says…probably not): https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/fabio-reveals-sleeps-hyperbaric-chamber-avoid-aging
This week in senior birthdays:
8/23: Actress/singer Barbara Eden (90)
8/24: Author/poet A.S. Byatt (85)
8/25: MLB Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers (75)
8/26: Singer-songwriter Valerie Simpson (75)
8/27: Actress/singer Tuesday Weld (78)
8/28: Yankees outfielder/manager Lou Piniella (78)
8/29: Actor/producer Elliott Gould (83)
And our Bad Joke, fair-themed for Dutchess County Fair week (Tue-Sun 8/24-29)
A monastery had fallen on hard times and decided to have two of their monks set up a fish-and-chips bar at the county fair. They did very well, and customers had plenty of questions for the newly-famous monks, like “Are you the…fish friar?”
“No,” he replied. “I’m the chip monk.”
