Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of August 30
Note: the Office for the Aging and all OFA Senior Friendship Centers are closed on Monday, September 6th, for the national Labor Day holiday. Clients of the OFA 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
VOLUNTEER HOME DELIVERED MEALS DRIVERS WANTED
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Office for the Aging was providing daily midday meals to 130 seniors at OFA’s eight Senior Friendship Centers, and delivering another 300 meals to homebound seniors throughout Dutchess County. Those numbers skyrocketed when the pandemic began – and OFA volunteer drivers of all ages stepped forward to meet that demand. With cases once again increasing, we’re looking for more volunteer drivers with that same spirit. Since the course of the pandemic for this fall is difficult to predict, now would be an excellent time to step up and help OFA prepare for whatever comes.
If you are available to volunteer during middays on weekdays, OFA Home Delivered Meals volunteering is a perfect fit for your schedule. We work around your availability. If you can volunteer every weekday, great. If you can only volunteer occasionally, or you prefer to volunteer in a region you’re familiar with, we can still use you. If you’d like to help rural homebound seniors while enjoying a drive through the countryside, we can certainly use you. Reimbursement is available for volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles.
A printable volunteering form and brochure is available at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, or can be mailed to you by calling 845-486-2544.
MEDICARE AND TRANSPORTATION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
With the annual Medicare open enrollment season beginning October 15th, OFA is looking for volunteer counselors for HIICAP – our Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program. We provide the training, along with updates as needed
OFA assists four other Dutchess County organizations that provide transportation help for seniors, as well as other volunteer services. There are opportunities here that may be a good geographic match for those of you living in rural Dutchess County, especially east of the Taconic Parkway. You can contact these organizations directly with inquiries.
Friends of Seniors
www.friendsofseniors.org, 845-485-1277
North East Community Center
www.neccmillerton.org, 518-789-5249
(northeastern Dutchess)
Pawling Resource Center
www.pawlingresourcecenter.org, 845-855-3459
(Pawling/Holmes area)
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
(volunteers age 55+)
www.dutchesscap.org, 845-452-5104
OFA newsletters are available at www.dutchessny.gov/aging, but if you’re not online and want to get on our mailing list, call the Office for the Aging and we’ll get you added in time for the fall mailings. We also distribute OFA newsletters to public libraries throughout the county.
FREE SENIOR DISC GOLF EVENT AT WILCOX PARK
Golf has long been recognized as a great way to stay physically and mentally active, especially for those who walk the course – but traditional golf can be a pricey and time-consuming activity.
For a form of golf that’ll be a better fit for seniors’ financial and time budgets, seniors can try out a free “Learn to Disc Golf” event at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 2nd, at Wilcox Park, just off Route 199 in Milan. Space is limited; call OFA to register. Each participant will receive their own golf disc, plus pointers from veteran Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) competitor, tournament director and course designer Dan Doyle, who designed the 27-hole disc golf course at Wilcox.
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
NYS SENIOR FARMERS MARKET COUPONS BOOKS STILL AVAILABLE
Seniors who are eligible for New York State Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) coupon books still have opportunities to pick up their 2021 coupon book…while supplies last.
Age and income are the qualifying factors for SFMNP benefits. Coupon booklets for 2021 will be distributed to qualifying seniors, while supplies last, at the Office for the Aging’s main office, only on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Contact the Office for the Aging to learn more about the program.
For seniors who live far from Poughkeepsie, a limited supply of SFMNP booklets is available at OFA Senior Friendship Centers throughout the county – but seniors must first call the Senior Friendship Center nearest them to arrange a pickup time. A list of Senior Friendship Centers with contact information is available at this link: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/Docs/flyer-sfc21-7of8.pdf
Eligible recipients must personally sign the Statement of Eligibility Form to receive SFMNP checks. Checks cannot be mailed to eligible older adults. Proxies may not pick-up and sign for checks. A valid Power of Attorney (POA) may sign for checks and pick up books for an eligible older adult. POA must bring proof of their being someone’s POA. While the client must sign in person for the booklet, a caregiver or family member, or another person, may shop at the farmers market for them using their coupons. Eligible seniors may receive one coupon booklet per calendar year.
Coupons can be used until November 30th, 2021, or whenever a participating market closes for the season, whichever comes earlier.
For statewide updated lists of participating SFMNP markets, go to www.agriculture.ny.gov/farmersmarkets. Your SFMNP coupons are valid at markets throughout New York State.
DRIVE-IN BINGO IS BACK (Tue 9/7 and Mon 9/27)
“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:
Things to know about COVID booster shots: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/19/1028594715/covid-booster-shots-are-coming-heres-what-you-need-to-know
It may soon be possible to predict odds of dementia through observing driving and other day-to-day activities: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/23/health/dementia-behavior-alzheimers.html
Sometimes people need listening to: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-08-20/having-someone-wholl-listen-may-be-good-for-your-aging-brain
Turning 100 on August 29th, fashion legend Iris Apfel plans to stay busy: https://www.glossy.co/fashion/for-her-100th-birthday-fashion-icon-iris-apfel-aims-to-celebrate-bold-fashion/
This week in senior birthdays:
8/29: Businesswoman/style icon Iris Apfel (100)
8/30: Businessman/philanthropist Warren Buffett (91)
8/31: Violinist/conductor Itzhak Perlman (76)
9/1: Comedy legend Lily Tomlin (82)
9/2: NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw (73)
9/3: Singer-songwriter Al Jardine (The Beach Boys) (79)
9/4: Actress/singer/dancer Mitzi Gaynor (90)
9/5: Comedy legend Bob Newhart (92)
And our issue-ending Bad Joke:
I used to be obsessed with doing the hokey-pokey, but then I turned myself around.
