Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of September 20th
OFA PRESENTS “SENIOR LEGAL DAY”
When’s the right time for a senior and their family and caregivers to plan for the legal issues that could face them in later life?
Any time is good, and the sooner the better. You can start on Tuesday, October 12th, at OFA’s “Senior Legal Day” event, at the Pavilion at Brookmeade, 34 Brookmeade Dr., Rhinebeck, just off Route 308.
Capacity is limited due to social-distancing necessities, so please register for any or all three seminars by calling the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555.
Here’s the day’s schedule:
9:30-10:15 – Medicare, Social Security and “Bumps in the Road” with Nina Lynch, OFA Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP); and Marion Power, Geriatric Care Manager
10:30-11:15 – Preventing Fraud and Abuse with Nancy Brodey Koch, Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
11:30-12:15 – Wills, Power of Attorney, and Health Care Proxies with Paul Weinberger, Attorney at Law
Light refreshments will be available.
DRIVE-THRU “GOLDEN GATHERING”
There’s a short time left to register for a space at the annual “Golden Gathering,” hosted by State Senator Sue Serino and the Office for the Aging, on Saturday, October 2nd at Arlington High School (1157 NY 55, LaGrangeville). Once again, this year’s event is in drive-through form.
Hundreds of seniors throughout Dutchess County and the 41st Senate District have already signed up, and the September 27th signup deadline is fast approaching. Call 914-962-2624 to arrange your time to stop by.
If you were able to join OFA at a Drive-Thru Senior Picnic over the summer, you’ll have an idea of how the Drive-Thru Golden Gathering works. Seniors and accompanying caregivers who need an influenza shot for the upcoming winter can get that taken care of, and pick up a healthy meal to go, plus key resource information from OFA. There will be OFA staff onsite at the drive-thru to answer questions.
Every participant also receives a free raffle card at entry; winners will be picked when the event is complete, and contacted by phone to arrange a drop-off for their prize.
FALL 2021 “SPOTLIGHT ON SENIORS”
If you’re on OFA’s mailing list for print newsletters, the new quarterly issue of the Spotlight on Seniors should be arriving soon.
Not on the mailing list? If you’re online, the Spotlight is available at dutchessny.gov/aging, and you can get it sent to you by subscribing to OFA newsletters via the Dutchess Delivery service at dutchessny.gov.
If you don’t have online access, call 845-486-2544 and we’ll add you to the list for future mailings, including the annual Medicare Spotlight. In the meantime, you can pick up a copy of the Spotlight at any public library in Dutchess County.
Senior housing managers who’d like some newsletters for their residents while supplies last, email bjones@dutchessny.gov to be added to our list of delivery venues.
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
FALL PREVENTION WEEK AND “SAMPLE DAY” THIS WEEK
Fall begins this week, on Wednesday, September 22nd. OFA marks the season change every year with Fall Prevention Awareness Week, September 20th-24th, in conjunction with New York State Senator Sue Serino, Lower Hudson Valley Falls Prevention Network, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center Trauma Department. The week kicks off with Community Panel livestreamed on www.facebook.com/lhvfallprevention on Monday, September 20th at 3:00 p.m., discussing increasing fall injuries in the region. You can see the full regionwide calendar of free Fall Prevention Week events at the same Facebook page.
Reserve your spot for Thursday, September 23rd as OFA offers a special “Sample Day” of many of our great exercise and activity options. Take part a live Tai Chi class, a walk with a naturalist hosted by Sue Serino, Bingocize, and a senior exercise class demonstration, at Bowdoin Park (85 Sheafe Rd., Poughkeepsie). The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Capacity is limited, so registration is required. Call 845-486-2555 to register.
Other highlights of the week’s calendar include:
Wednesday, September 22nd, 10-11 a.m. – Kovacs balance class with Hudson Valley Regional Community Health Centers, via Zoom; register by emailing drmarckaplan.gait@gmail.com or call 845-278-6930.
Friday, September 24th, 3 p.m. – finale, livestreamed on Facebook
To find out more about Fall Prevention Awareness Week, contact Jill Bubel at jill.bubel@nuvancehealth.org or call 845-797-6768.
OFA DRIVE-IN BINGO (Mon 9/27 and Tue 10/5)
Enjoy a fun afternoon of drive-in bingo, plus a beautiful fall drive through the countryside to get there, with free Office for the Aging Drive-In Bingo. Two more bingo events are left on the calendar: Monday, September 27th at Wilcox Park (off Route 199, Milan) and Tuesday, October 5th at Memorial Park in Beacon. Call 845-486-2555 to register in advance. Both events begin at 1:00 p.m. and run for about 90 minutes. In the event of inclement weather, the following day will be the rain date.
OCTOBER 2 HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION EVENT AT CAPACITY
The Dutchess County Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Recycling event scheduled for Saturday, October 2nd is at capacity. You can expect similar events to be back on the calendar in the spring of 2022.
In the meantime, here’s a few links you may find useful if you have potentially hazardous substances at home that you’d like to safely discard:
US Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/hw/household-hazardous-waste-hhw
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8782.html and https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8485.html
SENIOR WALK AT WILCOX PARK (Fri 10/15)
Mid-October is usually peak fall foliage season in Dutchess County, so join OFA and Dutchess County Parks at Wilcox Park in Milan for a Senior Walk Around the Lake at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, October 15th. Call 845-486-2555 to register…and bring a camera!
For more on Wilcox Park, click the following link: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Parks/Wilcox-Park.htm
OFA NUTRITION PRESENTATIONS
Join OFA Nutrition Services Coordinator Nimesh Bhargava for a new Nutrition and Heart Health presentation. He’ll be giving the presentation twice this week:
Monday 9/20, 11:30 a.m. – East Fishkill Senior Friendship Center, 890 NY 82, Hopewell Junction
Tuesday 9/21, 11 a.m. – Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center, 114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie
To arrange presentations on nutrition-related topics for your seniors group, email nbhargava@dutchessny.gov or call 845-486-2545. For presentations on other topics, including successful aging, scam prevention and more, contact OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones: bjones@dutchessny.gov or 845-486-2544.
Other aging news online:
Researches in Denmark have found that living close to noise from vehicular or train traffic may increase the risk of dementia: https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-09-09/could-traffic-noise-raise-your-odds-for-dementia
More on the benefits of tai chi for seniors: https://www.ncoa.org/article/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi-and-how-to-get-started?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CHA
Elton John’s final tour has been rescheduled to 2023 due to a hip injury suffered in a fall: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/16/elton-john-in-considerable-pain-after-fall-reschedules-uk-tour?fbclid=IwAR0hwC50SCk7wCe-CaCshxPSLWfjap1mnRIy1Sz5t5L3ynMO1YlHarAKjm0
More fall-proofing tips from the National Institute on Aging: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/fall-proofing-your-home?utm_source=nia-eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=caregiving-20210916
With a shortage of middle-aged workers likely to continue indefinitely…here come the robots? https://news.mit.edu/2021/aging-workers-automation-0915
This week in senior birthdays:
9/20: Actress/singer Sophia Loren (87)
9/21: Author/screenwriter Stephen King (74)
9/22: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Joan Jett (63)
9/23: Singer/songwriter Julio Iglesias (78)
9/24: NFL legend “Mean” Joe Greene (75)
9/25: Actor/producer Michael Douglas (77)
9/26: Singer/songwriter/actress Olivia Newton-John (73)
And this week’s Bad Joke:
We have a question for all you mind-readers out there:
