Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s AGING NEWS For the week of March 7th

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

For the week of March 7^th

SECOND EMERGENCY “HEAP” BENEFIT NOW UNDERWAY

A second Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) benefit is now available to applicants, through April 29, 2022, when the Emergency component is scheduled to close. The eligibility criteria for the second Emergency benefit will be the same as for the first Emergency benefit, which began in early January. Applicants must have exhausted, or have unavailable to them, both the Regular benefit and the first Emergency benefit to be eligible for the second Emergency benefit. First and second Emergency benefits must not be issued concurrently.

Applicants must apply in their county of residence by telephone or in person and may be eligible for income deeming based on their most recently filed HEAP Application.

If this is the first time you’re reading about the HEAP program, you’re a Dutchess County resident over age 60, and you’d like information about whether you qualify, contact the Office for the Aging’s HEAP division at 845-486-2553 or zserrano@dutchessny.gov.

2022 OFA PICNIC SEASON COMING SOON

The Office for the Aging is putting the finishing touches on the 2022 schedule of OFA Picnics, along with the reminder cards we send every spring and summer to tens of thousands of older adults throughout the county. This will be our 30^th year of picnics!

For those of you who are new to the OFA Picnic program, a quick rundown: Our picnic season takes place between Memorial Day and Labor Day with a total of 12 picnics that cover every community in Dutchess County. Every county resident over age 60 is eligible for one free meal at the picnic that serves their home community.

We start taking reservations in mid-April. That’s when we publish the picnic schedule and start mailing picnic reminder cards to all households with at least one registered voter over age 60. You don’t need to get a reminder card to make a reservation, but reservations are required for all picnics.

For the past two summers the picnic has been held in drive-through format, last year with optional seating for picnic guests. For 2022 we are hoping to be able to return to the traditional sit-down outdoor picnic format where you can enjoy a hot lunch, along with live music and companionship. You can also speak directly with your community’s elected officials and visit with local businesses and non-profit organizations that serve Dutchess County seniors. We’ll keep the drive-through option “in our back pocket” if pandemic safety necessities should require it, and hopefully we won’t.

Visit dutchessny.gov/OFAPicnics for a look at previous years’ picnics.

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

BILLBOARD CONTEST FOR OLDER ADULTS IN DUTCHESS (Deadline April 1^st)

The deadline for entries is Friday, April 1^st for the Dutchess County MS4 Coordination Committee’s Billboard Contest to Promote Stormwater Awareness.

The contest is open to all older adults in Dutchess County. (MS4, incidentally, stands for “Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems.”)

One of the contest’s main goals is to get people thinking about rain water – what it can wash away or take away, and what happens to it between falling from the sky and ultimately into the Hudson River.

First prize is $500 plus a billboard in Dutchess County with the winner and town/village recognized

Second prize is $300; third prize is $100. All three prize winners will be utilized by the Dutchess County MS4 Committee for education and outreach, and MS4 municipalities may use their reginal submissions, in addition to the top three prize winners, for localized education and outreach.

More information, plus the entry form and complete rules, are at www.dutchesswcd.org/ms4.

“GETSETUP” AND LEARN NEW SKILLS

GetSetUp (www.getsetup.io) is an online community of older adults who want to learn new skills and stay connected with others. The safe, social and interactive GetSetUp learning environment has been specifically designed for older adults, with classes taught by older adults and kept small to ensure everyone can actively participate. Classes are FREE to older adults. For more information, visit https://www.getsetup.io/partner/NYSTATE.

DEALING WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, WITHOUT TOO MUCH COFFEE

Nobody likes losing sleep, but that’s what’s going to happen after we turn in next Saturday night, March 12^th.

Daylight Saving (no S) Time, which officially begins at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 13^th, does mean that later sunsets are coming soon, but before we get to spring we have to get through the time change and the lost hour of sleep that comes with it. The time change has been linked to increases in car crashes, strokes, heart attacks and cluster headaches, all spiking just after the date of the time change.

Thankfully there are ways to safely adjust:

Get the same amount of sleep. You’ll wake up “an hour later,” or you can go to bed earlier the night before. More below.

Adjust gradually. Eventually your body does need to get back in sync with the new time. Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier on Saturday, another 15 minutes earlier on Sunday, and so forth until Tuesday night. You’ll wake up on Wednesday more well-adjusted.

Stay active. In a way, you’re gaining an hour of daylight. Might as well use it to your benefit. Whatever exercise you do, make sure it’s wrapped up at least two hours before bedtime.

Caffeine in the morning only. While your body is adjusting, you’ll want to stay away from caffeinated beverages after lunchtime.

No screens. The blue light from electronic screens reduces the body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that tells the brain it’s time to go to sleep.

Take a break from naps. Unless you are disciplined about naptimes, you could oversleep and backfire on you as you try to adjust.

For caregivers: watch for a bump in “sundowning.” You may know of sundowning as a symptom of dementia that feature increases in confusion and agitation. The time change can make the situation worse. You can smooth any rough edges by sticking as close to routine as possible, and make sure your loved one is getting plenty of time in light during the day. Additionally, avoid any noises or visual stimulation that could upset them.

STISSING THEATRE GUILD PRESENTS THE ADDAMS FAMILY: A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY

The Stissing Theatre Guild at Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School (2829 W Church St, Pine Plains) is proud to present THE ADDAMS FAMILY: A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY on March 11 (Fri) at 7:30pm, March 12 (Sat) at 7:30 pm, and March 13 (Sun) at 1:30pm. It’s a comical delight that embraces the wackiness in every family with song, dance and all your favorite Addams Family characters. To order tickets go to stissingtheatreguild.org or www.seatyourself.biz/stgboxoffice or call the Stissing Theatre Guild Box Office @ 518-398-1272 Ticket prices are $13 for adults & $11 for students and older adults.

Other aging news online:

Perhaps it’s best to read the Aging News a little at a time, in case an aging brain is prone to information overload: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/older-adults-process-too-much-information-leading-to-cluttered-memories-study-1.5781134

Three recent pieces of good news for older adults, involving certain Medicare appeals, the potential for eased Medicaid qualifications for older adults, and Social Security and : https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/health/elderly-medicare-medicaid.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DPDmwSiOQYCoyc-wDAYaZufd8imjGWSN5KOaUiAfl_wu5UNk1hDQm0p5_O0LI0HxIIk6PhFGUnw8CKGrki7T7hamT-cLchyOy0sRnDYGXtXbjYgyd3OAZvopt6c1750XxckvrDEeMhycA-ial6fu1yRT8HYCWBuvb6WV4paJjdMEaqukRhUPpZWDrTgded97sBFQ1UAl_CR3l0in0uvJIeYJhEefaicGNzPZb2kr4TCWd3LYq2BpZXR4Xckrpis76lugWN4-KLYjsg8uYC1T3F_KdA&smid=url-share

Taking an aging parent to the doctor? Here are 10 key tips: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/taking-an-aging-parent-to-the-doctor-10-helpful-tips-202202282696

Chewing gum, in a specialized form, could slow the spread of COVID: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chewing-gum-with-gmo-could-reduce-the-spread-of-covid/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0cOviXstZoSW6PDG2IFBeyq-aMpveo8jUd2WjYGGUCuPCw8lmfVA19FHk#Echobox=1646232802

Remembering the women pilots of World War II: https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2022/03/01/larry-schwandes-remembering-ww-2-women-pilots-womens-history-month/6938741001/?fbclid=IwAR05IaO53V1tTTyKZCc54sfFhkJirkV-Gniks7ttEBPvoo0DvbPBRqAtyoA

Broadway’s Cort Theatre is being renamed after 91-year-old Pawling resident and entertainment legend James Earl Jones: https://deadline.com/2022/03/james-earl-jones-theatre-broadway-renaming-cort-shubert-1234968031/

Stevie Wonder’s legendary “Music of My Mind” album was released 50 years ago this week: https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/g83q/

This week in birthdays:

3/6: Actor/director/producer Rob Reiner (75)

3/7: Soldier/explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes (78)

3/8: Singer-songwriter Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) (77)