Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s
AGING NEWS
For the week of April 24
OFA PICNIC UPDATE
The first batch of Office for the Aging Senior Picnic reminder cards is being mailed this month to older adults who live in the Towns of Amenia, Dover, Pawling, and Union Vale. Close behind are the reminder cards for the picnics covering the rest of Dutchess County. We schedule a total of 12 picnics covering every community in the county, and the full 2023 picnic schedule will be announced in early May. That’s also when we’ll start taking reservations, which are required.
You don’t need to have received a reminder card to make a reservation; after all, there are plenty of older newcomers to Dutchess County who haven’t yet gotten to know OFA. Every resident of Dutchess County over age 60 can make a reservation to attend the free picnic serving their community.
The picnics are a great way for friends to reconnect, and for new residents to get acquainted. Guests enjoy a nutritious lunch, and have their concerns heard by the Office for the Aging, several other Dutchess County Government departments, as well as local government leaders.
If you’ve never been to an OFA picnic and would like a look at last year’s festivities, visit www.dutchessny.gov/OFApicnics. We’ll soon post the 2023 schedule at that page, complete with a Google Map to each venue. Speaking of maps and travel: Once you and your friends have reserved your spots at the picnic, we strongly recommend car-pooling to get there. It makes picnic parking considerably easier for everyone.
Picnics are also a great opportunity to drop off the outdated and unneeded medications you’ve accumulated. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office and STOP-DWI conduct safe medication drop-offs at every picnic. Also at every picnic is the Dutchess County Medical Reserve Corps, joined this year for the first time by the Department of Behavioral and Community Health’s new RV.
Many thanks to The Pines at Poughkeepsie, AccentCare, and The Landing of Poughkeepsie for their support of the picnic program.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE, HERE’S ONE FOR THE GUYS
It’s a common question older men have: Why did the hair stop growing on top of my head, but start growing out of my ears and nostrils?
People have hair follicles everywhere on their bodies, and according to researchers quoted this month in the New York Times, the sprouting of hair in places where none grew in men’s younger years has to do with the effect of testosterone on hair follicles over several decades. One hypothesis claims that nose and ear hair, along with baldness, may have been perceived as signs that a man is a suitable mate, thus perpetuating those hair growth patterns.
While we wait for that look to come back into style, which we suspect may be quite a while, ask your barber and/or a dermatologist what can be done for you.
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
VETERANS ONE-STOP OPEN HOUSE IN PLEASANT VALLEY (Fri 4/21)
If you’re a veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran and weren’t able to get to Rhinebeck for this past Tuesday’s veterans event, there’s another opportunity to learn more about services for which you may qualify.
Join Dutchess County’s Division of Veterans Services at MHA Dutchess Veterans Programs (MHA)’s new Veterans One Stop at their Open House event on Friday, April 21st from 1 pm to 3 pm at 1335 Route 44 in Pleasant Valley (just east of Bower Rd.). Tour the innovative space which includes the county’s new veterans office and learn about available veterans services programs throughout Dutchess County.
VOLUNTEER HOME DELIVERED MEALS DRIVERS WANTED – WAPPINGERS AND EAST FISHKILL
There is an immediate need for OFA Home Delivered Meals volunteer drivers in the Wappingers/East Fishkill area. Volunteers who can help on any or all weekdays, contact OFA at 845-486-2555 or email ofa@dutchessny.gov. Mileage reimbursement is available for drivers who use their own vehicles.
NEXT OFA FRIENDLY CALLS ORIENTATION – THURSDAY 4/27
Register today for an upcoming OFA Friendly Calls Volunteer Orientation session. Each session lasts 30-40 minutes. Pick any one of the following sessions:
Thursday, April 27th – 4:00 pm
Tuesday, May 2nd – 10:30 am or 4:00 pm
If you speak a language in addition to English, you’d be a fantastic addition to our Friendly Calls volunteer team. We have several Friendly Calls volunteers that are fluent in Spanish, one who speaks the Malayalam language common to southern India, and…how’s your French? We have at least one older adult who’s hoping to hear from a French-speaking Friendly Calls volunteer. Contact OFA, s’il vous plait.
To register for orientation at OFA, or to request a group orientation at your place of business or meeting venue, call 845-486-2555 or email ofa@dutchessny.gov. We plan to schedule additional orientations throughout May.
LATE APRIL OFA CLERICAL OPPORTUNITIES
Got free time and free hands? The Office for the Aging has clerical volunteering opportunities in the coming week. Email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call 845-486-2555 if you are free to come to OFA during any or all the following time periods:
Monday 4/24, 12 noon – 2:30 pm
Tuesday 4/25, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Wednesday 4/26, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
We expect a large demand for clerical volunteers starting in May, as we get closer to OFA Senior Picnic season. We also expect to prepare the Summer 2023 issue of our THRIVE60+ newsletter in late May and early June.
Get in touch if you’d like to help, and if you’d like to help at OFA Senior Picnics this summer. The picnics are a great opportunity for students to meet school, scouting, and house-of-worship community service requirements.
ALZHEIMER’S FORUMS IN POUGHKEEPSIE AND AMENIA (4/26-27)
Learn about Alzheimer’s, dementia, and memory loss, along with Office for the Aging services, in two community-focused listening sessions:
Wednesday, April 26th – at Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield St., Poughkeepsie
Thursday, April 27th – at Sun River Health, 3360 NY 343 in Amenia. (Masks are required at all Sun River Health facilities and will be available there.)
Both events run from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Registration is required, via the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900.
We’ll review the basics of Alzheimer’s and related dementias and hear from participants how OFA and the Alzheimer’s Association can expand the reach of local programs and services. Bilingual (English/Spanish) OFA staff are scheduled to be available at both events.
FREE MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM ENROLLMENT CLINIC (Friday, May 5th)
If you’re covered by Medicare, there’s a new eligibility change that could mean considerable savings for you.
Starting this year, eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) in New York State expanded to single individuals with Medicare who have a gross income up to $2,280 per month and couples with monthly gross incomes up to $3,077. New York State does NOT look at your assets for this program.
In New York State, MSP helps older adults and people with disabilities living on low incomes by paying their Medicare Part B premiums ($164.90 each month) and enrolling them in Extra Help, the federal prescription drug subsidy program that the Social Security Administration estimates is worth about $5,100 per year. This program lowers prescription costs and gets rid of the deductible and the “donut hole”, or gap coverage. The financial assistance can be a lifeline, allowing enrollees to maintain their Medicare coverage, access needed care, and afford other necessities, like food and rent.
If this is the first you’re learning of this, you can find out more about your potential savings. The Office for the Aging is hosting a Medicare Savings Program Enrollment Clinic for Dutchess County resident older adults. Please call ahead to reserve a time to meet with a trained counselor.
- Friday, May 5th at the Office for the Aging, 114 Delafield St. in Poughkeepsie. To reserve a spot at this event, call OFA during business hours at 845-486-2555.
Be sure to bring the following information with you to your appointment:
- Proof of income;
- Your Medicare card;
- If you pay for dental insurance or Medicare Supplement, bring a bill;
- Proof of address, like a current utility bill.
For older adults who are homebound or whose schedules conflict with MSP enrollment clinics, call OFA during business hours at 845-486-2555 and we’ll connect you with the resources you need.
FREE CAREGIVER CONFERENCE (Wed 5/10) – Registration open
If you’re trying to balance the demands of raising children with the needs of aging family members, there’s an event coming up this month that can answer many questions – including ones you may not have thought to ask.
Limited space is available to reserve your seat at the free 17th Annual Conference on Caregiving, to be held on Wednesday, May 10th at the Grandview, 176 Rinaldi Blvd. in Poughkeepsie. This year’s theme is “Caregivers: Our Unsung Heroes.” The event begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and continues until 2 p.m.
To make a reservation, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 800-272-3900. It’ll be an outdoor event under a tent, so dress accordingly.
There will be plenty of time for your questions and concerns, and dozens of experts and vendors will be on hand with answers and solutions. Continental breakfast and lunch are included. The conference is organized by the Office for the Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter; Hudson Valley Hospice; Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley; and community members Cathy Regan and Falisia Cotton-Swain.
NECC “LUNCH AND LEARN” IN PINE PLAINS (Thu 4/27)
Getting to and from doctors’ appointments is a particular challenge for rural older adults, but the Millerton-based North East Community Center (NECC) can meet that need for free. Freddy Gonzalez from NECC visits the Pine Plains Library (7775 South Main St. (NY 82), Pine Plains) every Thursday to set up appointments with locals who need help accessing some of the services NECC has to offer. During this lunch and learn Freddy will talk about the many needed services the center provides for residents of northeastern Dutchess County, including some you may not know of. He’ll focus on questions from the group and bring information about additional programs the center has started – from early learning to schooling to work; NECC is able to help!
NECC serves residents of the Towns of Amenia, Dover, Millerton, Pine Plains, Millbrook, and Stanford; and is funded in part by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging.
“I LOVE MY PARK” CLEANUP VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT (Saturday 5/6)
It’s springtime and in celebration of I Love My Park Day on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 9am – noon, there will be two (2) volunteer Clean-Up opportunities to choose from through Dutchess County Parks. To volunteer go to: Parks & Trails New York :: I Love My Park Day (ptny.org) and click on the interactive map for the offering of your choice:
- Clean-Up on the William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail (WRSDRT)
Location: Walkway Over the Hudson East Parking Area, 61 Parker Ave., Poughkeepsie
- Clean-Up at Wilcox Memorial Park Disc Golf Course
Location: Entrance on Route 199 in Milan, just east of the hamlet of Lafayetteville and the Taconic Parkway. Cleanup starts at Pavilion B (this volunteer activity does have some hilly terrain).
For either, it is recommended to bring rakes, small hand tools, garden shovels, work gloves, bug spray, sunscreen, and dress for the weather. Parks will provide snacks, water, safety vests, trash bags and trash pickers.
Both volunteer opportunities will take place light rain or shine. For further questions feel free to call the park office at 845-298-4600.
There are other New York State Parks volunteer cleanup opportunities available on May 6th in Millerton, Staatsburg and Wappingers Falls. See the interactive map in the link above for details.
Other news:
The FDA this week updated their Emergency Use Authorization as it applies to COVID-19 boosters/vaccinations for certain groups, including some adults over 65.
Singer-songwriter Peter Frampton (turning 73 on Saturday) thought he’d have to retire from music due to a rare muscle disease, but it turns out he’s got one tour left in him. He’s got quite a few dates booked in New York and the northeastern US.
Are you a fan of 78 rpm recordings? We hope you have time to listen to almost 400,000 of them.
This week’s birthdays:
4/22: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Peter Frampton (73)
4/23: Actor Lee Majors (84)
4/24: Singer/actress Barbra Streisand (81)
4/25: Actor/director Al Pacino (83)
4/26: Songwriter/guitarist Duane Eddy (85)
4/27: Singer/songwriter Sheena Easton (64)
4/28: Actress/dancer/singer Ann-Margret (82)
Got grandkids coming home from college soon? They may think themselves all grown up but nobody’s too grown up for…a Bad Joke.
Where did the shark go for summer vacation?
Finland!
(And here are some basic Finnish words and phrases, whether you’re up for traveling, or just want to exercise your mind by learning a new and probably unfamiliar language.)
