Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s – AGING NEWS

Dutchess County Office for the Aging’s

AGING NEWS

The Importance of Sleep
Volunteer Reader Needed at Tri-Town Center
Join a Senior Walking Group
Celebration of Aging to Air on Local Cable Stations
Romance Scams Abound
More Aging News Online

Golden Living . . . News for Senior Citizens

Mary Kaye Dolan-Anderson, Director

Dutchess County Office for the Aging

SLEEP TIGHT

Are you getting enough sleep? Although everyone is different, the recommended number of hours of sleep each night for adults is seven to nine. Logging these restful hours at night is not simply important so your body feels rested during the day. During sleep, the body works to restore itself; muscle cells are repaired, and connections in the brain are strengthened as the events of the past day are sorted and stored as memories. These are just a few of the reasons why your body is designed to spend one-third of its life asleep.

Given the value of sleep, it is not surprising that sleep deprivation generates numerous health concerns. The American Psychological Association warns that inadequate sleep impairs memory function, wreaks havoc on mental processes like effective decision-making, and hinders physical coordination. Loss of sleep is also associated with weight gain, decreased immune system function and high blood pressure. British researchers have discovered that adults who receive fewer than 6 hours of sleep per night are at a higher risk of stroke.

As the body ages, it may be harder for some elderly people to sleep continuously for 7 hours. Harry Lawrence, the clinical coordinator and co-owner of Advance Sleep in Fishkill, recommends aiming for a minimum of at least 4 continuous hours each night and then making up the remainder by taking naps throughout the day. He never recommends sleeping pills.

The International Longevity center offers a number of strategies to help you sleep better:

Refrain from drinking caffeinated beverages after mid-afternoon, as the effects of caffeine consumed during daylight hours can linger into the nighttime.
Make sure your bedroom is dark and keep the TV and other distractions off.
Some medications may produce side effects like wakefulness or insomnia. If you suspect that any one of your medications is interfering with your sleep, ask your physician about alternatives.
Limit alcohol at night. The Times from the United Kingdom explains that although alcohol may initially aid in falling asleep, it negatively affects sleep quality.
Get your blood flowing before sunset. Afternoon exercise can help ease the body into a state of tiredness.
If you nap during the middle of the day, be careful not to nap for longer than 40 minutes. A longer nap can sabotage your ability to sleep at night.
Enjoy a small snack a few hours before bedtime. Eating too heavily at night can make falling asleep more difficult. Conversely, hunger pains may disrupt sleep if you go to bed hungry.
Aim to establish a consistent sleep schedule. By getting to bed around the same hour every night, you can train your body to fall asleep reliably.

Following any combination of these tips should not only help you feel more rested, but also improve your quality of life each day. If you still feel tired after a good night’s sleep, speak to your doctor. You may be suffering from sleep apnea or another condition that interferes with your ability to receive a restful night’s sleep.
Golden Living is prepared by the Dutchess County Office for the Aging, 27 High Street, Poughkeepsie, New York 12601, telephone 486-2555, email: agingservices@dutchessny.gov website:http://www.dutchessny.gov/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/AGIndex.htm

VOLUNTEER NEEDED AT TRI-TOWN CENTER

The Tri-Town Senior Friendship Center on Overlook Road in Poughkeepsie is looking for a volunteer available on Monday or Wednesday mornings at 11 AM to read to the seniors. Ideally this volunteer would be enthusiastic and be able to engage the listeners with their stories. Call Loretta at 486-6363 anyMonday through Friday between 10 AM and 2 PM for more information.

SENIOR WALKING GROUPS

A great way to get in your regular exercise is to join one of the two Senior Walking Groups that meet each week at 9 AM. On Tuesday mornings, you can join the group that meets at the Washington Street entrance to the Walkway Over the Hudson; or Friday mornings, join the friendly crew that meets at the Dutchess Rail Trail entrance behind Gold’s Gym in LaGrange. There is no need to register, just show up in time for the walk.

CELEBRATION OF AGING VIDEO TO AIR ON TIME/WARNER CABLE AND P.A.N.D.A.

The Office for the Aging’s Celebration of Aging will be broadcast on Time/Warner Public Access Channel 23 as well as Public Access of Northern Dutchess (PANDA) Channel 23. The 1 hour, 20 minute program includes highlights from the May 19^th event including the Senior Citizens of the Year, Couples married for 70 or more years and Dutchess County residents age 100 or older. The oldest of the centenarians is 111 year old Vera Van Wagner.

Time/Warner Cable Channel 23

Saturday June 27^th 12noon

Sunday June 28^th 12 noon

Saturday July 4^th 12noon

Sunday July 5^th 12noon

Saturday July 12^th 12noon

Sunday July 13^th 12noon

PANDA Cable Channel 23

Monday July 6th 5:30 AM

Sunday July 11^th 10:30 AM

Saturday July 14^th 4:00 PM

Sunday July 16^th 10:30 AM

Please note that there will be other days / and times the program will air on PANDA. The schedule can be found on their website to check for alternate dates: www.pandatv23.org.

This program can also be viewed online on YouTube by clicking on the following link:http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us/CountyGov/Departments/Aging/24916.htm

ROMANCE SCAMS ARE EVERYWHERE

-from Naked Security& AARP

Online romance scams are among the oldest in the conman’s arsenal, but they are still popular today with the unscrupulous. In 2014 alone, scammers operating through online dating sites defrauded thousands of people out of more than $86 million in the US and another $14 million in Canada, according to the FBI and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The majority of the victims are women over 40.

One of these stories, at least, has a happier ending for the victims – the York Regional Police in Canada this week announced the arrest of nine men who allegedly targeted women on dating websites, and conned seven victims out of $1.5 million. The men used fake profiles on numerous dating sites to contact a large number of women in the Toronto area, and police believe they conned many more victims who haven’t come forward.

Investigators said the fraudsters used various schemes and stories to deceive their victims into turning over large sums of money, even though they had never met their online “lovers” in person. Typically, the conmen communicated with their victims via email and text message, with one victim receiving more than 2000 communications in a period of three months – an average of over 20 a day.

York Regional Police said the investigation into the organized group began in July 2014 after one woman came forward to report a fraud. To warn other potential victims about romance scams, the police posted a couple of videos featuring anonymous victims telling their stories (their faces aren’t visible and their voices are sometimes changed). One of the anonymous victims, a divorcee going by the alias “Joan,” said in a video that the man she thought was her lover never wanted to speak to her by phone, and broke off any plans to meet in person. Nevertheless, she trusted him.

The scammer told Joan about a phony investment that was supposedly doing very well:

He sort of casually told me about an investment he made and how well it was doing – he told me in a way that made me say “oh, I have a little extra money, maybe I could get in on it as well” – so I gave him the money.

It was only after he disappeared with her money that Joan looked back at his emails and noticed hints that he wasn’t who he said he was – such as his broken English. Other women in the videos described how the scammers claimed to be successful businessmen, but asked for money to cover costs for business or property deals gone wrong.

When she found out she had been a fraud victim, Joan said she felt embarrassed and stupid, before she got mad and decided to seek justice. “I thought about it and I realized, he’s a professional, he’s done this to many women,” she said. “Now I want to warn other people, particularly other women, so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Tips to avoid online dating scams

Here are five tips to avoid online dating scams, recommended by AARP.

Don’t reveal too much, too soon. Don’t share your last name, home address or where you work until you’ve met in person and you are confident the person is who they say they are.
Check out their photos. Scammers often use stolen images for their profiles – use Google’s reverse image search feature to see if the photo has been used elsewhere under a different name.
Look up their name. Seek out a potential mate’s profiles on other sites like Facebook or LinkedIn to see if they are who they say they are.
Watch out for suspicious emails. If you think a message sounds phony, copy and paste part of the email into a search engine to see if it pops up on romance scam warning sites.
Make sure you can’t be tracked. If you’re using a mobile dating app or you are connected with the person on social media, check your settings to make sure your location is kept private.