January 23, 2023
The latest issue of Aging News is now available!
Topics in this issue include:
Patience may be a virtue, but it’s a difficult one to cultivate — especially in a world that is moving ever-faster. Yet with this quote, Enlightenment-era philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau reminds us that patience also comes with great rewards. Such rewards are never instant, but can increase over time, like an investment that must be allowed to mature. Research suggests that people who cultivate patience experience better mental and even physical health, and have happier relationships with others over the course of their lives.
January 11, 2023
 I just finished delivering my State of the State address, and I’m proud to say that the State of our State today is strong — but we still have work to do. New York has shown the world that when we get knocked down, we always get back up. We’ve made historic investments to strengthen and upgrade our infrastructure, build a world-class public transit system, create a strong public education system, confront climate change, fortify our health care system, help our small businesses, and create jobs across the state. And now it is upon this sturdy foundation that we will continue to build a fairer, more equitable future for New Yorkers. In my State of the State speech today, I outlined key policies that will make New York more affordable, more livable, and safer — so that we can make the New York Dream a reality for individuals and families across the state now, and for generations to come. We’re working to make New York more affordable. From increasing the minimum wage annually at the rate of inflation, to transforming our child care system, to providing at least $165 million in relief to more than 800,000 utility customers, we’re making it easier for New York families to afford to live here. We’re working to make New York more livable. From implementing a first-ever statewide strategy to address New York’s housing crisis and build 800,000 new homes, to providing fully-paid parental leave to State employees, to building on our nation-leading efforts to combat climate change with a statewide Cap-and-Invest program, we’re working to make sure all New Yorkers can grow and thrive. We’re working to make New York safer. From investing in proven gun violence prevention programs, to supporting those who need access to critical mental health resources, we’re addressing the root causes of crime and helping protect our residents. These initiatives and policies — these new investments and approaches — are just the tip of the iceberg. The task ahead of us is daunting and the stakes could not be higher, but I am fortunate to live in the home once occupied by one our State’s greatest leaders and thinkers — Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt, once said, “You who are going to build a new world must go forward with courage.” We will build a new world. And we will be courageous. We will do the hard, necessary things to lift up and support New Yorkers, and clear a path for them to realize the New York Dream. That is my promise to the people of New York. Ever upward, Gov. Kathy Hochul Executive Chamber of Gov. Kathy Hochul New York State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 United States |
January 10, 2023
With Dutchess County’s older adult population at over 60,000, the number of older adults here trying to overcome social isolation and loneliness is only growing. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared loneliness a “global epidemic” – but you can help address the issue.
The Dutchess County Office for the Aging (OFA) is reaching out to older adults who are isolated and would like some type of social connection, somebody to talk to for 20-30 minutes a week. Could you be that somebody?
OFA’s Friendly Calls program is looking for volunteer callers to reach out to our older adults. It’s a simple program at its core: neighbors talking to neighbors in a short, structured conversation. OFA screens both the volunteer callers as well as the people being called. You’d be talking to somebody who lives alone, is isolated, and has expressed an interest in staying socially connected.
Volunteers would start out calling from OFA headquarters in Poughkeepsie, but we envision the program becoming something a volunteer can do from home if that’s what they prefer.
Adult volunteers of all ages are welcome. If you’re interested in taking part as a volunteer caller, email bjones@dutchessny.gov or call 845-486-2555.
January 9, 2023
| Connect with us – Conectate con Nosotros |
| We’re working hard to deliver for New Yorkers across the state — and we want to keep you up to date on the issues you care about. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll take a moment to let me know what’s on your mind and what issues matter most to you. Click here to take a one-minute survey and let me know what issues matter the most to you. TAKE THE SURVEY From keeping New Yorkers safe, to investing in affordable housing, to creating family-supporting jobs, and more, we’re working every day to build a New York where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. By filling out our survey today, you can make sure you don’t miss any of the news you care about. I’m looking forward to hearing from you! Gov. Kathy Hochul Executive Chamber of Gov. Kathy Hochul New York State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224, United States |
| The latest issue of Aging news is now available! Note: OFA offices and Friendship Centers will be closed on Monday, January 16th, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Clients of the OFA Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program receive meals in advance of the day. HDM clients also receive shelf-stable meals in advance of predicted inclement winter weather that could disrupt HDM deliveries. For more information about the HDM program, contact OFA at 845-486-2555 or ofa@dutchessny.gov. A Message from County Executive William F.X. O’Neil Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Free Cybersecurity Summit (Wed 1/11) Marist Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program Seeks Volunteers View or download this issue at DutchessNY.gov (.pdf) >>> www.dutchessNY.gov     Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or delete your account (including all subscriptions) at any time using your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your address to log in. If you have any questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact support@dutchessny.gov. This service is provided to you at no charge by Dutchess County, NY.  This email was sent to rosscoordinator@beaconhousingauthority.org using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Dutchess County, New York · 22 Market Street · Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-3222  |
January 6, 2023
It has been brought to the attention of BHA Management that the outside laundry room (located at Forrestal Heights) has become a haven for smoking and drinking. This was not the intention of BHA when they decided to provide an additional laundry facility at Forrestal Heights. The outside laundry facility was not created to be a lounge, it was created to assist those residents in the low rise units by providing an onsite low cost convenient laundry facility.
To those residents who are smoking in the laundry room, you need to stop. To those residents who are bringing alcohol and drinking in the laundry room, you need to stop. Please respect your neighbors and the vision of what BHA is trying to do for its tenants. BHA is asking for your compliance in adhering to the existing policies regarding smoking and the use of alcohol on BHA properties. It cost your nothing to smoke outside BHA buildings and it cost even less to drink alcohol inside your apartments. Do yourselves a favor and be part of the solution and not part of the problem. A little common decency towards your fellow tenants would not hurt you.
It would be a shame to close the outside laundry room because of the actions of a few.
“North of Boston,” a collection of 17 poems by American poet Robert Frost, was originally published in 1914. One of those is “A Servant of Servants,” the poem where this hopeful line comes from. The lengthy poem spans 177 un-rhyming lines from the perspective of a rural housewife harried by the cooking and cleaning and caretaking of her daily life. She’s thrilled to be talking to someone new, a person camping out in the wilds near her home. And she envies his experience — a chance to connect with nature, to rest, and to recharge. She has no intention of joining this adventurer or setting out on her own to embrace the outdoors. But she has hope: She will power through and continue to care for her family and the house and the people who work her land. And, for her, for now, that hope and that stubborn determination is enough.
January 5, 2023
This quote comes from “The Book of Disquiet,” a posthumously published collection of Fernando Pessoa’s work left behind after his death in 1935. The Portuguese poet and writer saw identity as fluid and dynamic, and is famous for writing under numerous pseudonyms, giving each invented version of himself a full history and background — even going so far as to draft whole “autobiographies” for the imagined individuals behind his pen names. In the essay where this quote appears, Pessoa posits that our experiences are what we imagine, rather than what we encounter. “If I create it, it exists; if it exists, then I see it like any other scenery,” he wrote. “Life is what we make of it.”
