Maybe you’ve been wanting to build an accurate family tree. Or perhaps you want to know if you have royalty in your blood or if a distant relative was a great inventor, entrepreneur, author or composer. Wouldn’t it be
interesting to find out? In honor of Older Americans Month, we welcome Lisa Doherty, Professional Genealogist and Lecturer. Ms. Doherty will talk about getting started with researching family history. She will offer guidelines for gathering information, conducting effective family interviews and organizing your research.
The program will be on Wednesday, May 10 at 9:30 a.m. at the Albany Jewish Community Center, 340 Whitehall Road, Albany. Please call 514-2023 to reserve your bagel and your seat! Bring your friends.
Save the date for June 14, 2017 for the next Breakfast Club. Sharon Emerson, Elder Care Consultant at CHOICES at St. Peter’s will discuss home care options.
NNORC Holiday Party
To welcome the season, there will be a holiday party on Friday December 2, 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 440 Whitehall Road. Students in the Psychology Club at the College of Saint Rose are assisting in the planning of the event and will be there to celebrate the holiday season with NNORC neighbors. There will be entertainment, hot and cold beverages, sweets, and fun! There will also be a craft for those who wish to exercise their creativity. There is no cost for this program, but we ask you to please call 514-2023 to RSVP so we can plan ahead.
DATE: Friday December 2, 2016
TIME: 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
PLACE: St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 440 Whitehall Road
R.S.V.P.: Please call 514-2023.
Cost: Free.
Forget Me Not: November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) impacts 25 million adults worldwide and an additional 200,000 people younger than 65 are affected.
Although many factors have been identified which might increase the risk of developing AD, no cause or causes have been definitively named. Despite advances in treatment, there is no known cure.
It’s important to understand how AD differs from more “normal” age-related changes which we experience. For many, it helps to ease the mind who might be concerned about their health, and for others, it will prompt them to seek the help needed to navigate this challenging condition.
Here’s the list of the “10 Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s” compared with typical, age-related changes we all might experience:
- Memory loss which disrupts daily life such as forgetting significant events or asking for the same information over and over versus sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but recalling later.
- Challenges in planning or solving problems such as the inability to follow a plan, work with numbers of follow a familiar recipe versus an occasional error in balancing the checkbook.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, work or leisure such as driving to familiar places, or remembering the rules of a frequently played game versus trouble recording a TV show or learning to use new devices and equipment.
- Confusion with time or place, not knowing where you are, how you got there, the date or the season versus some confusion about the day of the week.
- New problems with works in speaking including being over repetitious versus trouble finding the “right” word
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps including putting things in unusual places or accusing others of stealing things versus retracing steps to find lost items
- Decreased or poor judgement including poor financial decisions and less interest in grooming versus making a bad decision once in a while.
- Withdrawal from social activities such as forgetting how to do a favorite hobby versus just feeling more fatigue from work, family or social obligations.
- Changes in mood and personality. May exhibit confusion, suspicion, depression or anxiety versus becoming irritable when there’s a change in routine.
Perspective is important here. As we get older, many experience short term memory loss. Ex: We remember what we wore to our high school prom, but can’t recall what we had for lunch yesterday.
All of the symptoms listed are a matter of degree, the most important being the impact they have on daily life. If you think something is a problem, it might be, and you should check it out with your healthcare provider.
It’s time for fall yard clean up-Let someone else do it!
Got Leaves? If so, students from The College of Saint Rose would like to help. Volunteers recruited from the college’s Psychology Club will be available to help with yard clean up on both Saturday, November 12 and Saturday, November 19 between 12:00 p.m.—4:00 p.m. Because spots are very limited, we would like to reserve registration for our NNORC residents who do not otherwise have access to affordable, reliable help. Please provide paper yard waste bags, if it all possible. Registration opens October 15; interested residents should call the NNORC at 514-2023.
Albany NNORC in Times Union 518 Magazine
What do you get when at least 2,000 seniors ranging in age from 60 to almost 100 years old live within a three-mile radius in the city of Albany? A condensed area of people who share the same ideals: to age in place in the comfort of their home and community.
Read an interview in 518 Magazine with JFS staff and see how we’re helping seniors achieve this goal.
Albany NNORC and St. Peter’s CHOICES Working Together for Seniors
For 25 years, the St. Peter’s CHOICES Program has created better options for the elderly in the Albany NNORC. Like NNORC, St. Peter’s believes that seniors do best when they can maintain their independence in the comfort of their own home and community. To support this, CHOICES and NNORC staff work together to help people 60 and over safely age in place.
As we age, we are often faced with decisions about our future. Sometimes there is an opportunity to plan ahead, but at other times we’re suddenly faced with a life-changing crisis and don’t have the luxury of time to weigh and select the best options. It’s times like this when you need a trusted partner to advocate for you, support you and guide you to get the best services and care.
CHOICES AND NNORC staff can work with seniors and/or their family to develop a plan that would offer a smooth transition from one setting to another, like moving to a senior apartment, locating valuable support services or finding an assisted-living arrangement. The goal is to give seniors the most freedom and the greatest support.
We also have expertise in maximizing insurance benefits, identifying free or low cost services, coordinating medical care and appointments, and advocating for your care in various settings.
CHOICES and NNORC want older adults and their families to remain in control of their living arrangements and health care decisions and have access to expert guidance on aging related issues. If you have questions or think that you, a friend or a family member might benefit from our services, please call NNORC at 514-2023.
If you want to learn more about this type of service, watch the NNORC News for upcoming educational sessions on advance care planning and other related topics. It’s always best when you can make your own choices about your future.