golden living

Winter-proofing your home is worth it

You can do simple things around the interior of your home to lower your risk of falls. First, do basic decluttering as noted in our previous column on this topic. Then, move on to specific room-by-room issues, as suggested by the National Institute on Aging. First, your floors, stairs, and hallways:

Ensure there are handrails on both sides of any stairs, and make sure they are secure. Hold the handrails when you use stairs, even when you are carrying something. Don’t let anything you’re carrying block your view of the steps. Get help if you need it

Ensure there is good lighting with light switches at the top and bottom of stairs and on each end of a long hall. Consider using motion-activated lights that plug into electrical outlets and automatically turn on when you walk by them to help illuminate stairwells and pathways.

Keep areas where you walk tidy. Don’t leave books, papers, clothes, or shoes on the floor or stairs.

Check that all carpets are fixed firmly to the floor, so they won’t slip. Put no-slip strips, which you can buy at any hardware store, on tile and wooden floors. Don’t use throw rugs or small area rugs. Don’t walk on slippery, newly washed floors.

Next, the bathroom:

Mount grab bars near toilets and on both the inside and outside of your tub and shower.  Place nonskid mats, strips, or carpet on all surfaces that may get wet. Remember to leave a light on in the bathroom at night or use a night light that turns on automatically in the dark.

In your bedroom: Put night lights and light switches close to your bed when possible.  Keep a flashlight by your bed in case the power goes out and you need to get up. Place a landline or well-charged phone near your bed.

In the kitchen:

Keep frequently used pots, pans, and kitchen utensils in a place where they are easy to reach. Clean up spills immediately, especially if oily or greasy. Prepare food while seated, when possible, to prevent fatigue or loss of balance.

And when you venture outside your home: If you have steps leading to your front door, make sure they are not broken or uneven. Add non-slip material to outdoor stairways. Keep the lawn, deck, or porch areas clear of debris, such as fallen branches. Consider installing a grab bar near the front door to provide balance while you are locking or unlocking the door. Turn on your porch light if you plan on leaving home before dawn, or returning home after dark. In the winter, treat outdoor walkways with an ice melt product or sand to make them less slippery. Have some on hand before a snowstorm appears in your weather forecast.

 

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

golden living
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy

Juneteenth and Mumbet’s legacy

Sheffield resident, singer Wanda Houston will play Mumbet in "1781" on June 19 at 7 p.m. at The Center on Main, Falls Village.

Jeffery Serratt

In August of 1781, after spending thirty years as an enslaved woman in the household of Colonel John Ashley in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Freeman, also known as Mumbet, was the first enslaved person to sue for her freedom in court. At the time of her trial there were 5,000 enslaved people in the state. MumBet’s legal victory set a precedent for the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1790, the first in the nation. She took the name Elizabeth Freeman.

Local playwrights Lonnie Carter and Linda Rossi will tell her story in a staged reading of “1781” to celebrate Juneteenth, ay 7 p.m. at The Center on Main in Falls Village, Connecticut.Singer Wanda Houston will play MumBet, joined by actors Chantell McCulloch, Tarik Shah, Kim Canning, Sherie Berk, Howard Platt, Gloria Parker and Ruby Cameron Miller. Musical composer Donald Sosin added, “MumBet is an American hero whose story deserves to be known much more widely.”

Keep ReadingShow less
history

A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

A sweet collaboration with students in Torrington

The new mural painted by students at Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut.

Photo by Kristy Barto, owner of The Nutmeg Fudge Company

Thanks to a unique collaboration between The Nutmeg Fudge Company, local artist Gerald Incandela, and Saint John Paul The Great Academy in Torrington, Connecticut a mural — designed and painted entirely by students — now graces the interior of the fudge company.

The Nutmeg Fudge Company owner Kristy Barto was looking to brighten her party space with a mural that celebrated both old and new Torrington. She worked with school board member Susan Cook and Incandela to reach out to the Academy’s art teacher, Rachael Martinelli.

Keep ReadingShow less
community

In the company of artists

In the company of artists

Curator Henry Klimowicz, left, with artists Brigitta Varadi and Amy Podmore at The Re Institute

Aida Laleian

For anyone who wants a deeper glimpse into how art comes about, an on-site artist talk is a rich experience worth the trip.On Saturday, June 14, Henry Klimowicz’s cavernous Re Institute — a vast, converted 1960’s barn north of Millerton — hosted Amy Podmore and Brigitta Varadi, who elucidated their process to a small but engaged crowd amid the installation of sculptures and two remarkable videos.

Though they were all there at different times, a common thread among Klimowicz, Podmore and Varadi is their experience of New Hampshire’s famed MacDowell Colony. The silence, the safety of being able to walk in the woods at night, and the camaraderie of other working artists are precious goads to hardworking creativity. For his part, for fifteen years, Klimowicz has promoted community among thousands of participating artists, in the hope that the pairs or groups he shows together will always be linked. “To be an artist,” he stressed, “is to be among other artists.”

Keep ReadingShow less
exhibit