My father, Ralph Lee Richardson, was 81 years old when he died in 1991. He was a self-sufficient man who worked hard his entire life. A few months before his death, Dad took me aside and gave me his final instructions. He told me he and Mom had no debt; they had a few thousand dollars in the bank and he felt Mom should have enough to live on her meager social security payments and his small pension from the carpenter’s union. He told me he had made arrangements to be cremated and under no circumstances did he want to be taken to the hospital. He had heard the horror stories about the high costs of dying in a hospital, and he clearly did not want to leave Mom strapped with huge bills for heroic measures that could only delay the inevitable. Dad knew his body was shutting down and he had decided not to fight it anymore. In short, he had had enough. I was with him at the end. He passed away in peace, in the old Gold Hill doublewide mobile home, where Dad and Mother had lived since 1983.

Nine years later, in July 2000, my sister and I, along with family and friends, had the bitter-sweet honor of sharing the final months, weeks, days and hours with my mother, Eva McGuire Richardson. She was a wonderful woman. She had no interest in politics or world affairs, but she had a great interest in helping those around her. She looked for the good in everyone and never said an unkind word about anyone. She was 91 years old when she passed away in the Gold Hill doublewide.

One month later, in August 2000, a family friend spent countless hours along with our family, attending Cathy’s 98 year old grandfather during his final phase of earthly life. Rulon Sirls Winsor passed away at a home we own in Central Point. Grandpa Winsor was mentally quick to the end. He had a great sense of humor. I remember one day he said, “I have lived a good life and I do not have an enemy in the world…I outlived them all.” Grandpa’s goal was to perform church service on his 100th birthday. He almost made it.

The final story happened in August 2001. One year following Grandpa Winsor’s death, Cathy, our children and I had the honor and the burden of providing long-term care for my sister, Donna Sue Richardson, during her third and final battle with breast cancer. Donna also died in our home in Central Point. It was late August 2001. She was only 53 years old. In her final hours, I was sitting at her bedside, late at night. As the end approached, the medications could no longer veil her exquisite pain. We expressed our love for each other; she tightly squeezed my hand, and then closed her eyes for the last time. After months of heroic suffering, Donna was at peace.

These were good, humble people. They cared for me when I was young, and I helped care for them when they could no longer do so themselves. I will never forget them. Each of them was born, lived and died, and, like it or not, all of us are following the same path.

I have shared these personal stories with you to make a point. When family or friends are there to care for senior or diseased family members—which is the case about 80% of the time—the final years can truly be golden. I remember my Mother saying at age 88 that these were the happiest years she could remember. At that time in her life, my two sisters and I were always close by. She once laughed and remarked that all she had to do was snap her fingers and we would “come a-runnin.” Not all senior citizens have such a close and loving support system.

When an elderly person outlives family and friends, the community has the opportunity and the responsibility to provide more than just food, shelter, and Medicare. We, as caring human beings, can open our eyes and our hearts. We can search out and visit an elderly neighbor who lives alone and is easily forgotten. Once I had the opportunity to deliver lunches for the Meals-On-Wheels program that is administered by the Area Agency on Aging. It was truly humbling to take a hot meal to the home of a shut-in widow, and realize my five minute conversation at her door would be the only contact she would have with another human being that day. Volunteers who can give as little as 1½ hours, one day each week, can be angels of mercy to such folks who have no one to watch after them. (If you would like to learn more about being a Meals-on-Wheels volunteer, please call: 541-734-9505.)

What about those who need more than just a hot meal if they are to avoid moving to a long-term care facility? How can we help older Oregonians retain the dignity, the honor and the opportunity to live out their final chapter of life in the comfort and familiar surroundings of their own homes?

Oregon has blazed the trail for in-home, long-term care with different programs for differing levels of personal needs and resources.

Oregon Project Independence, is a nationally acclaimed program that makes it possible for senior and disabled Oregon citizens to remain in their homes for as long as they are able. Last year OPI served 3,600 seniors having an average age of 82 years. More than 75% of OPI clients are women and 96% have incomes of less than $1,133 per month.

Think about it. For an average cost of only $250 per month, these poverty-level older Oregonians receive enough help to enable them to stay independent and at home. The services given under OPI include heavy housework like laundry and vacuuming, help with personal hygiene (like bathing), transportation, grocery shopping, etc. Unfortunately, the 2009-11 Governor’s Recommended Budget provides no funding for OPI and the safety net funding from the Senior and Disabled Property Tax Deferral Revolving Account will be insufficient to keep this important program from shutting down. Unless there is a change in course, the limited funds that are available from the S & D Property Tax Deferral Revolving Acct. will likely be transferred to another program that qualifies for highly favorable “federal match” money.

Closing down Oregon Project Independence may seem financially prudent when the General Fund money spent on OPI could be increased by the federal match, but such economics may be short-sighted. Similar services provided by the state’s Medicaid-funded in-home care program cost Oregon either $354 per month plus the enriched federal match rate (under the temporary federal stimulus package), or $480 per month with the regular federal match rate. When you add to those monthly rates the costs for case management, administration, and in many cases, coverage under the Oregon Health Plan (which is available to Medicaid-eligible seniors), the real costs to Oregon taxpayers can triple the $250 monthly cost of OPI. In short, gaining the federal match is not always the best deal for Oregon. Finally, OPI requires a $5 annual fee, and additional monthly charges may be required, based on the client’s income. These charges, although small, enable OPI clients to pay something toward the benefits they receive. Most older Oregonians do not mind paying something toward their OPI services. They appreciate a helping hand; they do not want a hand-out.

Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Care. As alluded to above, there are alternatives to Oregon Project Independence for both self-funded and Medicaid-qualified, state-funded long-term care for older or disabled Oregonians. These services generally provide a higher level of care at a much higher cost to Oregon taxpayers. According to a recently released economic analysis by ECONorthwest, entitled, “Oregon’s Long-Term Care Sector,” Oregon’s Department of Human Services provides long-term care benefits for nearly 27,500 Oregonians in nursing homes, residential care facilities and assisted living facilities. Five thousand patients live in nursing homes at an average cost of $5,500 per patient, per month, and the remaining 22,500 live in the other facilities at lesser monthly costs. When you do the math, the costs of providing long-term care in such facilities is quite high. As ECONorthwest reports, for fiscal year 2007, total expenditures for nursing home, residential care and assisted living care, along with DHS administration costs, exceeded $1.2 billion.

In addition, nearly 4,000 residents live in “adult foster-care.” This level of care takes place in private homes and costs a base rate of $1,249 per patient, per month.

Finally, 10,900 older and disabled Oregonians receive long-term care services from the state’s Medicaid-funded “in-home care” program. (This program provides in-home, hourly-based care depending on levels of need. It provides care similar to Oregon Project Independence at the monthly costs contrasted with OPI above.) For fiscal year 2008, total expenditures for the 14,854 patients living in adult foster homes or receiving “in-home” care, with DHS administration costs, totaled nearly $300 million.

Conclusion. My parents were adults during the Great Depression. They raised (reared) us kids under a lingering Depression mindset. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without,” they used to tell us. (Good advice for us today.)

We helped our older generation transition from life through death. It was not convenient. It was not always pleasant, but it was our duty. Such service was good for them and it was good for us. My family is not much different from other Oregon families and friends who care for 80% of Oregonian’s elderly population without state subsidization. The remaining 20% do not fair so well. Oregon has an aging population and the cost of their long-term care is not cheap. The fastest growing age component of Oregon’s population is in the 80+ years category.

In sum, for "end stage" living, the greatest costs are incurred by those receiving long-term care in nursing homes, residential care facilities and assisted living facilities. Since most older Oregonians would prefer to live in their own homes if possible, we as family, as friends, and as neighbors, need to be engaged and ask what we can do to help care for elderly family and community members. The needs of Oregon’s elderly citizens are real and must be addressed, even if there is not enough money to fund Oregon Project Independence and Oregon’s state-funded in-home care programs. Tax increases will never be enough to keep up with our aging population. Family and community-based programs ultimately must assume responsibility for ensuring adequate care is available to our seniors who so generously gave us the care we needed when we were young.

Sincerely,

Dennis Richardson
State Representative

Representative Bruce Hanna serves House District 7, which covers much of Douglas and Lane counties. It includes Cottage Grove, Oakridge, Sutherlin and Elkton.

Representative Hanna, the youngest of seven children, was born and raised in Douglas County. Bruce attended South Umpqua High School in Myrtle Creek, and went straight to work for the Cola-Cola Bottling Company in Roseburg after high school. Representative Hanna also enrolled at Umpqua Community College. After earning an Associate’s Degree, the Dairy Queen International Franchise accepted Representative Hanna into its training program. When he completed this program, he purchased an available Dairy Queen franchise area. Later, with the help of his father, Representative Hanna built the Pleasant Hill Dairy Queen.

After a few years, Representative Hanna returned to Coca-Cola. This time he was the Roseburg plant’s Sales Manager. Later, he and his wife purchased the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Roseburg. They also bought its sister company Automatic Vending Service. Today, Representative Hanna is still president and CEO of the bottling company.

As with many, Representative Hanna’s business led to his involvement in his industry and in his community. He is the past president of the Oregon Soft Drink Association, a member and past president of the Roseburg Executive Association and the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

Representative Hanna was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2004. This session House Republicans elected Representative Hanna as the House Republican Leader. He also serves on four committees. He is vice-chair of the House Administration Committee and also the Special Joint Committee on Session Schedule. Representative Hanna is member of the House Land Use Committee and Legislative Administration Committee.

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Central Point, OR 97502
Tel: (541) 601-0083
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E-Mail: rep.dennisrichardson@state.or.us

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