Director's Message

The changing face of Oregon

As DHS employees, we all know that our work is heavily influenced by demographics, that is, the health, ages, incomes and other factors that influence the needs of 3.4 million Oregonians.

This is probably the biggest challenge we face right now: Five years ago, Oregon’s population was the nation’s 10th oldest. Five years from now, it will be the fourth oldest. The number of people age 65 and older will about double to 800,000.

One reason is that the first wave of baby boomers will soon start turning 65. Another is that Oregon is an attractive state in which to retire, in part because of Oregon’s undisputed leadership in community-based living options for seniors.

Of even more immediate significance: The number of Oregonians age 85 and older - these are people with about a 50 percent chance of needing long-term care - will increase by about a third.

As the nation observes Older Americans Month, Oregon and the nation must prepare. This includes educating people about preparing financially for their retirement years, maintaining good health and protecting seniors from physical and financial abuse.

DHS regularly offers training across the state to lawyers about elder abuse, which is also an excellent opportunity for us as DHS employees to become better educated about how to assist. We recently helped prepare a new book about preventing senior financial abuse. We participated in the state’s first tribal caregiving conference a few weeks ago.

The American Public Health Association is encouraging a three-pronged approach to improving seniors’ health: Prevent problems by keeping immunizations up to date and avoiding accidents (33 percent of older adults fall annually). Protect health through regular screenings, which a third of older Americans miss even though Medicare covers many of them. Plan for good health by taking steps such as engaging in regular exercise.

News about seniors’ health and circumstances is mixed: Although seniors have more education and fewer smoke or live in poverty than ever before, a surprising three-quarters of them are classified as overweight or obese. These are conditions that threaten to offset the remarkable health gains we’ve achieved over the years.

An idea that works for everybody

May is National Drug Court Awareness Month. Awareness may be greater than usual this year because Judge Dennis Graves will move his Marion County drug court to the State Capitol on Friday, May 13. This will be a convenient opportunity for legislators, journalists and the public to see how a drug court works.

In short, drug court is a chance for alcoholics and addicts to take responsibility for their lives, to enroll in treatment and to have the judge hold their feet to the fire. Instead of going to jail, participants may wear an ankle bracelet, take polygraph tests, submit to breathalyzer tests on demand and, of course, enroll in treatment.

A 2003 analysis of Multnomah County’s drug court found that each participant cost $1,441 less than traditional jail, probation and so forth. And the Oregon Judicial Department reports that 89 percent of 2001-03 drug-court graduates had no new charges in the year following completion.

Besides saving tax dollars and improving participants’ lives, drug courts also promote public safety.

Safety Break for Oregon

Safety must be a habit, and not only on the job.

We should take the habit of safety home with us, practicing safe practices and ensuring that family members know and practice them, too. Sure, there’s a financial cost to accidents on the job but, at work or at home, there’s also the human toll both on the person who is injured and on his or her family.

A new statewide initiative to highlight safety is being led by Oregon OSHA. To involve more of us in Safety Break for Oregon, DHS Safety and Health is challenging DHS safety committees to engage their co-workers in safety-related initiatives that will be recognized in July. You will find the criteria posted on the DHS Web site.

Safety is important because Oregon OSHA reports that at the same time private-sector incidents have been decreasing, those in state government have been slowly increasing. In fact, during fiscal 2004 DHS alone had 669 workers’ compensation claims, with the largest single category attributable to ergonomic-related causes such as overuse and poor body mechanics followed by slips and falls.

Although they’ve been called "accidents," safety professionals now use the word incidents because so many can be anticipated and therefore avoided. Let’s make safety a habit, including participating in the DHS Safety and Health challenge.

Food for thought

"Mothers are the only race of people that speak the same tongue. A mother in Manchuria could converse with a mother in Nebraska and never miss a word."

--- Will Rogers

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.

If you have a disability and need this message to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us, or call (503) 947-5107. You can also fax your request to (503) 373-7690, or call (503) 947-5080 for TTY service. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.