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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 2014)
Health News A Simpler Holiday Season When Your loved One Has Dementia Oregonians: Step Up for Health Insurance by Dec. 15 By Marian O. Hodges, MD, MPH and Anne P. Hill, JD he deadline to make sure your pri- vate health insurance continues this January is fast approaching. People have only 10 more days to enroll – by Dec. 15, 2014 – for their coverage to be effec- tive Jan. 1, 2015. Oregonians can go to HealthCare.gov to compare plans, apply for tax credits and other financial savings, and enroll in cover- age. As of Nov. 30, about 19,000 Oregonians had enrolled in 2015 individual private health insurance plans, according to pre- liminary data reported by insurance carri- ers. That represents about 9 percent of the total number of individuals who currently have coverage. “People tend to wait until the last minute, but it’s important that you don’t wait too long. Even if you have an opportunity to renew your plan, we encourage you to visit HealthCare.gov and shop around,” said Oregon Insurance Commissioner Laura Cali. “Your plan may have changed, and you may have different health or financial needs this year. Oregon’s competitive mar- ket means you have lots of choices.” Licensed insurance agents can help you decide which plans might be best for you. To find an agent who can help you enroll in a plan, visit CoverOregon.com. You can also find in-person help over the next week at enrollment open houses. Visit CoverOre- gon.com for details and to pre-register. T T he holidays can be a stressful time under the best of circum- stances but when someone you love has dementia, the holidays can be especially nerve-racking. However, with a little flexibility and planning you can create a holiday for your family member who has dementia that will be enjoyable for both of you. Here are three tips for a happier holiday: 1. Avoid holiday crowds with your family member who has dementia. This means every holiday crowd, especially the shop- ping crowds. When people have dementia, their brains are failing. One of the areas of the brain that fails is the frontal lobe, which normal- ly filters out the distractions we encounter every day, thus letting us focus on what we need to do. When the frontal lobe is damaged, nothing is filtered out. Peo- ple with dementia have no ability to shut out any dis- traction: every light, every decoration, every Christ- mas tree, every holiday carol, all the noise and crush of hundreds of people at the mall assaults their brains and quickly confuses and overwhelms them. 2. Keep your family member’s routine as close to normal as possible. Help your family member who has dementia stick to the usual routine. Changes in routine are always dis- tracting to people who have Alzheimer’s disease and can cause a person with dementia to become more confused and sometimes agitated. Be sure your fam- ily member eats regular meals; keep the number of outings to a minimum; encourage family members who don’t live with your loved one to visit in small groups, not all together. If possible, plan small holiday celebrations for your loved one where he or she lives, instead of large family gatherings away from home. Remember, a large family gathering really is a holiday crowd and you should avoid holiday crowds! 3. Consider every event from the point of view of your family member who has disease or another dementia, even happy events can be terrifying. For example, one Christ- mas morning, when co- author Anne Hill visited her mother, who lived in a group home, she found her mother sobbing in the liv- ing room, and no one could explain why. Anne finally understood that families of several residents had been arriving to take their family member home with them for a holiday celebration, but her mother believed that strangers were taking people away and she was afraid that someone was going to take her away, too. As you consider how to celebrate the upcoming hol- idays with your family member who has dementia, think simple. Low key, quiet celebrations will be much more fun for your loved one, and that will be much more fun for you! The open enrollment period for people who buy their own health insurance runs from Nov. 15, 2014, through Feb. 15, 2015. Open enrollment is the one time during the year when you can change plans, change insurance companies, or choose to stay with the plan you have. HealthCare.gov is the only place for Oregonians to apply for tax credits and other financial savings. Ore- ‘Oregon’s competitive market means you have lots of choices’ gonians who are covered through the Ore- gon Health Plan (Medicaid) are not required to re-enroll during this period. Their renewal dates are individual to them and they will receive a letter from the Ore- gon Health Authority when it is time for them to renew their coverage. When they receive the letter, they should take action right away. The Insurance Division will collect enrollment information from carriers each week throughout 2015 open enrollment. Updated numbers will be posted each Thursday by close of business on the division’s website at: http://www.oregon.gov/DCBS/insurance/i nsurers/Pages/openenrollment-weeklyup- dates.aspx We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people work- ing in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstra- tion, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a "fami- ly wage" - fair pay for an hon- est day's work. A family wage, and the bene- fits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohe- sive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the build- ing trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? December 10, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 5
