A8
REGION
East Oregonian
Dental health should
be part of plan for
seniors, dentists say
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — As
Medicare’s Dec. 7 deadline
for enrollment approaches,
local dentists hope people
will make plans for caring
for their oral health.
Dr. Todd Oyama of
Medical Center Dental in
Pendleton said while peo-
ple tend to think of dental
care as separate from other
medical care, oral health
has impacts beyond the
mouth, and has been linked
to systemic diseases, such
as heart disease.
“It’s all the same body,”
he said.
Oyama and Dr. Jason
Walker, also of Medi-
cal Center Dental, said
older patients can be at
increased risk for dental
problems, for a number of
reasons. Patients’ gums
can begin to recede, leav-
ing them more vulnera-
ble to decay of the tooth’s
root, known as root caries.
As people age, their taste
buds tend to become less
sensitive, spurring them to
favor richer, sweeter foods
that are harder on teeth.
And many medications
for older adults cause dry
mouth, which speeds tooth
decay.
Walker said he often
sees patients who came
in regularly for clean-
ings while their employer
paid for their dental insur-
ance, but after they retired
decided that since they
haven’t had any signifi-
cant issues with their teeth
in the past, they can skip
paying for cleanings and
checkups.
“All of a sudden, they’ll
come in and say, ‘This
is hurting,’ and they’ll
already have quite a bit of
decay,” he said.
He suggested that if
they are able, retirees
should continue to come in
twice a year for a cleaning
to address the hard plaque
buildup that home care
won’t take care of, and
to catch major problems
before it’s too late to save a
tooth or multiple teeth.
“Dentures are better
than nothing, but our own
teeth are ideal,” he said.
Oyama said good home
care is also important for
people of all ages, includ-
ing regular brushing and
flossing, fluoride mouth-
wash and a healthy diet.
Open enrollment for
Medicare runs to Dec. 7.
People can sign up for the
first time, or shop for cov-
erage that better fits their
current needs. Eastern
Oregon residents have new
options available this year
through Summit Health, a
partnership between sev-
eral Eastern Oregon hospi-
tals that is providing Medi-
care Advantage plans.
Oregon residents can
visit
healthcare.oregon.
gov/shiba/Pages/index.
aspx, call 1-800-722-4134
(toll-free), or email shiba.
oregon@oregon.gov
to
find answers to questions
or the nearest Oregon
Senior Health Insurance
Benefits Assistance vol-
unteers who can help them
enroll or change their plan
before Dec. 7. Hermis-
ton-area residents can also
call Good Shepherd Health
Care System directly at
541-667-3509 to schedule
assistance.
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
www.EastOregonian.com
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Hermiston Warming Station needs volunteers
Volunteers must
attend training,
pass background
check and be at
least 18 years old
TO VOLUNTEER
For more information,
visit the Hermiston
Warming Station
Facebook page or email
hws1075@gmail.com.
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — The
Hermiston Warming Sta-
tion is in desperate need of
more volunteers, according
to board members.
Sandy Francis, the warm-
ing station’s new board chair,
said so far only 31 people
have signed up to be volun-
teers. That’s not enough to
staff the station all through
the night, although they
have committed to at least
opening from 7-10 p.m. each
night so people can come in
and get warmed up and have
a cup of soup.
“We may have to turn
them out at 10 (p.m.), unfor-
tunately,” Francis said.
The warming station
posted a plea for more vol-
unteers on its Facebook
page on Sunday, Nov. 22,
along with a schedule of
more training dates at 6 p.m.
every other day. Volunteers
Jade McDowell/East Oregonian
The Hermiston Warming Station will be located at The Arc of
Umatilla County building in McKenzie Park for 2020.
must attend a training, pass
a background check and be
at least 18 years old. They
don’t have to RSVP, just
show up at 1075 S. Highway
395 in Hermiston at 6 p.m.
on one of the dates listed.
“We understand that we
are living in scary and try-
ing times, but we cannot for-
get about the homeless in our
community. They need us,”
the post stated. “Our mis-
sion is to compassionately
provide a safe place to meet
the basic human needs of
those without shelter during
the winter. Without volun-
teers, we just cannot make
that happen. Please think
about volunteering with us
this season if you can. Many
people depend on us to be
successful.”
The Hermiston Warming
Station is usually located in
a house on 1075 S. Highway
395, but this year is mov-
ing to The Arc of Umatilla
County building at 215 W.
Orchard Ave. in McKenzie
Park. Francis said the larger
space will allow the warm-
ing station to serve more
people while maintaining
6 feet of social distancing.
They will also have a sep-
arate sleeping room and
restroom for those show-
ing signs of illness or who
have had recent contact with
someone with COVID-19.
The warming station
provides shelter to home-
less individuals and others
in need of temporary shel-
ter each evening during the
winter, usually from the end
of November to the end of
February. It opened for the
season on Monday, Nov. 23,
this year.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Kiwanis Club selling
Christmas trees
HERMISTON
—
Kiwanis Club of Hermiston
begins its annual Christmas
tree sale on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
The trees are available
at the Hermiston Commu-
nity Center parking lot, 415
S. Highway 395, on Fridays
and Saturdays from 9 a.m.
to 8 p.m. and the rest of the
week from noon to 8 p.m.
The club has 400 trees
available, and the sale will
end when they are gone.
Trees are Douglas firs,
Grand firs and Noble firs
from 5 to 8 feet tall, start-
ing at $30.
Proceeds benefit Kiwanis
Club projects, including
supplies for foster children,
youth scholarships, Doer-
nbecher Children’s Hospi-
tal, highway cleanups and
more.
The club is also look-
ing for more members, and
those who join before the
end of 2020 will have their
new member fees waived.
Fundraiser
replaces Festival of
Trees for 2020
HERMISTON — Herm-
iston’s annual Festival of
Trees is canceled for 2020
due to COVID-19 concerns,
but Kiwanis Club and the
Good Shepherd Commu-
nity Health Foundation still
raised money for a good
cause.
The two organizations
usually put on the Festival
of Trees at the Hermiston
Community Center each
year, auctioning off trees
decorated by local busi-
nesses and other organiza-
tions and allowing families
to visit the display of trees.
This year, Kiwanis
and the health founda-
tion solicited donations
for the Hermiston Police
Department’s
Christmas
Express, which provides
boxes of food and gifts for
families in need. Accord-
ing to a news release from
John Spomer and Liz Mar-
vin, the Festival of Trees
co-chairs, they will donate
about $3,000 to Christmas
Express “through the gen-
erous support of several
businesses.”
The Kiwanis Club is
also going to virtually auc-
tion off a tree, which is on
display downtown at Two-
96Main, located at 296
Main St. A link to bid on
the tree is here:32auctions.
com/kiwanischristmastree.
“Without a doubt, the
Hermiston Festival of Trees
will return to be a signifi-
cant part of the 2021 holi-
day season,” Spomer and
Marvin wrote.
— EO Media Group
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