Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current, August 07, 2019, Image 5

Wallowa County chieftain., August 07, 2019, Page 5, Image 5

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Newspaper Page TextOPINION  NEWS Wallowa.com Wednesday, August 7, 2019 A5 How to help prevent dangerous falls in the elderly O ne of the most common reasons people come to the Emergency Depart- ment at Wallowa Memorial Hos- pital is for a fall. Falls in older adults can be especially danger- ous. Bones break more easily, skin tears happen more commonly and excessive bleeding can occur for those on blood thinners. A broken hip or even a bad bruise can cause signiﬁ cant impairment and lead to a prolonged recovery or loss of independence. Recent studies have shown that falls are the third leading cause of disability in older adults. Approximately 1 in 3 per- sons aged 65 or older falls every year, and death rates from falls in U.S. adults age 75 and older more than doubled over the last 15 years. While treating the conse- quences of these falls is certainly important, prevention is always the better strategy. So how do we prevent falls? ing falls and injuries and disabil- ity related to them. The New York Times recently ran an article about falls in older adults. The Geriatri- cians interviewed for that article recommended at least 20 minutes of exercise per day. They noted that weight lifting, especially in the lower body, can be particularly helpful in preventing falls, and that Tai chi may help with balance and stability. Identifying those at increased risk of falls is also important. At every Medicare yearly Wellness Visit, patients should do a “Timed up and go” test to see if they are at risk of increased falls. Your pro- vider should also ask you about any recent falls. Studies have shown that only 1 in 3 older adults with falls seeks medical care related to their falls. This suggests there are many people who may be at risk of falls that are not get- ting medical attention. MOUNTAIN MEDICINE Dr. Geoff Maly A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Associ- ation (JAMA) looked at the abil- ity of a home-based balance and strength retraining program to reduce falls. The program was delivered by a Physical Therapist (PT). The investigators found a signiﬁ cant reduction in falls in the group that received the exercise program. This study was looking at secondary prevention of falls, meaning a reduction in number or prevention of falls in people who have already had falls. Other stud- ies have shown similar beneﬁ ts from physical exercise in prevent- Medications, multitasking and home safety all effect fall risk. Benzodiazepines, like Valium and Ativan, antihistamines like Benadryl and Tylenol PM, and sleep medicines like Ambien can increase the risk of falls. A recent study looking at the cir- cumstances around falls showed that multitasking (e.g., walk- ing through a room while on the phone) was associated with fall- ing. People in the study fell most frequently in areas in the home where they spent the most time. For those with a history of falls, the study recommended getting a home assessment for trip haz- ards. This can be done by an Occupational Therapist (OT) through a referral from your provider. In summary, falls contribute to death and disability, especially in older adults. Staying active and engaging in an exercise program to increase balance and muscle strength can help prevent falls. Ensuring that tripping hazards in the house are minimized and assistive equipment (like shower chairs, handrails) are utilized can also help. Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists can help with these things. Avoid- ing medications that increase the risk of falling is important. And of course, tell your health care provider if you or your loved one suffers from falls or balance problems, as preventing a fall is always better than treating the consequences in the Emergency Department.    Mountain Medicine is edited by Ron Polk, Emeritus Professor (retired), Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a collaboration with Wallowa County healthcare practitioners. Oregon senators push bill to shield small businesses from sales tax rules By Kate Davidson Oregon Public Broadcasting PORTLAND — You don’t start a business called Made in Oregon because you want — or expect — to collect sales tax. After all, Oregon has no sales tax. It’s a feature of the state as iconic as the Pendleton blan- kets the company sells. So when Made in Ore- gon opened its ﬁ rst store at the Portland airport in 1975, its founders could little have imagined the company would one day collect sales tax. Not for Oregon, but for online sales in least 11 other states. That day is now. “It is a headache,” said Dave Stainsby, who directs e-commerce for Made in Oregon. One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that turned the con- ventional world of sales tax collection on its head. Now, U.S. senators from Oregon and New Hampshire want to undo some of those changes. Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are co-sponsoring legisla- tion, introduced Wednesday, that would prevent small businesses in one state — like Oregon — from being OPB Photo/Kate Davidson Dave Stainsby stands in Made in Oregon’s warehouse in Portland. Stainsby says sales tax collection has changed “night and day.” required to collect sales tax on behalf of another state — like Virginia — if the busi- nesses have no physical presence there. “This is a huge red tape burden on Oregon small businesses,” Merkley said. “We need to respect the work of small businesses and not burden them in this way.” The bill would also freeze the implementation of a whole new crop of sales tax laws until 2021. It used to be that com- panies were only required to collect sales tax in states where they had a substantial physical presence — think storefronts, warehouses or even employees. That con- nection to a state is called “nexus.” Over time, states tried to chip away at that physi- cal presence standard. The internet was the bull in the china shop, and online shop- ping was stomping on tradi- tional revenue streams. The pivotal moment came on June 21, 2018, when the Supreme Court issued its rul- ing in South Dakota v. Way- fair Inc. At stake was a law requiring out-of-state busi- nesses to collect South Dakota sales tax if they sold enough goods or services into the state — either 200 sepa- rate sales or $100,000 worth. In the Wayfair decision, the Supreme Court over- turned precedent — a big deal — and broadened what counts as nexus. It said a business’s connection to a state could be economic in nature, not just physical. Justice Anthony Ken- nedy wrote for the major- ity, “Each year, the physi- cal presence rule becomes further removed from eco- nomic reality and results in signiﬁ cant revenue losses to the States.” That opened the ﬂ oodgates. Forty-two states now have laws or administrative positions requiring out-of- state companies to collect their sales tax, according to Diane Yetter, founder of the Sales Tax Institute. “It has been a crazy year since the Wayfair decision was decided,” she said. Oregon will spend more than $36,000 this year on managing sales tax, includ- ing its use of a software tool called Avalara, which auto- mates sales tax compliance. It was either that, Stainsby said, or hire another full- time employee. Made in Oregon is not a small company. Stainsby said it brings in more than $10 million a year in gross revenue. But even some of the smallest online compa- nies are paying for software to monitor their sales, in case they trigger economic nexus in the future. Remem- ber, that’s 200 transactions in some states. Lindsey Brady has been running her one-woman business, Toasted Maple, from her garage in The Dalles. It smells faintly like campﬁ re from the laser-en- graved wooden tokens she WALLOWA COUNTY Health Line Effect on businesses, big(ger) and small Stainsby said Made in Lawmakers broaden eligibility for farm bankruptcy meant to give farmers addi- tional options in managing the downturn in the farm economy. The legislation was sup- ported by the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union. Farm bankruptcies are at a record high in some parts of the country, Zippy Duvall, the Farm Bureau president, said in a statement. Farmers have faced sev- eral years of a trying farm economy, and updating Chapter 12 bankruptcy eli- gibility is a necessity, he said. “The bill gives more farmers an opportunity to qualify for ﬁ nancial restruc- By Carol Ryan Dumas Capital Press The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to raise the debt cap for Chapter 12 bankruptcy ﬁ lings to make more farms eligible to reor- ganize their debt under the rules. The Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 raises the debt limit from $4.4 mil- lion, adjusted for inﬂ ation in April, to $10 million. The House passed a com- panion bill on July 25. Legislators said the higher cap reﬂ ects the increase in land values and growth in the size of aver- age farms over time and is turing so they can keep their land and livelihoods,” he said. The bill will help more family farmers avoid liqui- dation or foreclosure, Roger Johnson, NFU president, said in a statement. “Chronic overproduc- tion, an ongoing interna- tional trade war and a series of extreme weather events have created a perfect storm for the farm economy. Farm debt is at a record high, and too many operations have been pushed to the brink ﬁ nancially,” he said. The legislation will help more family farmers access Chapter 12 relief, giving them a ﬁ ghting chance to makes for clients like Red Bull and Lululemon. The tokens are a marketing tool, a kind of company currency that can be exchanged for free drinks or even used as business cards. Until recently, Toasted Maple was Brady’s “7 to 11 p.m. side hustle.” It’s been too small to collect sales tax for direct sales out- side of Oregon. But now Brady is full time, moving into a new ofﬁ ce and prepar- ing to scale up. She’s using the software TaxJar to navi- gate the minutiae of tax law as business grows. “It’s pretty convoluted right now. It’s not like there’s a federal, across-the- board of: ‘This is what we’re doing.’ And I hope that’s what they work towards to make it easier for sellers,” Brady said. “But we’re not there yet.” stay in business, he said. Farm loan delinquency rates are at a six-year high, and Chapter 12 bankruptcy ﬁ lings increased 13% during the last 12 months through June for a total of 535, Farm Bureau economists recently reported. The increase in the debt cap was also supported by the American Bankruptcy Institute and the American College of Bankruptcy. It was opposed by the American Banking Associ- ation, which warned Con- gress that such a large increase would increase bor- rowing costs and decrease the availability of credit for farmers. 519 W. North Street, Enterprise 541.426.3413 Mon-Thurs 9 to Noon/1-5pm; Fri. 9-1 SPACE RESERVATION DEADLINES for weekly advertising is 5pm Friday for the following week. Ad copy is DUE on Monday at 10am. Ads MUST be approved by Tuesday at NOON. Contact Jennifer Cooney at jcooney@wallowa.com • 541-805-9630 209 NW First St., Enterprise • 541-426-4567 MAKING TRACKS TO Wallowa County Fair Music of FAIR SCHEDULE T HE S N O I T C R E A & c K m orgAn , A nDy g ilbErt AsEy AUG isEr inslEy K y r n E to H E t u b i 11pm r - m p i n t 8 019 D AvE h 2 r Aug. 10 h t Community Cente Josep G T HOSE T U 50 A O YIN S OF NE YE tHE c omE D Anc A E y or n igHt A w AnD J ust s it l istEn ! P LA Admission - $10 per person RS AG Bar by Leo of El Bajio E ntErprisE H igH s cHo ol A lumni D An c lAss 3-10 2019 FREE ADMISSION GREAT FOOD VENDORS Sat., August 3 Sun. – Tues., August 4-6 Tues., August. 6 Wed. – Sat., August. 7 – 10 9AM – 4-H Dog Show 4-H Horse Show 7PM – Horse Awards Program Come see the Open Class & 4-H Entries at Cloverleaf Hall N 5:30pm – ROPING WEDNESDAY Y T E H A E I R W S Team Roping Drawpot Thur., August 8 4-H/FFA Livestock Show NE Fri., August 9 4:00 PM – “Bessie Bingo” THI W S 4:00-7:00PM – Talent Show YEAR 7PM – 4-H/FFA Grand Champion Classes Sat., August. 10 8:00AM – Small Animal Show 9:30AM-1:30PM – OSU BENNY BEAVER IS HERE 10:00AM – Pee Wee Showmanship 11:00 AM – Games on the Grass & Balloon Scramble 2:00PM – 4-H/FFA Awards Program 4:30PM – FFA Barbecue 6:00PM – 4-H/FFA LIVESTOCK SALE cE of 1969 For a full schedule call 541-426-4097 or visit our Facebook page