S pil / vay T ymoo
JUNE 7, 1985
Plan finances, babies carefully
YouVe decided to have a baby.
I T h at $ great. H aving a baby
is one ei life’s joys, but it’s also a
lorig-term em otional and finan
cial com m itm ent. The couple
that plans ahèad for the expenses
can enjoy parenthood m ore by
minimizing financial stress.
Before you get carried aw ay
with euphoria ab o u t starting a
fam ily or adding an o th er per
son to the household, you’d bet
ter check your bank account
and yourhealth irisurance policy.
Citing statistics, the H ealth
I n s u r a n c e A s s o c ia ti o n o f
A m erica, figures it costs a b o u t
$3,200 ju st to get th a t new son
or dau g hter hom e from the hos
pital.
T h e to ta l in c lu d e s a b o u t
$2,150 fo r prenatal care, p ro
fessional services during deliv
ery, and hospital; $235 for m a
ternity clothes, and another $850
fo r b a b y ’s layette, including
clothing, furniture and other
necessary equipm ent and sup
plies.
Thè m edical .costs quoted by
the insurance association asstfme
norm al care and delivery. Costs
can increase if there arje com pli
cations d tiring pregnancy or de
livery. Costs vary also by geo
graphic location,
F or m any families, health in
surance will pay a m ajority «ri
p art o f the costs qf b oth prena-
tal care and delivery. I t’s im por
tan t to know w hat your insu
rance will and will not pay for.
If you d o n ’t have insurance
and d o n ’t have savings, thèri you
talk with your doctor to see if
you can arrange a paym ent sche
dule yo u ca n a ffo rd . O th er
sources of inform ation ab o u t
program s which could help are
county health departm ents and
O regon A dult and Fam ily Ser
vices offices.
Rem em ber, prenatal care, so
im portant to the health o f both
m other and baby, is usually
priced as a package and not by
individual visits. Therefore, early
prenatal* care doesn’t increase
the total cost.
Careful planning and shop-
ping can help minimize some of
the other costs, the specialists
Stresses.
F or instance,* it’s possible to
find really goodibuys on m ater
n ity clo th es in th rift shops.
Friends and relatives m ay have
clothes to loan. Often, m ater
nity outfits have had little wear.
P lanning and shopping can
reduce the costs of the b ab y ’s
layette, too. If it’s a second or
thirdbhjldt which was true o f 60
percent of the babies born in
Oregon in 1983, you may already
have such'equipm ent as a crib
and stroller.
Some families purchase items
from second-hand stores arid^at
garage sales. T h a t’s fine, as long
as you pay attention to overall
condition of; the item, safety
considerations, ¡and such spe
cific details as the distance be
tw een the crib slates and the age
of painted furniture.
Since 1977, safety regulations
require crib slats to be no more
than two and three-eighth inches
apart. O lder cribs may have
slats fu rth er ap a rt and are
unsafe. The leve) of lead in paint
was also regulated in 1977. Older
furniture may be covered with
paint containing lead a t levels
Considered to bè unsafe. Such
furniture should be stripped and
refinished.
The Consumer Product Safety
^Commission can give you m ore
safety inform ation about child
ren’s furniture. The commission
has a toll-free num ber, 1-800-
. 638-2772, which consumers may
call.
The arrival of a new child
may also m ean at least a tem
po rary drop in fam ily-incom e
particularly if the m other has
been employed outside thehom e.
The new m other will probably
not return to work imm ediately
and the new father may also
miss time from work, particu
larly if there are o ld er children
needing care.
T h a t’s why it’s im p o rtan t to
take time to analyze your family
financial, situ atio n , including
income and expenses, and to
determ ine family financial pri
orities.
Plan w in d o w tre a tm e n ts
Planning on redecorating? Keep
an eye out for energy savings
when you plan your window
treatm ents. W hy?, Because 15
percent to 35 percent of your
heating budget literally goes out
thewindows if they’re not covered
properly. W h at’s properly? The
m ost effective m ethods form
tight seals around windows so
w arm air can ’t touch Cold panes.
L oose-fitting drapes, shades, or
blinds will stop only ab o u t ten.;
percent of heat losses. But if
those same windows were sCaled
around top, bottom , and sides
so air couldn’t reach the glass,
th e sa v in g s in c re a se to 30
percent!
Insulating windows costs no
m ore th a n 1 strictly decbratiVe
treatm ents, look ju st as, nice,
and return m oney in low er fuel
bills. How m uch can*you savS?
Ask your librarian fo r the refer
ence copy of “ W indow insula
tion, H ow to S o rt T h ro u g h
O p tio n s ,” p u b lish e d by th te
D epartm ent of Energy.
Fire escape safety
measures notea
Q . When shcltild’ l eali the fire
departm ent?
A. A fter you and your fam ily
have reached safety, call from a
neighbor’s house. Give your full
street ad d ress, including thè
nearest cross street. A nd m ake
sure you tell the fife departm ent
if som eone’s trapped. Stay on
the phone until you’ve answered
all th eir questions. Keep your
wits ab o u t you.
Q. H ow cart I teach my child
re n to foliow an escape plan? ;
A. M ake them aw are of fire’s
dangers. Practice different emer
gency situations, as Well,-so eVe-
ryoné know s how to use, every
escape route. A nd practice your
plan a t least once every four
m onths. Teach your children
n o t to panic in a fire. T oo often,
they get scared and run for
cover— into the closet or under
the bed. Many children are found
this way, often too late. Teach
children not to. go look at the
fire, either. Breathing smoke
and toxic gases can cause lung
dam age or death.
Q. W hat should we tell our
babysitter?
< A. Your family knows your
escape plan, Iso should- your
babysitter. D iscuss the m arked
exits and make sure your babys
itter know s th o ftre departm ent
phone num ber. M ake sure they
know yqur only concern is th a tr
everyone get out quickly and
safely; th a t fighting the fire
should be left to the fire de
partm ent. P ut th e «escape plan
by telephone in the kitchen,
along with the im portant tele
phone numbers.
Ca r i n g f o r t h e elderly
A lthough caring for an older
person with im paired memory
is a big j ob, there are steps to be
taken which enable,,the care
giver to cope more effectively
with changes resulting from a
progressive dem enting illness,
T h a fs the message in a new
O regqp State University E xten
sion circular called “Helping
M em ory-Im pa.ired Elders: A
Guide for Caregivers.”
W ritten by Vicky Schmall,
OSU E xtension gerontologist,
and M arilyn Cleland, caregiver
education coordinator at P o r
tla n d ’s G ood S am aritan H ospi
tal, the publication gives general
care and management guidelines,
a^,,\yejU: as iqfqtm fttioii about,
d em enting illnesses, such as
Alzheimer’s disease.
D em entia is th e best way to
describe significant, progressive
loss of m ental abilities expe
rienced by some older people,
they point out. D em entia results
from a disease. Sym ptom s can
include im pairm ent in thinking,
learning, memory and judgement;,
as well as changes in personal
ity, m ood apd behavior.,, Alz
heim er’s is the leading cause of
dem entia, ^followed by* mujti-
infarct dem entia, caused by a
series of small strqk.es,? , 6 ,
A dem enting illness affects
not o nly qth^ ,ipdiyiduaL ,(bu£
other family members who have
to assume additional care respon
sibilities, As the illness p ro -
gresses, these dem ands become
greater, which can lead to social
and em otional isolation for the
caregiver, they note.
T h a t’s why it’s so im portant
th at the caregiver take care of
themselves, the authors stress.
F o r instance, caregivers need to
learn to ask for and accept help
from others, to arrange regular
breaks away from the patient
and to understand and accept
their em otional responses to the
situ atio n .
The -two specialists also give
,an outline of general care and
m anagem ent guidelines which
Jean ease and caregiving task,
guidelines cover such topics as
gaiety, m emory aids and how to
m aintain an overall atm osphere
,wh i ch r e d uce s co n fu g io n io rth e
patient while m aking the care
tasks easier.
The circular also outlines ap
proaches to handling specific
problem s, such as driving, won
dering, money mangement, hal
lucinations, eating, incontinence
and com m unication.
This is the last in a series of
OSU E xtension publications
dealing With the topic of aging.
E arlie r p u b lic atio n s include
“Aging Parents— Helping When
H ealth F ails,” which em phas
izes planning for the future, and
‘‘G ro w in g O ld e r: S e n s o ry
C hanges,” which discusses the
declines in vision, hearing, taste,
Smell an d touch am ong the el
derly.
Copies of all three publica
tions m ay be, obtained through
c o u n ty offices o f th e O SU
Extension ¡Service. ,
Quilts are warm fabric sandwiches
works of art. Photos, stones cultural values. Since all m ate
about the qqilts' showing the rials had to be made or were
intim ate connection betweeh the expensive, well-worn scraps were
the quilt and its environm ent. sayed and stitched into the warm
This assemblage of quilts- arid ‘bedcóvèring th a t y/e call quilts.
The pricing of quilts became
everyday objects revealed the
an expression o f beauty arid
quiltm aker’s existence.
Patchw ork quilts reflect the ^creativity* T h ey c re a te d or
spirit of early A m erica where ^adapted p atch w o rk p a tte rn s
th rift was an essential? p art of which displayed their skills as
both hom em akers and artists.
The height of the American
quiltm aker’s innovations in quilt
desigli occurred in the early
nineteenth century, before manu
factured goods became widely
“ available to the general public.
The exhibit explained the four
aspects of a quiltm aker’s life:
Self—these quilts were made by
well-known individuals or repre
sented outstanding examples of
technique arid artistic expres
sion. M arriage— M any beauti-
ful “ b e st” quilts were m ade
for the m arriage b e d a n d home
by b etro th ed girls and their
family and friends. | ,
Fam ily— Q uilts of all sizes—
from doll quilts to bed quilts—?
illustrated the utilitarioan and
often decorative nature of fam
ily quilts*
C om m unity and C ulture—
Several quilts in th is are repres
ented groups or organizations.
On display is the fascinating
“ M u r d e r Q u i l t ,’’ m a d e by
M cM innville residents to raise
m oney for the defense o f the
Several people from the Warm Springs/Madras areas visited the Heritage Quilt Show display at the accusedkillers.,
The w ord “q u ilt” com es from
the L atin culcita m eaning a
stuffed sack, mattress or cushion.
T oday, “ quilt” m eans tw o or
m ore fabrics held together with
stitches th a t keep the layers
from shifting during laundering
!and general use. Q uilted fabrics
are stronger and w arm er than a
single cloth layer and have tra
ditionally been used;as bedding
or padding.
Women, from W arm Springs
traveled to the P ortland H istor
ic a l’Society W ednesday, May
29th’to view’the Llefitage Q uilt
Display?
H eritage Q uqts presented the
quilts as legacies o f the m akers’
lives arid society; rather th a n ’
Portland Historical Society. Joann Brisbois looked over one of the many quilts on display.
Page 5
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
EXTENSION
Clay Penhollow
Mollie Driscoll
“ Natural” not always
what it seems
A wide variety of foods have tion to the absence of a specific
sprouted “natural” labels. Many ingredient, for example, “no pre
people associate natural with servatives,” “no artificial color,”
pure, simple, safe or nutritious. “no additives.” D raw ing atten
But in the world of advertising tion to the presence of a specific
and labeling, n atural does not ingredient can have a sim ilar
reflect a standard nutrient or effect—“with 100 percent real
ingredient conterit. A legal defi cheese” “with real fruit juices,”
“with realchicken b ro th ,’’“with
nition does not yet exist.
Sometimes the word “natu pure, fresh dairy foods.” Earthy,
ral” or “n atu re” is tucked into brown colors and old-fashioned
the product name. O r “n atu lettering styles on packages often
rally” may describe a produce convey a n atural image.
Some products with a natural
characteristic such as flavored,
sweet, low in calories, or good. appeal may offer shoppers a
Because soriie people equate art true alternative. O thers have
ificial with unnatural, the nega the sam e nutrient and ingre
tive approach—“no artificial in dient content of sim ilar pro
g red ien ts/’ “no artificial any ducts lackirig natural claims.
th in g ,” “ n o th in g a rtific ia l”- Because “n atu ral” does p o t ne
cessarily m ean better, it pays to
creates sim ilar images.
A nother tactic for creating a read all the label inform ation
natural image is to draw atten before buying into the natural
appeal.
Substitutes listed
ces, puddings, quick breads.
Salt may be omitted or reduced
¡4. Example: I f recipe says one
tablespoon, use 1 teaspoons.
W hole grain flour can be sub
stituted for to Vi of the refined
flout: Example: If recipe has
Three cupsaf hptrrpose flo ur.u se
Sugar can be reduced by 1/3. % cup whole g rain flo u r and 2%
Exam ple: I f a recipe says one cups all-purpose flour.
Yogurt or cottage cheese iriay
cup, use 2 /3 cup. This works
best iri canned and frozen fruits be substituted for sour cream in
and in m aking puddings and some recipes for sauces and
custards. It may be less desirea- dips.
Skim milk may be substituted
ble for cookies and cakes.
F at can be reduced by 1/3”. for whole milk in most recipes.
Evaporated milk may be sub
Example: If recipe has six table
spoons, use four tablespobns. stituted for cream in some recipes
This works best in gravies, sau calling for whipped cream.
Dietary guidelines suggest that
we reduce o ur consum ption of
fatj sugar and salt. We also are
encouraged to include more fiber
in our diets by using more whole
grain products,
Sjqme (egipes can be altered
Vegetable dish
recipe given
P r im a v e r a m e a n s “ f ir s t
veg etab les,” referring to the
Spring, but you can make this
colorful and picturesque main-
dish any time I
Pasta primavera
’/ 2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons butter or m arga
rine, divided
!4 cup chopped green onions,
including tops
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
!4 cu p flour
1 cup chicken broth ,
1 cup nonfat milk
*4 teaspoon dried basil leaves,
Crushed
% teaspoon dried oregano leaves,
crushed
*4 teaspoon pepper
% cup grated Parm esan cheese
G rated peel and juice of one
sunkist lemon
8 ounces spiral or other shaped
pasta, or spaghetti^ Cooked arid
drained
1 medium zucchini or yellow
crookneck squash, sliced and
cooked crisp tender
1 pound A laska salm on fillet,
cooked, skinned and chunked
1 small tom ato, diced (about w
cup)
lemon wedges
Parsley
In a ten-inch or larger skillet,
saute m ushroom s in one table
spoon butter until ju st tender;
remove from Skillet. In rem ain
ing twb tablespoons butter, saute
green onions arid garlic. Blend
in flour. Gradually stir in chicken
b ro th , milk basil, oregano and
pepper. Cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly until thick
ened, about 6-8 minutes.* Stir in
Parm esan cheese, lemon peel
and juice. Add cooked pasta;
heat. Gently stir in mushroom s,
zucchini, salm on and tom ato;
heat. A rrange on serving plate.
G arnish with lemon wedges and
parsley. M akes six servings.
Maintain appliances
regularly, carefully
Ari air Conditioner needs an sand, leaves, insects or algae.
nual maintenance to help ensure Also j clean if you detect an odor
s te a d y , to p p e r f o r m a n c e from the air conditioner.
throughout the year.
When sum m er is over, win
Inspect and clean the coil and terizing your air conditioner is
condensate water passages.
also a good idea. To do so: Dis
Check fan and oil fa n m otor. connect electric power. If in
Check th at thè com pressor is stalled th ro u g h th e w all or
sealed and need no oiling.
window—clean to remove leaves,
Carefully follow the iristruc- debris, etc. and cover any parts
tions for your model in the Use exposed to the outside.
and Care Manual.
Remove front cover and insert
A ir conditioners; should be plastic sheet to reduce air pas
cleaned as least once a year or sage. Allow a small am ount of
more often if the condensor air circulation in the b ottom to
coils and pans collect dirt, and prevent moisture build-up, con-
densation and mildew.