Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, August 17, 2011
Report says family caregivers doing more EPA works with states to protect
by Chris Thomas, Oregon
News Service
Despite a boom in assisted
living and elder-care services,
family members still handle
most of the daily care-giving for
older relatives. These “jobs”
are worth $5.5 million in Ore-
gon and $450 billion nation-
wide, according to a new report
from AARP, affecting care-
givers’ health and financial se-
curity as they juggle these re-
sponsibilities.
About 90 percent of the in-
home care needed by older
adults is provided by family
members, according to the re-
port, which adds that as people
live longer and families are
smaller, there are fewer rela-
tives to pitch in. And those who
do often neglect their own
needs, says study co-author
Susan Reinhard, AARP senior
vice president for public policy.
At midlife, she notes, many
people quit their jobs or go
part-time to care for older rela-
tives, “We know that their re-
tirement security is in jeopardy.
This is true for both men and
women that provide this kind of
care: An average of over
$300,000 in lost income and
benefits over the caregiver’s
lifetime.”
In Oregon, the report esti-
mates 463,000 people are fam-
ily caregivers, providing servic-
es that would otherwise cost
more than $12 an hour. It sug-
gests more support in a num-
ber of areas, such as better fol-
low-up after hospital visits, flex-
time policies on the job, and fi-
nancial assistance and respite
care for caregivers.
The average unpaid care-
giver, the report says, is a 49-
year-old woman, putting in
about 20 hours a week – but
that’s just an average. Vicki
Schmall, professor emeritus of
gerontology at Oregon State
University, says caregivers
come in all ages. What they
have in common, she says, is
that most don’t have the train-
ing or the support network to
help them with their family
member’s health conditions,
“We have caregivers that are in
their 80s and 90s, providing
care to a spouse. And then
sometimes, may have a 20-
year-old or a teenager that is
providing care to a family mem-
ber.”
Having an outside expert as-
sess a family’s situation and
make recommendations about
the kinds of help available is a
good start, Schmall says. The
state has an Aging and Disabil-
ities Resource Connection
website at adrcofor.org for
caregivers. The AARP website,
aarp.org, also contains infor-
mation.
The report, “Valuing the In-
valuable: The Growing Contri-
butions and Costs of Family
Caregiving,” is online at
www.aarp.org.
What is real price of carbon pollution?
by Chris Thomas, Oregon
News Service
If everything in life has its
price, the price of carbon is $21
a ton, according to the federal
government. This means every
ton of carbon emissions from
car tailpipes, power plants and
manufacturing causes about
$21 worth of damage to people
and the environment, or about
21 cents for every gallon of
gasoline burned.
A new study from a Port-
land-based think tank made up
of 200 economists nationwide
says that figure is far too low.
Economists at Tufts University
who are members of the Eco-
nomics for Equity and the Envi-
ronment (E3) Network say a
more realistic estimate would
be from $264 to $893 per ton.
Kristen Sheeran, director of
economics for E3 Network, ex-
plains that putting a “social
cost” on carbon is one way to
help people understand the ef-
fects of climate change pollu-
tion – and not only on the envi-
ronment, “We think about it as
a change in ecosystems; we
think about it as affecting polar
bears. Relatively few people
think about what climate
change will mean to the quality
of their life in the future, to the
quality of their children’s lives,
and what all of those changes
will mean, in dollar terms.”
Sheeran explains that the
social cost figure is important
because it could be used for
setting rules about fuel econo-
my, power-plant regulations
and more. If it is flawed or out-
dated, relevant federal or state
decisions about curbing carbon
emissions could be, too, she
warns, “What these numbers
suggest is that the current esti-
mates we may be using to af-
fect policy decisions are many
orders of magnitude off. So,
which side do you want to err
on? The kinds of risks and im-
pacts that scientists are talking
about from climate change are
potentially irreversible.”
The report does not suggest
that the government impose a
carbon tax of hundreds of dol-
lars per ton on industry, Sheer-
an says. Rather, it points out
that $21 per ton is so low, it
sends a message that climate
change is not much of a prob-
lem, when even government
scientists agree that is not the
case.
The report, “Climate Risks
and Carbon Prices” is available
at www.e3network.org/social_
cost_carbon.html.
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
503-901-1705
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com
beachgoers from water pollution
Pacific Northwest and Alas-
ka beaches will be safer for
swimming thanks to $717,000
in beach monitoring grants to
the states of Alaska, Oregon,
Washington, and to the Makah
Tribe on Washington’s Olympic
Peninsula.
The grants, funded by the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, will boost water quality
monitoring efforts, make warn-
ings or closure notices more
timely and protect swimmers
and beach users from pollution.
Alaska, Oregon, Washington
and Makah Tribe will use the
grant funds for collecting and
reporting water quality data
such as harmful bacteria, and
notifying the public of any water
quality concerns. The grants
will go to: State of Alaska,
$154,000,
Oregon Public
Health Authority, $236,000,
Washington State Department
of Ecology, $277,000, Makah
Tribe, $50,000.
“Our goal is to keep all
beaches safe for recreation,”
said Mike Bussell, EPA’s Direc-
tor of the Office of Water and
Watersheds in Seattle. “These
grants help our state partners
keep a close watch on coastal
water quality, giving beach-
going families the protection
they deserve.”
Nationwide, EPA is providing
almost $10 million this year in
beach grants to 37 states, terri-
tories, and tribes to help protect
swimmers and beachgoers at
America’s beaches.
State and local monitoring
and notification programs often
differ across the country and
provide varying levels of swim-
mer protection. EPA beach
grants are intended to ensure
that the public receives better
protection when traveling to
beaches across the country.
The program is authorized by
the Beaches Environmental
Assessment and Coastal
Health Act (BEACH Act) of
2000. EPA estimates that
Americans make a total of 910
million trips to coastal areas
each year, spending about $44
billion.
Columbia County
Domestic Abuse
Mental Health
Hotline
800-294-5211
503-397-6161
-----------------
or
Suicide Hotline
866-397-6161
1-800-
-----------------
784-2433
or
1-800-273-
TALK(8255)
Military Helpline
888-HLP-4-VET
(888-457-4838)