PORTLAND, Ore. – Nearly half of Oregon voters age 40 and older have experience as a family caregiver and three in five believe they will be a caregiver in the future, according to a new survey by AARP that provides a profile of caregivers in Oregon.

Joyce DeMonnin, communications director for AARP Oregon, says people help out loved ones in many different ways, such as running errands and other tasks, and they often don't think of themselves as caregivers.

But, as the survey illustrates, they can feel stress in their role.

"Caregivers have many, multiple stressors, including just the stress of managing someone else's life and your own, and difficulties getting enough rest, exercise, eating healthy,” DeMonnin points out. “And all of that stuff leads to caregivers often having their own health issues."

More than seven in 10 caregivers say they have felt stressed out emotionally.

The survey finds the typical family caregiver is a woman in her 60s caring for a parent in his or her 80s.

Rural Oregonians face an additional challenge: more than half of rural caregivers say it takes more than 45 minutes to get their loved one to a doctor, compared with only 17 percent of urban caregivers.

Elaine Friesen-Strang, volunteer state president of AARP Oregon, left the job market at 58 to care for her father in the last few weeks of his life. She's thankful for the time she got with her father but notes there were consequences.

"Reduced Social Security benefits, loss of health care coverage,” she relates. “It means that it's harder to get into the job market once you are in your 60s.

“So I wouldn't have made a different decision. It's not that it didn't have some long-term negative impacts for me personally."

Friesen-Strang and AARP Oregon are supporting House Bill 3031, which would establish paid family and medical leave.

Friesen-Strang says the bill would make it so that people don't have to leave their job to care for someone in their lives.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing Monday.

More than eight in 10 survey respondents also support providing respite so that caregivers can get a break from their duties.


get more stories like this via email

Correcting hearing loss by using hearing aids is a simple and effective way to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia during aging, according to a new Global Council on Brain Health report.

Sarah Lock, executive director of the council, said the report should be a wakeup call for everyone, especially older Americans. She urges people not to let the stigma sometimes associated with hearing loss get in the way of prioritizing hearing health.

"Hearing promotes emotional well being, mental well being and your cognitive health. It's just too important not to take care of," she said. "And when you can do something as simple as getting a hearing aid to correct hearing loss, why wouldn't you want to do that?"

Researchers say if left untreated, hearing loss also increases risks associated with social isolation, loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Lock added the report underscores warnings by the U.S. Surgeon General that the nation is experiencing a loneliness and social isolation epidemic, with health impacts equal to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Age-related hearing decline is not curable, but it can be treated with hearing aids that achieve the crucial goal of helping people hear better. While hearing loss is often associated with aging, Lock says it's important for people of all ages to protect their hearing.

"Pop those little foam plugs in your ears so that you're not having your ears assaulted at work or at noisy concerts. So there are simple things that you can do to protect your hearing, no matter what age you are," she explained.

An AARP survey found that nearly six in ten Americans age 50 and older have not had a hearing test in the past five years, as recommended. And only 38% said their hearing was excellent. But Lock pointed out nearly 8 in 10 say they would address hearing loss if they knew it could impact brain health.

"AARP offers free screenings for members. If you go to AARP.org/hearing, you can find the hearing center, and you can take a free hearing test over the phone," she continued.


get more stories like this via email

AARP Iowa is on a road trip, taking knowledge to family caregivers wherever they are and helping them learn more about the resources that may be available to them. It is part of the association's larger effort to educate people about caregiving in Iowa.

AARP Iowa data show the state's 330,000 unpaid family caregivers provide 310 million hours of care every year in the state, which is valued at more than $5 billion.

Brad Anderson, state director for AARP Iowa, said caregivers are busy and often do not know what to expect or where to get information.

"For example, they need to know, 'How do I get in touch with the Area Agency on Aging?' They need to know, 'How does Medicare work?' They need to know, 'Is my loved one on the right prescription drug program?'" Anderson outlined.

AARP is traveling the state from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River in a big red RV to distribute information. Anderson noted they are making stops at grocery stores, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies; the most likely places to run across people who have just inherited caregiving duties.

There are other, more 'hands-on' things caregivers need to know but Anderson added since most people fall into the role, there is no real formal training and they have to learn their new role on the fly.

"How do I feed my loved one? How do I care for a wound? Maybe how do I even lift this person up and help them into bed?" Anderson explained. "These are all things that sometimes happen, literally, overnight."

The informational tour is scheduled to last into August.

AARP has selected four projects in Idaho to receive $49,000 in grants.

The projects were chosen by the organization's annual Community Challenge grant program. The program is designed to support proposals that make cities more livable for people of all ages, especially those age 50 and older, and can be built quickly.

Marie Bonaminio, a volunteer for AARP Idaho, said the program selected three of the four projects in the state this year to boost rural communities.

"A couple of the grants are things that will bring people outdoors, that will keep them active and also to help some of the things that have fallen apart, to be honest, in some of these areas," Bonaminio explained. "Because they just don't have the dollars to keep things, maybe, fixed up and in good condition."

Projects in the cities of Cascade, Marsing and Salmon will improve outdoor areas to encourage social gathering, especially among older Idahoans. The grant program also is providing $15,000 to LEAP Housing, an Idaho affordable housing nonprofit, which will use the funding to renovate housing in Nampa. The projects must be completed by Dec. 15.

Bonaminio added it is a thrill to get to be part of the Community Challenge grant program.

"You walk away just thinking, 'Wow, we have done so much for these small communities to keep them alive and vibrant,'" Bonaminio observed. "I'm so excited to be part of this project. I look forward to it every year."

This year, AARP is investing $3.8 million in more than 340 projects across the country. Since 2017, it has awarded 30 grants in Idaho, worth nearly $330,000 in total.