Director's Message

May 19, 2006

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director

  "Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength." Betty Friedan  

The temptation with writing a weekly message is to take the path of least resistance by simply sending something that may be little more than a rehash of a recent event or announcement. That isn't what this week's message is, so please keep reading.  

Next week the Governor's Commission on Senior Services begins an extensive series of community and video forums on whether Oregon is ready to deal with an aging population. In announcing these forums two weeks ago we talked about how the first baby boomer turned 60 this year and how the oldest of the boomers represent the leading edge of a demographic tidal wave that will last for a generation.  

The importance of these forums, which begin Tuesday in Newport, shouldn't be overlooked. Within the next decade 15 percent of Oregon's total population will be over the age of 65 compared with 12 percent last year. By 2025, one out of every five Oregonians will be over age 65. Statistics indicate that the number of Oregonians who need long-term care will grow from nearly 200,000 in 2005 to more than 374,000 in 2025.  

As Governor Kulongoski said when he announced the forums on May 5: "The time to prepare for this situation is now."  

But there's more going on here than forums to let communities know that they need to prepare for an onslaught of senior citizens. There are issues that cut across all areas of DHS -- issues such as delivering long-term care, preventing chronic disease, maintaining good mental health, even providing child care.  

For example, if you work in one of our Children, Adults and Families (CAF) programs, consider that an estimated 44 percent of Americans have both an aging parent and a young child for whom they care. This has prompted the development of innovative new programs that provide cross-generational day care for both children and seniors.  

If you are involved with Medicaid, then you know that long-term care is the largest single expense for our Medicaid program, and increasing.  

Last week our Public Health office in collaboration with our Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services released a comprehensive prevention plan for elder suicide. The plan proposes that partnerships be built across disciplines and a range of intervention programs be developed in many settings. It also calls for integrating primary and behavioral health care and bringing suicide-prevention activities into existing service delivery systems.  

The reality is that an aging population is something we need to think about and deal with as an agency and not just as an issue for Seniors and People with Disabilities. That kind of silo thinking can seriously limit how DHS tackles the tough issues that face the state and society in general.  

The Governor and his Commission on Senior Services are at the forefront of bringing together local community leaders, senior advocates, service providers, adults with aging parents, seniors and others to discuss shaping the future of how Oregon deals with an aging population.  

Oscar Wilde once said, "I am not young enough to know everything." I agree, but one thing I do know is that DHS can add to that discussion by each of us asking ourselves how this changing demographic affects our job. An honest appraisal may find more than we think. Now is the time to think creatively and work collaboratively as we plan for the realities of the coming years.    

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.

If you have a disability and need this message to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us, or call (503) 947-5107. You can also fax your request to (503) 373-7690, or call (503) 947-5080 for TTY service. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.