Oregon Senate passes bill to help parents who are caregivers of disabled children
Calli Ross watched lawmakers on Friday from the Senate gallery as her red-headed 8-year-old son Tensy sat beside her in his wheelchair.
A breathing tube connected to a machine keeps Tensy alive. A separate tube provides nourishment. He suffers seizures and needs around-the-clock care due to a combination of other health issues.
Tensy has primordial dwarfism, a growth disorder, and weighed 3 pounds at birth. He also faces end-stage heart and lung disease. A cardiac arrest that blocked the flow of oxygen to his brain for 33 minutes left him unable to walk.
After senators unanimously passed Senate Bill 91, Calli Ross said her son can spend more time with both his parents. That’s because the bill would pay parents to care for their children with high intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Ross’ husband, Dane, works about 90 hours a week as a chef at two restaurants so the Sherwood family can make ends meet while she cares for their son. With the measure’s passage, the family expects he can cut back on his hours.
“Senate Bill 91 is life-changing for us,” Ross told the Capital Chronicle after the vote. “We’ve just been going, going, going, but my husband will be able to take some time off or he’ll be able to do one job. And then I will be able to get some sleep at last.”
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2023/06/23/oregon-senate-passes-bill-to-help-parents-who-are-caregivers-of-disabled-children/
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