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 Meet Oregon Home Care Commissioner Mark King
Mark King, the newest member of the Oregon Home Care Commission, depends on the very services the commission oversees to enable him to live on his own and volunteer his services as chairman of the commission's training committee.
King, 47, is nearly totally paralyzed as a result of an accident in 1980.
"I was a teenager skiing on Mt. Hood," Mark says. "During one of my runs I took a fall and hit my head hard. I was able to ski the rest of the day, unaware that a blood clot had formed on my spinal cord. The next day the blood clot moved and lodged at the base of my brain. That left me paralyzed from the neck down, leaving me unable to breathe on my own. I was given only hours to live, but thanks to my family and health care providers, I am alive today," he says.
Earlier this year, Oregon Senate confirmed Mark as a member of the Home Care Commission, which is responsible for ensuring the quality of home care services that are funded by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
"It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child," says Cheryl Miller, the commission's executive director. "But it truly takes everyone within that village to ensure it is a vital and supportive living environment for all, regardless of age, sex, race or disability."
As head of the training committee, Mark facilitates a group that helps to plan and coordinate training for home care workers statewide. Training opportunities are available to the approximately 17,000 registered home care workers, more than 11,000 of whom are paid monthly to provide in-home services to seniors and people with physical disabilities in Oregon.
"The training committee is critical in that it addresses the issues concerning training opportunities for home care workers and the consumers who employ these workers," Miller says.
Mark is an "extraordinary" individual and example of the type of volunteer and giving spirit that makes Oregon a special place to live, Miller says. "Mark plays a vital role and (provides) a vital service," she says.
Mark lives in his own home in Portland with support from home care workers.
"Mark appeared in person for his Senate appointment hearing despite the possibility of a long wait while using his battery operated ventilator," Miller says. "He could have attended the hearing by phone, but it was important to him to attend in person."
By statute, five of the nine commissioners must be "consumers" of home care services, such as Mark.
"I feel very honored to be allowed to serve on the Oregon Home Care Commission," he says. "I can be a useful part of society. I am able to help seniors and people with disabilities and the people who take care of them. In a society where my disability does not always allow me to fit or join in, this makes me feel very normal and useful."
Commission member Angela Munkers, who is interim field services manager for DHS Seniors and People with Disabilities Program, says that Mark provides an important consumer voice on the Oregon Home Care Commission. "By facilitating and chairing the training committee he gives a perspective that is vital and necessary," Munkers says. "He takes this responsibility seriously. Oregon is very lucky Mark is volunteering his time for such an important project."
Mark's home care workers assist him with his daily personal needs such as bowel and bladder care, bathing, getting him into his wheelchair and into his bed, preparing his meals, grocery shopping, running errands, and taking him to doctor appointments. These workers also assist Mark with some of his most critical needs by monitoring and maintaining his airway and the equipment that keeps him alive.
Mark is dependent on his home care workers. "Because I cannot breathe at all without the assistance of my machines, a caregiver must be here and alert at all times in case of a problem," he said.
Mark is committed to living in his own home as independently as possible with the help of his home care workers. Living in another setting would not allow Mark to volunteer his services. He values his independence, which allows him to advocate for others, chair the training committee, and fully engage in the community.
"My caregivers mean everything to me, said Mark. "Without them I would have to move into a nursing home. With their help I am able to live in my own home and live my life the way that I choose, allowing me to keep my independence."
The Oregon Home Care Commission meets in Salem on the first Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and time is allowed for public comments. For more information on the commission or if you are a senior or a person with a disability and you are interested in serving on the commission, call 503-378-2733 or visit the commission's website.
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