THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021 Page 17 week of July 5-9. The House and Senate apBeacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local representatives and senators from the proved a $48.1 fiscal 2022 budget. The House also approved a new set of rules under which the Houser will operate beginning October 1. Despite repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call, Rep. Bill Galvin (D-Canton), the chair of the Rules Committee and author of the new rules package, did not respond to e-mails asking him to explain his reasons for voting against many of the amendments proposed to the package. Other representatives in the Democratic leadership who did not respond to repeated requested for a comment on why they voted against many of the amendments include Reps. Claire Cronin (D-Easton), Kate Hogan (D-Stow), Michael Moran (D-Brighton), Sarah Peake (D-Provincetown) and Joe Wagner (D-Chicopee). $48.1 BILLION FISCAL 2022 BUDGET (H 4002) House 160-0, Senate 400, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker a compromise version of a $48.1 billion fi scal 2022 state budget for the fi scal year that began on July 1. The House and Senate had approved diff erent version of the budget and a six-member conference committee hammered out a compromise version. The state has been operating on a temporary one-month budget approved by the Legislature and the governor. Baker now has ten days to use his veto power to veto any items in this new budget and send them back to the Legislature which can override any of the vetoes with a two-thirds vote. The budget is based on new estimates that tax collections in fi scal year 2022 will increase by more than $4.2 billion above the amount originally predicted by the governor, the House and the Senate a few months ago. In light of the pandemic, elected offi cials had for months braced themselves for a substantial decrease in tax revenues and a cut in some programs and/ or even a tax increase. The new estimates also led to the conference committee’s cancellation of a planned withdrawal from the state’s Rainy Day Fund of at least $1.5 billion. Offi cials also project a $1.1 billion deposit into the fund which will drive its balance to $5.8 billion by the end of fi scal year 2022. It also cancels a plan to raise fees on Uber and Lyft rides in order to generate new money for cities and towns, the MBTA and other infrastructure projects. Other provisions include a $350 million fund that could be used in future years to help cover the cost of the $1.5 billion school funding reform law passed in 2019; permanently extending the state’s tax credit for fi lm production companies in Massachusetts; and a new law that will provide victims of violent crime and human traffi cking enhanced protections. That provision is based on a bill fi led by Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). Sa enir Sa y Senior Senio BY JIM MILLER The Hidden Dangers of Sleep Apnea Dear Savvy Senior, How can you know when someone has sleep apnea? My husband has become such a terrible snorer that he wakes himself up at night, and he keeps me up too. Dear Teri, If your husband is a loud snorer who wakes himself up during sleep, he probably needs to be tested for sleep apnea, a dangerous disorder that aff ects more than 22 million Americans, but often goes undiagnosed. Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person to stop breathing during sleep, hundreds of times during the night, for 10 seconds or more at a time. Left untreated, it can cause extreme daytime sleepiness, as well as a host of serious health conditions like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes and dementia. In fact, it’s estimated that every year, around 38,000 Americans die in their sleep from a heart attack or stroke because of sleep apnea. But the good news is that sleep apnea is very treatable and most insurance companies, including Medicare, cover it. Who Has It? There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed. Of the three, obstructive sleep apnea (or OSA) is by far the most common and occurs when the throat muscles relax during sleep, blocking the airway. While anyone can have it, sleep apnea is most common in people who are overweight, male, middle-aged and older. For women, the risk increases after menopause. The symptoms include loud snoring (however not everyone who snores has apnea), long pauses of breathing, gasping or choking during sleep and daytime drowsiness. But because most of these symptoms happen during sleep, most people don’t recognize them. It’s usually the person they’re sleeping with who notices it. Diagnosing Sleep Apnea To help you get a handle on your husband’s problem, the American Sleep Apnea Association has several diagnostic tests he can take at SleepApnea.org/ treat – click on “Test Yourself.” If the screening indicates that he may have sleep apnea, make Tired Teri an appointment with his doctor or a sleep specialist who will probably recommend an overnight diagnostic sleep test called polysomnography, which can take place at a sleep center lab (see SleepEducation.com), or at home using a portable device. Treatment Options Your husband is at greater risk for sleep apnea if he’s overweight, smokes, and/or consumes excessive amounts of alcohol. Excess weight, especially around the neck, puts pressure on the airway, which can cause it to collapse. Smoking can increase the amount of infl ammation and fl uid retention in the upper airway. And alcohol and sleeping pills can relax the muscles in the back of his throat, interfering with breathing. Addressing these issues, if necessary, is usually the fi rst line of treatment. If that doesn’t do the trick, mild cases of sleep apnea may respond to oral devices that fi t into the mouth like a removable mouth guard or retainer. These devices work by positioning the lower jaw slightly forward to keep the airway open during sleep. Another noninvasive treatment option to consider is the new FDA approved eXciteOSA device (eXciteOSA.com). This treats sleep apnea and snoring by improving tongue muscle function by delivering electrical stimulation to the tongue through a mouthpiece that’s worn for just 20 minutes during the day. If none of these options work, the most effective and commonly prescribed treatment for OBA is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This involves sleeping with a snorkel-like mask that’s hooked up to a machine that gently blows air up the nose to keep the passages open. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior
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