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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2011)
8 Summer 2011 Applegater TRENDS AND OBSERVATIONS Regret and relief By Rauno PeRttu Tips on Summertime Sprinkling with Bob Quinn Dear Bob Quinn, We have never had any problems with our well—plenty of water for our needs and more than enough to run a sprinkler for lawn and garden. A neighbor tells me that during warm weather we should run enough sprinklers to keep the pump running continuously. Why should that be? The first reason is that if your pump is going on and off during sprinkling, the power demand is significantly greater. This increased demand to phase the pump in and out can be as much as 30-40%, according to the experts. That translates into a real dollar cost and wasted power resources. Just as important is the fact that such on-off, on- off cycling also takes its toll on your pump, and over a period of time will shorten its life expectancy. Both of these costly conditions can be avoided simply by turning on enough sprinkler heads to keep the pump in operation continually, or install cycle stop valve. Look for future article on cycle stop valves. Would You Believe... Water expands about 9% as it freezes! Bob Quinn is the owner of Quinn’s Well & Pump Service located at 6811 Williams Hwy. We provide well drilling, plus we install, maintain and repair complete water pumping systems. Contact our professional staff by phone, e-mail, or visit our office. www.quinnswell.com CCB #192047 541-862-9355 One of the cruelest things about the it wasn’t Jan but her disease, I would quickly wet towel, and slow loss of a loved one to Alzheimer’s is that and ashamedly apologize. She may have got her to sip two you are forced to grieve a thousand times. forgotten those moments, but I haven’t. glasses of water, A recent Friday was one of those times. Alzheimer’s also wounds the caregiver. she recovered, as Since her diagnosis eight years ago, When I traveled in my work, our if nothing had I have been able to keep my wife Janice at son Kirk, who lives locally, came over to happened. I realized how close she had come home, while working full time. During house-sit and to be a temporary caregiver. the first years, it was not difficult, and As Jan’s condition continued to deteriorate to dying, and she could as easily have we continued to share and enjoy many at an accelerating rate, I could see that it wandered out the gate onto our busy of the things we had enjoyed throughout was becoming difficult for Kirk to provide Upper Applegate Road. She no longer our earlier years. Our concessions were the necessary level of care that he was notices speeding cars. It was obvious she few, and Jan’s cheerful nature helped required to perform when I was traveling. couldn’t safely continue to stay at home. I us to maintain I planned to bring in took her to the care facility an hour later. Sunday, I took her to Lithia Park a hopeful and an outside caregiver uring the first years, it was not positive outlook. on a part-time basis, for a walk. During the past two years, our difficult, and we continued to We thoroughly progressing to full- hikes have become walks. In the past weeks, share and enjoy many of the things e n j o y e d time. In investigating, her walking had continued to decline. we had enjoyed throughout our travel to new I found the rules for Sadly, this walk through the park turned earlier years. destinations and bringing in qualified into a prod, push and pull ordeal that told to favorite places, caregivers wouldn’t me her take-a-walk days have ended. She and maintained an active outdoor work for me. For example, I had to give was happy to be taken back to the facility, lifestyle. The whole family kept a several days advance notice before traveling, where she immediately wandered off to close watch for new treatments and and most of my trips firm up the day before her quickly established new routines. My potential cures that never came. I leave—sometimes on the same day. concerns on what to do with her caregiving About three years ago, Jan’s disease I then reviewed the local care situation had resolved themselves in progressed to a level where we ended facilities and found an excellent one that the nearly fatal incident on Friday. I am left with a strange mixture of our travels. Two years ago, she lost the allowed me to drop off Jan on my way ability to talk and progressively lost the out of town and to pick her up on my guilt, loss, sadness, relief, and the feeling ability to care for herself in basic ways. way home. Jan seemed to like the place, that I have just been released from a As I slowly switched from husband and and other than our missing each other, she confinement that she is accepting with partner to full-time caregiver, I watched had more to do there, and was reportedly apparent ease. At the point when Jan the subtlety and spark fade from Jan’s eyes as happy as she was at home. This made wasn’t able to go to restaurants or stores, or and face, to be replaced by uncertainty and sense because at home, I am working to travel any significant distance without worry and difficulty, increasingly difficult attempts to maintain much of the time I had largely confined the appearance of normality. She would and couldn’t give am left with a strange mixture my activities to study my face to see if she was acting her my full-time of guilt, loss, sadness, relief, work and caregiving appropriately. It’s painful to write about attention. There, and the feeling that i have just been only. Mixed with this, because I’m forced to revisit many she has constant the sadness and earlier moments when I saw the disease supervision and released from a confinement that take another piece of Jan, and admired her i n t e r a c t i o n . she is accepting with apparent ease. guilt, I have an awakening sense of strength in coping and remaining cheerful, D e s p i t e h e r coming back to a when I don’t think I could have been as inability to talk, strong. However, I hope in this telling I she has made friends with other patients, life I want to enjoy for as long as I can in a small way help someone whose and the staff is fond of her. Our children, have left. I’m starting to downsize all loved one is earlier in the progression. friends and work colleagues all told the retirement plans Jan and I made Those earlier in the process may even me I should place her in the facility together into a one-man act, but I’ve also get the promised help from a medical full-time, but I remained reluctant. learned what life can do to any plans. Incidentally, everyone has told me breakthrough that was too late for Jan. That changed on that fateful Friday. In my metamorphosis into a Friday was a typically busy workday. that I shouldn’t feel guilt, but, as anyone caregiver, initially disgusting cleanups I have projects in several states, and caring for someone they love knows, guilt became simple matters of washing Jan, spent several hours Friday afternoon comes, however unreasonably, with the changing her clothes and doing additional in conference calls discussing business territory. I think one basis for that guilt is laundry. My routine included doing details. When I wrapped up a particularly the knowledge that it’s our loved one, not a variety of necessary tasks for Jan, long series of calls, I looked for Jan, but us, suffering from the disease. We forget while carrying on a she was nowhere to be found. After a about ourselves. In reality, Jan, with her business conversation search inside and outside, I called 9-1-1, limited cognition, seems happy, and I am on a portable handset. a call I was able to cancel moments later. left to miss her and to regret. One thing There were moments When I went out to use the car I do not regret is my decision to place her when she refused, or to search the nearby roads, I found Jan in the care facility, because she is safer and didn’t understand, to do slumped down between the driver’s door at least as happy. Mixed with my sadness, something I considered and the steering wheel. I hadn’t seen her I feel a freedom I haven’t felt in years. important. I would in the car before because of the way she Eventually, I hope mostly to remember occasionally lose my was wedged into her spot. She had put our happy times and that wonderful cool and scold her in her coat on and sat in the closed, stiflingly Jan of yesteryear. With time, I hope my frustrated anger. She hot car on a warm, sunny day until she regrets will fade into memories of our would look at me in passed out. Her coat and other clothes exciting life together, and of lasting love. Rauno Perttu • 541-899-8036 u n c o m p r e h e n d i n g were drenched in sweat. After I removed jrperttu@charter.net nervous fright. Realizing her clothes, wiped her down with a cool D I Advertisers ~ Call: Jackson County Sally Buttshaw 541-646-8418 Josephine County Jill Wright 541-324-0950
