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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2019)
B2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2019 My brother’s burden Dear Annie: My older ance. That’s not surprising. The brother is disabled. He was emotional and physical labor quite functional after he fi rst of caregiving can be incredi- had a stroke, but did not take bly draining and lead caregiv- care of himself. He wouldn’t ers to neglect their own needs. take his medications, ate I encourage you to make a ther- unhealthy food, drank apy appointment today. too much and watched You deserve support as DEAR TV all day. much as your brother ANNIE As a result, he is now does. very disabled. Has dif- Toward that end, fi culty walking, talking, be upfront with your falls a lot and cannot brother. Tell him that control his bodily func- you’ll no longer be tak- tions. On top of that, ing him on long trips, he is stubborn and lies but that you’ll continue constantly. His kids and ANNIE LANE offering him support Creators grandchild moved out in other ways that you Syndicate Inc. because they were tired can. Stating your lim- of dealing with him. itations is not giving He is my brother and I am up on him; it’s making it pos- doing what I can to keep him sible for you not to give up on out of a nursing home — paying him. You can’t care for anyone, for a caregiver, making sure his including your brother, if you house is repaired and providing don’t fi rst take care of yourself. fi nancial support. The problem If you need more confi dence is that it has become impossi- that you’re doing the right ble for me to take him with me thing, try a thought experiment: when I attend out-of-town fam- If the tables were turned, what ily gatherings. He refuses to use would you ask of him? What a walker or wheelchair, which would you expect? Then you’ll means it takes an extraordi- see that you’ve been more than nary amount of time to get him patient with him, and he is ask- places — to the point that we ing more of you than is fair. have missed events. Sweet sister, know that your I have a great deal of trou- big brother is lucky to have ble getting him in and out of you, whether or not he’s capa- the car. I am unable to pick him ble of recognizing that at the up when he falls. I just cannot moment. bathe him or change his soiled Dear Annie: I have a lit- clothes, that is way too much tle more advice for “Solo for a sister. My family all live Soul-Searching,” who wrote in a rural area of the state and in asking for tips for her there are few resources for cross-country trip. assistance. I cannot afford to Last June, we drove an RV pay for a caregiver to accom- from Texas to Utah. Going pany us; I can barely afford his through New Mexico and Ari- home care. zona was kind of terrifying. How do I tell him that I can You must be very prepared, no longer take him on away especially in the summer, with trips to visit family? I attended lots of water and gas. Gas sta- our nephew’s graduation with- tions are few and far between. out telling him, and he found It’s very desolate out there. It out. I am starting to feel really was scorching hot, even in the depressed about this. The rest mountains of Utah. — Robin R. of the family have tried to help, Dear Robin R: I’ve had few but gave up on him for their experiences more nerve-wrack- own sanity. I would be so grate- ing than driving through a long ful for any advice you have. stretch of desert as the gas — Drowning gauge dipped terrifyingly close Dear Drowning: More to “E.” Ample water and fuel than 40 percent of caregiv- should always be top of mind ers have symptoms of depres- for the cross-country traveler. sion, according to a report from Thanks for writing, and happy the Family Caregiver Alli- trails in the future. WYN •D Photos by David Campiche LEFT: Sea anemone and urchins at the bottom of Sitka Bay. RIGHT: Starfi sh at the Sitka Sound Science Center. Sitka: Sitka Sound Science Center takes ocean and river science to the classroom Continued from Page B1 In Naselle and on the Nemah River in Pacifi c County, modern day hatcheries supply our fi sh- ing waters with chum, sil- ver and Chinook salmon. In Chinook, the oldest hatchery in the Northwest is gearing up again after a decade long sojourn. In Alaska, these hatch- ery programs spread across the state. On Baranof Island, there are fi ve hatcher- ies that produce hundreds of millions of 6-inch fry. Five percent return as mature salmon. Until last year, the industry had grown back to numbers that reminded old timers of earlier salmon booms. One hatchery in particular, the Sitka Sound Science Center, has drawn a lot of attention. Researchers from Port- land State University, the University of Califor- nia, Santa Cruz and oth- ers gather here. Even the Coast Guard pitches in. The Sitka National His- torical Park is intertwined into the program. Under study: kelp forests, sub- tidal surveys, salmon and rockfi sh observations, bio- logical monitoring and studies of ocean acidifi ca- tion, just to mention a few. Though small, the cen- ter features a sweetheart aquarium open all year to the public. This is a visit into the subtidal world of underwater plants, fi sh and organisms that inun- date these coastal waters. Good science is the key. Outreach manager, Sandy McClung, seems apprised on every aspect regarding regional and global envi- ronmental events. Her eyes and ears are glued to our children’s future. This science center captivates the imagination. Protecting natural resources is a game we can win, McClung said. And she has answers. To add a slight twist to Henry David Thoreau, “in sci- ence lies the preservation of the planet.” The Sitka Sound Sci- ence Center takes ocean and river science to the classroom, beginning with kindergarten and expand- ing through high school. The guiding force is sim- ple enough: Get the kids involved. Share with them the penetrating aspects of a changing world. Pique their interest now, and you will set a moveable standard. Washington state’s governor knows. Breed salmon, he says. He is now pulling dollars from state funds for that very purpose. Say what you wish, but Jay Inslee is on a binge to save the planet. As a candidate for presi- dent of the United States, he has put, as his single pressing issue, a plan to fi ght global warming. Meanwhile Sitka (Sheet’ka) gallops along. The boats come in daily with loads of bright fat salmon, huge halibut and white fi sh, like lingcod or sable fi sh. Tourists fl ock to this lovely city on the water. They catch the fi sh. They eat the fi sh. Does this remind you of home? David Campiche writes the column, “Close to Home,” focusing on connections between the Northwest and Colum- bia-Pacifi c region. He lives on the Long Beach Peninsula. Wyndham Destinations NOW HIRING at our SEASIDE and LONG BEACH Locations Wyndham Destinations (NYSE:WYND) believes in putting the world on vacation. With significant size and scale advantages and a focus on delivering great vacation experiences the world over, our global company leverages industry-leading sales and marketing platforms to drive long-term, profitable growth. We also offer life changing career opportunities, with incredible earning potential, comprehensive benefits, and unlimited career growth opportunities from Sales & Marketing, Administrative, customer service and housekeeping. Incredible benefits which kick in within 30 days of employment. Including medical, dental, vision, matching 401K, travel benefits, a gorgeous beach view and many more! 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