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.
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