The Columbia Press
June 25, 2021
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
Caregivers deserve applause
Rosalyn Carter was once
quoted as saying “There are
only four kinds of people in
the world. Those who have
been caregivers. Those who
are currently caregivers.
Those who will be caregivers.
And those who will need a
caregiver.”
Let’s give our caregivers a
salute this week!
Most often, caregivers are
a wife or husband and many
are caring for a parent or
a child. “I’m so calm, hap-
py and well-rested,” said no
caregiver ever.
Caring for someone with
a serious illness can be re-
warding, but it can also be
difficult, overwhelming and,
at times, isolating. Most of
us recognize the tremendous
amount of work and commit-
ment caregiving requires.
Some have heard of Hamid
Reza Sagha, a medical doctor
who has conducted extensive
research into brain function,
memory impairment, and
neurodegenerative disease.
He refers to the “circle of
life,” noting that it’s a cold,
hard reality.
“Our mothers, fathers, or
other loved ones raised us,”
he said. “From the minute
we came into this world, they
fed us, protected us, bathed
us, and dressed us. They
taught us to walk and talk.
They taught us to love and
feel compassion. They taught
us to treat others as we want
them to treat us. They loved
us unconditionally and with-
out any restraint.”
Dr. Sagha goes on to re-
mind us that “Eventually, the
tables turn. Our parents and
loved ones need us. For some
of us, our parents need us to
remind them to take their
medication, to eat, dress, and
bathe. Some of us become re-
sponsible for our loved one’s
safety. As a caregiver, you
often have to put your loved
one’s needs above your own.”
It’s a task for which we
were never trained. However,
there is help out there.
A Savvy Caregiver Work-
shop is a free seven-week
class that provides strate-
gies, skills and group support
for those caring for a family
member or friend with any
dementia-causing
disease
such as Alzheimer’s. The
course is open to all family
caregivers, but you need to
register. The next workshop
starts soon and space is lim-
ited.
The group meets online via
Zoom from 10 a.m. to noon
on Thursdays, July 1 through
Aug. 12. To register, call Su-
zanne Bjaranson at 503-861-
4202 or email suzanne.bja-
ranson@nwsds.org.
“When you care for your
loved ones with Alzhei-
mer’s, you are taking care of
two people — the parent (or
spouse) who still lives in your
memory and the one whom
they are becoming,” Sagha
said.
“Increasingly,
you
mourn the person who loved
and cared for you, but at the
same time, you must care for
a person who doesn’t know
you and may even resent you.
You are helpless in the face of
this horrible disease. Worst
of all, you have no hope (aside
from Heaven) that things will
ever get better (on this plan-
et), only worse.”
By the way, let your smile
change the world, but don’t let
the world change your smile.
7
City reroutes money from marketing to marinas
The Columbia Press
The city of Warrenton has
chosen to withdraw from the
Lower Columbia Tourism
Council.
The council was formed
three decades ago to combine
the efforts of both Astoria
and Warrenton in applying
money obtained from camp-
site and hotel room taxes to-
ward marketing.
But during budget meet-
ings in May, the city’s finance
committee decided to take
funding for LCTC out of the
budget, using the share of tax
money that would have gone
there for its own tourism
projects, such as improve-
ments to Hammond Marina.
On Tuesday night, city
commissioners held a pub-
lic hearing on Warrenton’s
proposed $37 million budget
for 2021-22, which did not
include funding for LCTC. It
was approved unanimously.
Visitors who stay in the
city pay a 12 percent tran-
sient room tax on the amount
charged by the hotel or camp-
ground. About 20 percent of
money collected in Warrenton
was then funneled to LCTC.
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
Anglers make use of the trophy board and gutting station at
Hammond Marina.
But to some Warrenton
“When you have an income
stream like that, you do need leaders, it felt like money
to do some marketing to leaving town to fund projects
make sure it will grow,” said in Astoria.
“You don’t have a tool in
David Reid, executive direc-
tor of the Astoria-Warrenton your toolbox to measure how
Area Chamber of Commerce. good your efforts are,” Com-
The chamber takes 3.5 per- missioner Rick Newton said
cent of Warrenton’s payment earlier this month. “We don’t
to LCTC and uses it for over- have any way to measure if
head such as copying, book- it’s working or not.”
The city wants to renegoti-
keeping, tax filing and more,
ate terms of its arrangements
Reid said.
“Warrenton will lose that with the chamber and LCTC,
ability to control the mes- Mayor Henry Balensifer said.
“Some of the contracts are
sage, to drive tourism where
you want it,” Reid said. “You very old,” he said. “I think we
have a very efficient market- can come out of it bigger and
better or at least better.”
ing firm in LCTC.”
Cruise ship to dock 2 1/2 months in Astoria
A nonpassenger cruise ship
is scheduled to dock at the
Port of Astoria on Thursday,
July 1, where it will remain
for 2 ½ months.
“This decision to accommo-
date the vessel was not taken
lightly,” port officials wrote in
a press release. “Public safety
is our top priority. The port
has received confirmation
from the cruise line that no
suspected or confirmed cases
of COVID-19 have been re-
ported on board the vessel.”
In addition, Norwegian
Cruise Line has provided a
copy of the vessel’s Maritime
Health Declaration and re-
sponse plan, which includes
the protocol for all crew
movements to be done in ac-
cordance with the Centers for
Disease Control’s guidance
for cruise ship crews.
CDC is allowing crew mem-
bers to disembark from all
cruise ships in U.S. waters
with certain precautions.
Cruise lines with complete
and accurate response plans
will be able to disembark
crew members if ships meet
certain criteria, according to
the port. One of the criteria is
no known cases of COVID-19
in the last 28 days.
“The port understands that
community members remain
concerned about the trans-
mission of the disease,” ac-
cording to the press release.
“Therefore, we will continue
to work jointly with the city,
county, U.S. Coast Guard
and Norwegian Cruise Line
to take the necessary mea-
sures to keep our community
safe.”
Detailed information about
the COVID-19 protocol and
safety measures can be found
on the port’s website, porto-
fastoria.com.