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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2022)
The Columbia Press January 28, 2022 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Words can hurt plenty “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words shall never hurt me.” When I think back on my few broken bones these past several years, I realize that they mended and maybe even became stronger in the very places where they were broken. I also realize that I’m a great deal more careful as a result of those falls. In fact, before I retire to my bedroom in the evening, I take an extra moment to look around the rest of my home to see if maybe some- thing is on the floor that I could trip over during the night or early morning. So, like the kids often say, “it’s all good.” But for many years I have taken issue with the second half of the prov- erb, “But words shall never hurt me.” Broken bones don’t real- ly affect my personality or bravery. But the damage done by verbal abuse and hurtful words is often irrep- arable. So I prefer to rewrite it to say “words will always hurt me.” Mental wounds can grind and ooze for decades and be reopened by the quietest whisper. The Bible has a lot to say about words. A favorite verse for both me and my late husband, Bill, is Prov- erbs 25:11, “A word fitly spo- ken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Thinking about my Bill, I am reminded that we would have been married 71 years this week had he lived in- stead of slipping up to Heav- en almost 18 years ago. When I think back, com- munication was one of our strongest assets. We need to remember that the fragil- ity of human emotions has yet to be completely under- stood. Proverbs 21:9 tells us that “It is better to dwell in a cor- ner of the housetop (on the flat roof exposed to all kinds of weather) than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome and fault-find- ing woman.” If you think about it, many of us have seen both men and women who are nicer to their pets than their mates. We widows and widowers have more pondering time than when we were couples. I remember one of my neighbors giving me ad- vice when I was about to be married, telling me to try to find something to praise my hubby for every day. You know, like admire his mus- cles or, if he doesn’t have any, then admire his lean- ness or his eyes or hair (or smooth head). In turn, if you want your mate to stand a little taller, try praising him or her in public. As Bill’s secretary, I used to love it when he would put his arm around me and say to his business associate, “Best secretary I ever got my hands on.” That made me feel like go- ing that extra mile to please him. You could say those were words “fitly spoken” like apples of gold! 7 Here’s to Your Health by Dr. Juliette Moore as told to Alyssa Evans CMH surgeon hopes to be a calming force It’s not unusual for a pa- tient to be afraid of surgery or for test results and what they might mean. Patients often come to surgeons when they’ve hit their most vulner- able point: they’re scared, sick and in pain. “However, it should not be normal to have fear of judg- ment or ridicule in the health care setting,” says Dr. Juliette Moore. Moore hopes to be a calm- ing force and to make Colum- bia Memorial Hospital a safe space for all patients. When Moore works with a patient, she asks the patient for permission before doing anything. She also informs the patient about care op- tions and what her care rec- ommendations are. “This is very much a team dynamic,” she said. “It’s not me telling them what to do. It’s their bodies. I want to make sure that we are ac- knowledging that and re- specting their (individual) body autonomy.” When creating safe spaces, it’s important to acknowledge and respect other people’s identities. For example, be- fore a patient is seen, Moore makes sure her staff knows what the patient’s preferred name and pronouns are. “Creating safe spaces means regarding and respecting people’s personal experienc- es including, but not limited to, gender identity, sexual orientation and religious be- liefs,” Moore said. By allowing patients to comfortably be themselves, Moore creates a strong con- nection with her patients. “The coolest thing about creating a safe space is that patients will open up to you about things,” she said. “I’ve had a couple of people make the comment ‘You know, I’ve never told anyone this.’ And they’ll just open up about something.” If a patient has a question or concern, Moore does what she to provide information or by referring the patient to another resource. Her care essentially reflects the golden rule: treating others as you would want to be treated. “The way that I approach my patients is the way that I approach anyone that I’m go- ing to interact with,” Moore said. “The idea of creating safe spaces doesn’t stop when you leave the office at the end of the day. We should all be striving to create space for people for things that they need.” Here’s to Your Health is sponsored by Columbia Memorial Hospital. Moore is a general surgeon for the hospital. Letter to the Editor Praise for city workers during tough times On Thursday, Jan. 6, the storm caused my basement to flood badly. My sump pump wasn’t working, so I called the War- renton Fire Department to ask for help. Fire Chief Brian Alsbury and fireman Scott Watson came to my rescue. They fixed the sump pump so that it was working again. Then they went out of their way to fix my drainage prob- lem, replacing the broken water pipe and making a drainage ditch to run the wa- ter away from the house. Our community can be very proud of our hero firefighters serving us all every day. We should remember to thank them all. Glenda Doner Warrenton Special columns in The Columbia Press Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Week 1: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer Week 2: Financial Focus with Adam Miller Week 3: Spotlight on the City Week 4: Here’s to Your Health from CMH