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Of a certain age Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain age... 9.12.18 Living the best years of your life in Sisters
• Staying active: Mind your feet ..... pg. 16 • Be safer in your car with Sisters program.....pg. 17 • There’s no place like home ............. pg. 18 • Sisters woman meets long-lost brother .. pg. 19 ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JACOBLUND
SPRD programs designed for active seniors grow in Sisters A number of organizations are working to bring more useful programs to Sisters seniors. An example is the 60+ Senior Health Fair, which is is coming back to the community of Sisters this fall. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, Central Oregon Council on Aging, and Sisters Park and Recreation district will once again partner on the health fair, scheduled for Friday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held at Sisters Park & Recreation’s Coffield Center at the west end of the Sisters High School parking lot. “Last year there were 24 participants, with over 200 in attendance, at this point we have 34 groups looking to participate in this year’s Senior Health Fair,” said organizer Shannon Rackowski. Some of the new presenters this year will include: Your Care; Sisters Drug Co.; The Lodge at Sisters; Comfort Keepers; and Shiubi Spa. “I believe that this year will do even better than last year’s,” said Rackowski. There is no charge for seniors or family members; this is a FREE service from the event partners. For additional information please contact Shannon Rackowski at 541-272-0529 or shanrack@ gmail.com. SPRD offers a range of programs and classes for seniors, including Stretch and flex; Step Aerobics; and Zumba. Adults can learn to play ukulele, do tai chi and play pickleball. The SAGE Room (Senior Activities Gatherings & Experience) offers a place to play games and table tennis.
SPRD interim director Courtney Snead said that the SAGE Room is “a great asset” and the organization will work on how best to utilize it to enhance programs for seniors. Snead said that, with the passage of local option funding, there are opportunities to review what the district offers and do some outreach to determine
the kinds of programs the senior community in Sisters would like to have. She said that planning and outreach will be ongoing through the fall, with some new programing likely in place around the first of the year. “We are ex ci t ed t o serve the senior community and we are looking
forward to finding out how we can best do that,” Snead said.
For more information, contact SPRD at 541-549-2091.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain age
Music and memory By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
Spending three days immersed in music during the Sisters Folk Festival offers a reminder of the profound power that music has to move people, body and soul. Whether it’s a danceable rhythm, a moving lyrical story or a voice that raises goosebumps, music strikes deep and resonant chords in people of all ages. It can have astounding impact on elders. My father, Bob Cornelius, is 90 years old. He’s in great health, walking at least a mile and a half in Crossroads every single day during the summer, when he stays with my family. He’s “with it” cognitively — but his short-term memory is pretty much shot. Ask him what he had for breakfast this morning, and he couldn’t tell you, and sometimes we have to remind him several times about things that we’ve discussed several times in recent days. One morning last week, he told me he’d woken up with a song running through his head — and proceeded to sing “I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo” word for word, verse for verse. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H I got a gal in Kalamazoo Don’t want to boast but I know S h e ’s t h e t o a s t o f Kalamazoo (Zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo) Years have gone by My, my, how she grew I liked her looks When I carried her books in Kalamazoo (Zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo)… His 90-year-old brain had
no problem at all calling up the lyrics of a Glenn Miller song from 1942. I’ve seen some other remarkable instances of music cutting through foggy memory or even more severe cognitive impairment. I once played music for a group of elders dealing with Alzheimer’s disease. One of the women seemed scarcely to even be “there.” Yet when I struck the distinctive riff of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” a light came on, and she sat up a little, and began to mouth the lyrics. It was one of the most extraordinary musical moments of my life. The nonprofit organization Music & Memory (www.musicandmemory.org) notes that, “An April 2018 study reports that ‘objective evidence from brain imaging shows personally meaningful music is an alternative route for communicating with patients who have Alzheimer’s disease.’ The research, published by a team at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer ’s Disease, demonstrates that familiar music may facilitate attention, reward and motivation, which in turn makes it more possible to manage emotional distress in Alzheimer’s.” Neuroscience backs up what we intuitively know — music reaches people on a deep level, and sticks around intact when other areas of the memory fragment and fall away. Hearing is an issue. It’s hard to fully enjoy music when your hearing has gone See MEMORY on page 17
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Senior living nears completion By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief & Sue Stafford Correspondent Construction has been underway all summer just south of the Sisters Post Office, as The Lodge in Sisters rises from the meadow. The senior living facility is well on its way to completion — and reservations are available. Owner Peter Hoover told The Nugget last week that there are 62 total units — 28 studios; 28 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units. “We’ve been taking reservations and we’re about 30 percent committed as of right now,” he said. “Constructionwise, we should finish up in December.” After that, the facility must pass a state inspection, after which it can open. Hoover, who has a background in financial planning, experienced first-hand the need for appropriate local care for seniors when his parents moved here from California to live across the street from Hoover and his family. He and his father were the sole caregivers for his mother as she declined in ill health. The intention for The Lodge in Sisters is to provide a quality, hospitable residence for both independent seniors and those requiring some assistance with their daily activities such as medication management. There will be no memory care or skilled nursing care available; however, there will be a fulltime registered nurse on staff. For residents who no longer drive, transportation will
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
The Lodge at Sisters is under construction and taking reservations. be available. Hoover hopes to work in partnership with a medical transport company to get residents to doctor appointments. Interest in The Lodge was immediate, as soon as plans were filed with the City of Sisters.. “We knew there was a desire and need for a facility but we’re stunned by the positive reception and enthusiasm we have seen,” Hoover told The Nugget earlier this year.
Hoover told The Nugget that it’s an honor and a commitment to be able to say, “You can be with friends and family and maintain community connections which are important to retain. Honoring our seniors is a wonderful experience to be part of.” More information is available at www.thelodgeinsisters.com. Hoover can be reached at 541549-5634 or by email at THRIVIFYLLC@gmail. com.
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Of a certain age Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Staying active: Mind your feet By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
You tapped them through the Sisters Folk Festival — or got out of your chair and danced on them. They carry you up and down the hiking trails of Sisters Country. They get you to work and to the grocery store. By the time we hit “a certain age,” our feet have walked tens of thousands of miles, stood for hours on hard surfaces (and if you’re a woman, probably in heels). All that takes a toll — and not just on our feet. Ankles, knees and backs all pay the price for what we put our feet through. And that’s to say nothing about medical conditions, like diabetes, that can have serious implications for the health of our lower extremities. John Neal of Right Step Orthotics, who specializes in providing inserts to correct problems and support proper foot conditions, says that one thing sends customers to his door above all others. “Mostly it’s just pain,” he said. “Pain is what drives people in to see me.” Foot, ankle and knee pain are not only unpleasant; they inhibit us in our favorite activities. Maggie Saslow, a registered nurse who specializes in senior foot care, notes that “when your feet hurt, you hurt all over.” Our feet are key to our ongoing quality of life — affecting our balance, our mobility, our independence. As we age, it becomes more and more important to take care of them. One of the simplest ways to do that is to make sure we get shoes that fit correctly. That’s not as straightforward as it sounds. “We really do try to measure each customer, because your feet are changing through your entire life,” said Karen Saunders, proprietor of The Shoe Inn in Bend. “A lot of people need width; they can’t get by on a mediumwidth shoe.” Convincing customers of that fact can be a challenge. “You’ve got to get the right shoe size; that’s number-one,” said Neal. “I’ve had arguments with people: ‘No! This is the size I wear.’” Saslow has also seen this phenomenon. “A lot of elders are really attached to what they think are really good, expensive shoes,” she said. No matter how good the shoe, if it doesn’t fit — it doesn‘t fit. And that’s a problem. Both Saunders and Neal said that problems stemming
from too-small shoes usually show up in the forefoot. It’s a good idea to make sure the toe-box is deep enough. And sometimes we need toe spacers to deal with issues like hammertoes or bunions and calluses, Saunders notes. Saunders notes that older people sometimes have a hard time reaching their feet or handling shoelaces.
We really do try to measure each customer, because your feet are changing through your entire life. — Karen Saunders “Velcro is a great closure for elderly people,” she said. With custom orthotics, Neal can take pressure off of areas of the foot that may be causing a variety of painful conditions. “Plantar fasciitis is the number-one thing I see,” he said. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes. When you’ve got it, just putting your feet on the floor when you get out of bed can bring on stabbing pain, and going for a hike or even walking around the grocery store becomes a most unpleasant prospect. Sometimes, relieving pressure on one part of the foot can allow the foot to recover. Neal also emphasizes the importance of orthotics in correcting alignment problems that send issues
starting in the feet up the chain through the ankles, knees and back. Saslow, who has 18 years of senior foot care under her belt, says that attending to the feet should be done every six to eight weeks on average. Those who can’t reach their feet comfortably, or lack the fine coordination to trim toenails and the like should consider tapping the services of someone like Saslow, who can come to you and get that work done. Saslow notes that toenail care is not just a cosmetic issue. Fungal toenails can cause infections, and aging feet can suffer injury — that the senior may not even be aware of. That’s particularly true in the case of diabetes. Diabetes compromises the microcirculation in the lower extremities. Diabetics often suffer numbness in the feet and/or neuropathic pain. “I can’t fix that,” Saslow said. “But one of the problems with the numbness is that they don’t know what’s going on with their feet. They could have a tack in their toe and not know it.” All three foot-care professionals have seen gratifying success stories, where, given proper shoes and inserts and quality foot care, seniors have been able to continue or resume beloved activities, getting the most out of the delights that we all hold dear in Sisters Country. Saslow will be away from Sisters until October 15, but more information on her work is available at www.sundancefootcare.com. Right Step Orthotics can be reached at 541-636-0855. The Shoe Inn is located at 2680 Northeast Highway 20 #380, Bend; 541- 385-7405.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain age
Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth is designed to connect safe and appropriate adult volunteers as mentors for a child with an incarcerated parent or caregiver.
Continued from page 15
bad, which is definitely the case for my dad. He’s had hearing aids, but needs new ones — and given his propensity for losing or breaking things, there’s a concern with investing in expensive devices that might end up vanishing into the land of missing or broken glasses. But it needs to be done. It’s just too important. Many years ago, the Sisters Folk Festival, at the impetus of cofounder Dick Sandvik, launched a pilot project for bringing live music to senior care facilities in Central Oregon. The organization at that time lacked the capacity to continue the program, but it’s an evergreen idea — and with an ever-aging population here, one that is more
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sports, or simply hanging out and talking. On Saturday, September 22, COPY will offer an orientation/training class. This six-hour class covers program policies, how to establish a mentor relationship, the impact incarceration has on families, and communication skills. There is no cost to attend, but advanced registration is required. For more information call 541-388-6651 or email COPY@deschutes.org Additional program information is available at the Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriff.deschutes.org/ copy.
G tA
Central Oregon Partnerships for Youth (COPY), a program of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, is offering a class to prepare volunteers to become mentors for children with an incarcerated parent. After initial training and comprehensive background checks, volunteers are matched with children in Sisters that share similar interests and activities and commit to spending a few hours a week together for a minimum of one year. This time is often spent going to community events, working on homework, attending art programs, participating in
relevant now than ever. Sharing music with elders is rewarding for both the musician and the audience, and reinforces something that anybody who has ever loved a song knows intuitively: Beloved music lives on and on — and connecting with it is good for you.
o
AARP and the SistersCamp Sherman Fire District Fire Corps group are sponsoring a CarFit program at Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department Station 701 on Saturday, September 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. While specifically designed for seniors, this event can benefit drivers of all ages. Older drivers are often the safest drivers in that they are more likely to wear their seatbelts, and less likely to speed or drink and drive. However, older drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when a crash does occur due to the greater fragility of their aging bodies. Why? Older drivers are more physically fragile than their younger counterparts, and they’re generally less able to withstand the impact of a vehicular accident. There are ways for drivers to adapt to their cars — and adjust their “fit” within them — in order to reduce their risk of injury during a crash. CarFit is a free educational program created by the American Society on Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association, to help address safety concerns related drivers. Checking to see that you and your vehicle fit well together can be as important to your safety as a mechanical checkup. Trained technicians will be on hand to assess your fit in your vehicle and make individual adjustments to find the best person-to-vehicle fit. These adjustments will help you to benefit from your vehicle’s safety features and help drivers feel more comfortable, and in better control behind the wheel. The event is by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact Sharon at 541-390-6075. For more information contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District at 541-549-0771.
Class prepares volunteers to mentor
MEMORY: Music is good for mental acuity and health
I’ve G
Be safer in your car with Sisters program
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Of a certain age Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Of a certain
AGE Sue Stafford Columnist
There’s no place like home If you ask most seniors, including me, where they would like to live out their lives, the answer is usually “in my home.” If that’s your answer, there are some important considerations to take into account now to make staying in your home a viable option. Where do you live? In town, in a neighborhood, or out in a rural area with few or no close neighbors? Regardless of where you live, do you have an adequate support system? For 24/7 free emotional support, well-being check-in, crisis intervention, information and referrals, you can contact the Friendship Line at 1-800-971-0016. As we age and our ability to complete household maintenance items and yard work declines, we will need to rely on family members, friends, neighbors, or paid help. Will you have the financial means to pay for such services if you don’t have a strong support network? If you own a home, how best can you utilize your equity? Sell and downsize, or secure a reverse mortgage to make modifications to your current home or to provide needed finances for the rest of your life? Could you more easily stay in your home if you share it with someone who might help out with finances and chores? Community services available to seniors vary by area. Organizations in Sisters are currently beefing up their offerings to include a Senior Safety Program (see article “Fire Department launches senior program, page 20), the local Senior Alliance, and resource specialist Toni Landis with the Council on Aging of Central Oregon (COA) 541-797-9138. A COA senior lunch is held every Tuesday at the Sisters Community Church including monthly foot-care services and blood-pressure screenings as well as informational presentations and weekly bingo. Mosaic Medical has a mobile clinic at the Kiwanis
Food Bank at 328 W. Main Ave. every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon. For those needing assistance with food there are two food banks in town, the Kiwanis one on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and another at Westside Church, 442 Trinity Way, every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and second Friday at 4:30 p.m. Furry Friends in the Art Works building on West Adams can help with pet food, supplies, and vaccinations for your four-legged and feathered friends. Sisters Park & Recreation District offers senior-oriented exercise classes, as well as their senior activities program (SAGE) Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and senior outings with transportation provided. Scholarships are available for those who need assistance with the fees. Low-income seniors living inside the city of Sisters may apply for a 25 percent discount on their water and sewer bills by contacting City Hall (541-323-5209). Sisters Habitat for Humanity (541-549-1193) offers some in-home repair services for qualified applicants. The Council on Aging provides a number of services in Sisters Country, including the following, all of which can be accessed at 541-678-5483: • The Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) provides information and advice on help for seniors and
people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers. • For those qualifying, the Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP) will coordinate respite care for the caregiver. The consumer will need to hire a caregiver and COA will reimburse. Talk with a case manager to pre-qualify. • Seniors 60-plus who do not receive Medicaid may qualify for Oregon Project Independence (OPI), which provides in-home assistance with light housekeeping and personal care. Income guidelines do apply and the client must demonstrate need for assistance. • Free consultation about Medicare options and help with prescription drug plans for age 65-plus are provided by Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA). Contact COA for an appointment. • Home delivery by Meals on Wheels can be arranged for those 60 and over who meet eligibility requirement. Call COA to talk with a case manager. If the choice is made to remain in your home, there are a number of other considerations to take into account. Will transportation be available if you aren’t able to drive yourself in the future? Here in Sisters Country, that is a big concern with so many services, businesses, and medical providers located in Bend and Redmond. Without friends, family, or neighbors who can
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give you a ride, the options are limited to Cascades East Transit with a limited ride schedule or private taxis that are expensive. Dial-a-Ride is available within Sisters only on Tuesdays. An important consideration to enable an easier and safer stay in your home is the modifications that can be made. Do you have handrails on all stairs, whether it’s the two steps into the garage or the full flight to the second floor? If your current bedroom and bathroom are located on the second floor, is there space on the ground floor for a bathroom/bedroom so it isn’t necessary to climb the stairs? Grab bars in your shower or tub and next to the toilet increase safety in the bathroom, as do low-entry shower entrances and tubs with front entry doors. Hallways should contain adequate lighting, and all loose throw rugs need to be removed to avoid tripping hazards. Personal finances can be simplified by using automatic bill-paying services or turning over financial tasks to a trusted family member
or friend. Maintaining your health with adequate rest, nutritious meals, sufficient physical and mental exercise, and proper medication management are all essential to maintaining your independence. There are a variety of useful devices available to help manage your medication and ensure you take it as prescribed. Ask your pharmacist about their pill-pack program. As the saying goes, there’s no place like home. Most of us want to stay in familiar surroundings with the memories of a lifetime around us. It is important to conduct a thorough, honest assessment about the viability of aging in place. If the answers don’t add up, it’s time to consider other options – downsizing, adult foster homes, moving in with family or to an area where they live, or residing in an assisted-living facility. There is no avoiding aging and the necessary accommodations required. What matters is the roadmap we design for ourselves so we are ready for the eventualities.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain age
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Democrat Sisters woman meets long-lost brother drives 35K a hug for his sister. By Jim Cornelius The first-time meeting was made possible by the remarkmiles seeking For 67-year-old Linda able advance of commercial Boyer Monday, September 10 DNA testing. Steiner indicated was a very special day: It was that he didn’t have a particular upset in the day that she first laid eyes burning need to know. on her brother. “I’ve had an excellent life She’d known since she and the people that raised me Trump was 9 years old that she had were good people,” he said. a brother somewhere in the Steiner was one of two country world, and in recent years she children adopted by his famEditor in Chief
By Andrew Selsky Associated Press
REDMOND (AP) — One of the largest U.S. congressional districts voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in 2016, yet an Oregon D e mocr at campa igning against a Republican incumbent doesn’t see it as hostile territory. Buoyed by electoral wins by a couple of Democrats elsewhere in Trump territory, candidate Jamie McLeodSkinner is undaunted, traveling a district that’s as big as North Dakota in her Jeep and tiny trailer that she sometimes sleeps in. McLeod-Skinner is enduring all this because she doesn’t think the incumbent is focused on the district’s issues. She’s driven 35,000 miles (56,300 kilometers) in 14 months of campaigning. When a parade in the small town of Joseph (population 1,000) was set to start in July, she walked up to an antique convertible carrying Rep. Greg Walden, who’s running for his 11th term, and challenged him to a series of debates. “I look forward to debating you. We’ll figure out a schedule that works,” Walden replied. Five weeks later, a debate has not been scheduled. Nationally, Democrats are hoping a “blue wave” in November will give them a majority in Congress. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is financing selected candidates through its Red to Blue See CANDIDATE on page 20
had wondered about him, but she didn’t know a birth date or have any other leads to go on. “My mother got pregnant before she ever met and married my father and she had to give him up because she didn’t have anyone to help her,” Boyer explained. Contact with 71-year-old Stan Steiner happened from his end, less than two weeks ago. The two had talked on the phone and Stan and his wife, Becky, decide to trek north from California in their RV. Boyer sat on the porch at her house in The Pines talking with The Nugget on Monday afternoon, a big smile on her face, her eyes on the street in front of her, awaiting the arrival of a Jeep carrying her brother. “So, this’ll be the first time I’ve laid eyes on him,” she said. “I’m excited.” Steiner arrived shortly thereafter, bearing flowers and
ily. His adoptive sister connected with her mother shortly after high school. Stan’s efforts to connect with family took quite a while longer. He made some inquiries back in the 1990s, interested in health considerations that might be revealed by understanding his ancestry. But getting adoption records opened proved to be a legal hassle, and Steiner let it go. One of his daughters, however, stayed on the matter. “She’s the one that just wouldn’t let it go,” Steiner said. The daughter gifted her dad with Ancestry.com services for his 70th birthday. Steiner “spit in the cup and sent it off,” at least intrigued by what would come of it. Eventually, he got a hit on relatives. “My mother’s half-sister is who we connected with,” he said. “And it was on.”
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Linda Boyer and Stan Steiner were united after a lifetime of separation. Linda was visibly delighted to welcome her brother and sister-in-law to her Sisters home, where they plan to visit for a few days. What is this period of discovery like for Stan? “Weird,” he said with a chuckle.
“I’ve been thinking about it all my life as a wonderment,” he reflected. Driving up from California, he told his wife he wasn’t sure what he felt about it all. “I’m still dazed,” he said. “I’m just kind of taking it all in.”
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Of a certain age Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fire district launches senior program By Sue Stafford Correspondent
In an effort to decrease the number of seniors in Sisters Country who are injured or die as a result of falls and fire, the Fire Corps senior safety committee, headed by prevention volunteers Heather Miller and Phil Drew, launched a new Senior Home Safety Program on September 11 at the Senior Lunch program. “We hope we can make it safer for our seniors in their homes, mitigating the possibility of falls, rather than our needing to go out to pick them up and take them to the hospital,” said Drew. The program is the result of Chief Roger Johnson’s initiative several years ago to increase the department’s outreach to the seniors of Sisters Country. A review of the response data indicated that for the past six years, traumatic injuries have been the leading call for service to the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire District for patients 60 and over. Falls at home are the leading cause of those traumatic injuries, over two times more than motor vehicle traffic accidents. Chest pain/discomfort accounts for less than half as many calls. Falls are the leading cause of injury death among adults age 65 and older. As many as 30 percent of older adults who fall suffer significant injuries which may limit their ability to live independently. After the age of 50, a person’s risk of dying in a fire increases. Between the ages of 65 and 85 the risk is three times higher and after 85 it is four times higher. The issue of fire in the home is a real threat for someone with mobility issues, cognitive decline, or drowsiness due to medication or alcohol. Working smoke alarms can make the difference in whether or not someone escapes a fire. For people with hearing deficits, an alarm displaying
a strobe light can provide visual warning. A vibrating alarm for people with sensory deficits can be placed under a pillow or mattress to alert a resident of fire. The fire department currently will install, for free, smoke detectors and replace batteries for those who need assistance. The service is designed to keep older people off ladders, thus reducing fall risks. The alarm program is being incorporated into the safety program. The Senior Home Safety Program will involve Fire Corps volunteers making inhome visits to identify safety and fire hazards as well as ways to mitigate those hazards. Their visits will provide an opportunity to make connections with older Sisters residents, increase their safety, and leave important educational and resource materials with them.
We hope we can make it safer for our seniors in their homes, mitigating the possibility of falls, rather than our needing to go out to pick them up and take them to the hospital. — Phil Drew People may call the fire station to schedule a visit to their home (541-549-0771), or family, care providers, neighbors, and friends can make a referral to the station. There is no charge for the program. Any time a person needs assistance, Miller reminds them to call 911 and not the fire department, as their call may go to voice mail during non-office hours and help could be significantly delayed or not dispatched.
CANDIDATE: Candidate seeks to unseat long-time incumbent Continued from page 19
program, hoping to flip seats in Republican-controlled districts. McLeod-Skinner’s campaign isn’t one of them. If the Red to Blue’s 73 candidates are long shots, ones like McLeod-Skinner _ running in very conservative districts — are real Hail Marys. Walden, who typically wins around 70 percent of the vote, had a war chest currently totaling around $3.2 million in late June — 31 times bigger than McLeod-Skinner’s. “The biggest issue is the disparity in fundraising,” said Jeff Dense, professor of political science at Eastern Oregon University. Without money, she can’t afford a media campaign, Dense said, noting that eastern Oregon is peppered with Walden campaign signs. “I just drove by one in east nowhere,” he said in a telephone interview. In an interview at a coffee shop in Redmond — the town near where McLeod-Skinner and her wife live — the candidate said she felt compelled to run because “our current representative is not focused on the district, not addressing the issues that folks in my district care about: health care, education, economic development.” She downplayed the funding factor. “It’s not about a TV spot or sending out fliers,” McLeodSkinner said, wearing faded
jeans, red work shirt and scuffed cowboy boots. “It’s about showing up. It’s about listening to folks with respect and hearing the issues that people are concerned about.” She accuses Walden of not speaking out for his constituents, including failing to oppose President Trump’s trade war that risks increasing tariffs on Oregon wheat. Walden last year also advocated the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. “His attack on healthcare would hurt one in five people in our district,” McLeodSkinner said. McLeod-Skinner, who has degrees in engineering, regional planning and in law, distances herself from city Democrats, often derided here as liberal elites from Portland, uninformed about challenges in this sparsely populated, agricultural-ranching region. She calls herself a rural Democrat, with loyalty to constituents outweighing party loyalty. She’s not big on gun control, for example. “Some Democrats felt I was not far enough to the left in the primary,” said the former Santa Clara, California, city councilor. Her stance resonated. She beat six other candidates in the Democratic primary for Oregon’s 2nd District, taking 43 percent of the vote. Only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their own party’s primaries. In the Republican one, Walden got more votes than all seven Democrats combined. Walden did not respond to requests for an interview.
His spokesman, Justin Discigil, said in an email that Walden has raised concerns directly with the administration about the impact of tariffs on Oregon agriculture. Discigil also defended Walden on health care, saying he extended the Children’s Health Insurance Program and responded to the opioid crisis. McLeod-Skinner’s role models are Cheri Bustos, a Democrat who beat a Republican by 20 points in an Illinois district that narrowly chose Trump in 2016; and Connor Lamb, a Pennsylvania Democrat who won a House seat in Trump territory in a special election in March. “I think we have an opportunity to absolutely shock people,” McLeod-Skinner said. “Eastern Oregon’s not blue and I’m not looking to turn eastern Oregon blue. I’m looking to represent the folks in my district who are not represented.” She’s crisscrossed the high desert, forests and mountains of the 70,000-square-mile district — the second-biggest in America among states with multiple districts. She’s heard voters’ concerns about lack of economic development, healthcare and educational opportunities. She supports exchanging public service for college or trade school educations. On the campaign trail, she sleeps in a teardrop trailer outfitted with a mattress, sometimes taking it onto the wide, empty spaces of Bureau of Land Management land.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Of a certain age
Your Story MATTERS
Audry Van Houweling, PMHNP Columnist
Scarlet letters and shame in a small town Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, The Scarlet Letter, tells the story of a woman, Hester Prynne, chastised by a Puritan community after she is found guilty of infidelity. She is forced to wear a scarlet letter, “A” on her chest for “adultery” and endures public judgement and shaming. While small-town America has generally moved beyond such extremes, we certainly can wear our own metaphorical scarlet letters and brand them on each other. Given the intimacy and interconnections of small towns, emotions can spread like contagions transforming a
community’s energy. Joy, excitement, peace, strife, sadness, fear, and certainly shame. Many of us have felt burdened by the perceived mark of shame — our own scarlet letter. Be it financial woes, family drama, infidelity, illness, or simply choosing to live outside the bounds of what has been deemed acceptable. Many of us try to hide our scarlet letter through work, isolation, distraction, external appearances, and forced smiles among other efforts that altogether can make life downright exhausting. Afraid we will be found out, we rob ourselves of authenticity. I work in two beautiful small towns. Sisters, and Silverton, on the west side of the mountains. Each is similar, but different, and each has its own ideas of social idealism. Shame is a funny thing. Each town seems to have their own rules about shame dictated by the uniqueness of its culture and social norms. Sisters and Silverton have certain criteria you may have to meet to be considered acceptable or “a local.” Your scarlet letter may be particularly painful in one town while it may be celebrated in another. Sometimes, when so
many people have the same scarlet letter, it becomes shameful to not have a scarlet letter. This can happen in cases of learned helplessness when forward mobility can seem unorthodox and even condescending. If there is one thing I have learned in my work, it is that no one person is immune to shame and insecurity. Not the most successful, not the wealthiest, not the most popular — everybody has their burdens. Everybody has their struggles. So assuming we all have our own scarlet letter, how can we lessen each other’s burden of shame and move toward acceptance and authenticity? • Be wary of gossip. Small towns are notorious hot-beds for gossip. Gossip gives the illusion of pseudocloseness and being a participant, yet it can increase our own sense of hypervigilance and shame. Talking about somebody’s successes can promote positivity, but gabbing about somebody’s trials is a disservice to everyone — you included. • Give each other (and yourself) space to make mistakes. Or maybe I should just say let’s give each space to be human. We all mess up and while there are certainly
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limits to our slip-ups, holding ourselves or each other to unrealistic standards of perfection or control is probably the biggest mistake we make. Try not to make assumptions, and realize a person’s actions are part of a complex story. • Be genuine. Formalities have their place, but how often do you really ask with true curiosity, “how are you?” By the same token, don’t be afraid to respond to such questions with genuine honesty. You may be surprised how this provides safety for others to open up with you as well. • Shame vs guilt. This is an important distinction. Guilt means, “I did
something bad.” Shame means, “I am bad.” Learn to acknowledge this in yourself and others. • Pieces of you. Remember that Jewel song, “Pieces of You”? Recognize that that which you dislike in others is often a projection of what you dislike in yourself. Therefore, if you are feeling full of shame, you are probably more likely to “shame” others. Own your shame story, acknowledge the pain, and be wary of projecting it onto others. Let’s challenge ourselves to stop the judgment and chastising. After all, we will all likely need help overcoming our own scarlet letter at some point.