DELIVERING NEWS TO MID-COLUMBIA SENIORS SINCE 1982
JUNE 2022
Vol. 10 | Issue 6
Colonoscopy or end-of-life planning? Many would pick physical exam By Kristina Lord
publisher@tcjournal.biz
Most people don’t look forward to a colonoscopy. And most would rather not have a conversation about end-of-life care. Home Instead Inc., a national company with offices in Kennewick, has launched a new program called Elderoscopy with these two ideas in mind. Elderoscopy is a critical conversation – complete with “probing” questions – between older adults and their loved ones, examining wants and needs, and setting intentions for topics such as end-of-life plans, finances, relationships and more. It is a conversation every family should have – no matter how uncomfortable, said Roy Wu, who co-owns the Tri-City-based Home Instead franchise with his wife Paula. They provide elder care services to clients in Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties. “It’s a fun name. At first people may be like, ‘What?’ but it’s a serious topic. We always encourage people to just start. Just have the conversation,” Wu
Courtesy Home Instead Lisa Seger, right, a Kennewick Home Instead lead care professional, stands with her client, Bill, a World War II veteran. Home Instead has developed Elderoscopy, an educational program with tools to help start the conversation between aging parents and loved ones about preparing for their later years.
said. “Just start somewhere and don’t be afraid to ask for help because there are resources.” Research from Home Instead and The Marist College Poll shows that 1 in 6 Americans would rather have a colonoscopy than talk to their loved
ones about end-of-life plans. Nearly one-third of Americans over the age of 70 (29%) would prefer or are undecided when having to choose between a colonoscopy and discussing end-of-life plans. The survey also showed that while
45% of Americans report that they have not talked with their loved ones about how they would like to spend their final years, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the likelihood of having these conversations. Nearly half (48%) of all adults report the pandemic has made them more likely to talk about end-of-life plans. To assist in navigating this process, Home Instead developed the Elderoscopy program, which offers tools and talking points to begin the conversation. Resources include conversation starters and guides. Home Instead care professionals also are available to facilitate uncomfortable talks.
When should we talk?
When is the best time to have this conversation with an aging parent or loved one? There’s no perfect time, but Wu pointed to Home Instead’s 40-70 rule. “If an adult child is within that range of 40ish and has an aging parent who is a generation older – now is the time to have that conversation,” he said. uELDEROSCOPY, Page 2
B Reactor tours resume with seats available through November By Senior Times staff
The U.S. Department of Energy has resumed its popular tours of the B Reactor National Historic Landmark, part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at the Hanford site. The free tours began in May and will be offered six days a week through November, subject to community Covid-19 infection rates remaining in the low/green zone as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks are
not required but visitors are welcome to use them. Tours are offered through Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day weekends. Tours take about four hours and include transportation from the Manhattan Project visitor center at 2000 Logston Blvd. in Richland. Cameras, cellphones, and other recording devices are welcome on the tours as are visitors of all ages and nationalities. Visitors can register for up to six tour seats at a time. School and
group tours also may be available on a first come, first served basis and with a minimum of 20 participants. Escorted tours offer visitors the chance to stand face to face with the world’s first full scale nuclear production reactor. Built in 11 months, the B Reactor started operations in September 1944 and produced the plutonium used in the Trinity Test in July 1945 and the “Fat Man” atomic weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945 to help bring an end to World War II in the Pacific.
“Touring the B Reactor is like stepping back into the WWII era,” said Colleen French, DOE program manager for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford. “It’s certainly a marvel of science and engineering, but it represents so much more than that. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn from docents at the reactor and to spend time on their own as they ponder the questions raised by the Manhattan Project and uB REACTOR, Page 10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Stay safe by addressing your home’s fall risks
Page 3
MONTHLY QUIZ
All-male electorate chose Olympia over Pasco for state capital in 1889
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True or false? The Army Railroad Transport Corps was a well-known war-era job for Pasco draftees? ANSWER, PAGE 9
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