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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fully fund home
health care
Editor, the Journal,
Every day, hundreds of unseen,
unsung heroes quietly move through
our community, improving the lives
of vulnerable people. We are trained,
licensed, dedicated health care profes-
sionals. We are certified home care
aides.
We are accountable to the state De—
partment of Health. We are required
to attend annual continuing education
classes as a condition of credential
renewal.
Our livelihood and the safety of
our clients might be in jeopardy as
proposed budget cuts might eliminate
our jobs and expose thousands of
- Washingtonians to dangerous risks.
Please immediately contact your
state elected officials and Gov. Jay
Inslee to strongly request that DSHS
funding for Vital in-home care services
be retained.
Licensed home care aides work in
private homes; keeping our clients
safe and healthy. We make it possible
for elderly/infirm/disabled persons to
live independently with dignity and
respect, rather than to be shipped off,
to a residential care facility.
Our clients are people who can-
not perform normal activities of daily
living without assistance, activities
many of us take for granted.
We help our clients with personal
hygiene: brushing teeth, bathing,
washing and combing hair. Shaving
faces. Gently scrubbing fingernails.
Some clients require assistance with
disposable undergarments, somerneed
help with catheters.
We monitor medications, including
insulin, to be certain our clients are
safely and accurately following doc—
tors’ prescriptions and recommenda-
tions. We help clients into and out of
wheelchairs. We walk patiently with
them as they use walkers. We help
with at-home physical therapy/range
of motion exercises. We follow strict
protocols to prevent bedsores.
, We are specially trained to monitor
our clients for any changes in their
health that require intervention by
physicians, particularly in compli-
cated diseases such as diabetes or
dementia.
Home care aides grocery shop and
prepare healthful meals for our cli-
ents. Sometimes we feed the clients
if they are unable. Then we do the
dishes. And the laundry. We make
sure our clients are wearing clean,
Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020 — Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page A—5
Journal Letter Policy
The Journal encourages original letters to the editor of local interest.
Diverse
and varied opinions are welcomed. We Will-not publish letters that are
deemed
libelous or scurrilous in nature. All letters must be signed and include
the
writer’s name, addressand daytime phone number; which will be used for
verification purposes only. All letters aresubiect to editing for length,
grammar
and clarity. To submit a letter, email editor@masoncounty.com, drop it oft
at
227 W. Cota St, or mail it to RC. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
dry clothing and that their beds are
safe and hygienic.
We mop floors. Scrub toilets. Disin-
fect and disinfect again. We are ever
watchful to provide a safe living envi-
ronment — always mindful of throw
rugs, extension cords or any other
possible “trip hazards.” ,
As mandatory reporters, we are
specially trained to watch for signs of
psychological/emotional/physical or
financial abuse involving our clients
and we are required by law to report
to appropriate authorities.
In this time of COVID-19, we likely
provide the only opportunity for so-
cial interaction as the senior centers,
libraries, restaurants and community
centers are closed. ‘
We were deemed essential workers
last spring, and we have been reli-
ably going to work every day in our
gloves and masks and aprons and
face shields, keeping our clients alive.
Thanks to the efforts of our union,
we were awarded a small stipend for
hazard pay, which will expire in ap-
proximately 30 days.
My job is difficult, complicated,
sometimes emotional, hard work, but
immensely rewarding. It is honorable
and necessary work.
As we move toward the 2021 state
budget, there is a proposal to elimi-
nate services for the least able/most
at-risk citizens. If my job is elimi-
nated, where will my clients go? Will
I be forced to join the ever-growing
numbers of workers asking for unem-
ployment compensation?
I will no longer be able to help the
local economy by spending my wages
in my own community.
Home care aides save the state
thousands and thousands of dollars
by providing Vital services outside of
care facilities. We keep our clients
safe'from exposure to COVID. We
preserve the human dignity of our cli—
ents by supporting them in their own
homes.
Please take a moment to contact
your state elected officials and Inslee.
Call. Email. Call again. Encourage
your neighbors to do the same.
Legislators must not cut funds that
pay for the vital, life-saying services
provided by Washington home care
aides. '
Theresa Jacobson
Agate
Thank you,
Mason County
Editor’s Note: This letter contained
a transcription error when it was
published in the Nov. edition of the
.Journal. The Journal apologizes for
the error.
Editor, the Journal,
First off, I would like to thank
Mason County citizens for voting for
whomever they votedfor; It’s a good
thing when more people have their
voices heard through this process.
Second of all, I appreciate those who
did not pay attention to the bombard-
ment of negative letters'regarding
party lines. Go back and read or take
notice of the same handful of letters
submitted by the same folks. Yea, it
was scary that there are a lot of nega-
tive folks out there, spewing out nega-
tive opposition and lies from news
reports that they see on TV, without
doing a little research. ._
Unfortunately, 99% of the media
4-
ily lines and voted Republican. I don’t
think I’ll ever go back; the Democratic
Party is in shambles. They’re out of
their minds, they are out for them-
selves, not our country.
Some say they’re progressive,
that’s just a term that means they
think they are. I have a co-worker
who disagrees with me on most of the
issues but we debate it out and when
we’re done we both understand where
the other is coming from and move on.
It’s actually made our working rela—
tionship stronger because we respect
the other’s opinion.
Too bad the so-called adults who
run our government can’t do this. And
to you negative N ellies that spew your
negative opposition every week in the
local paper, thank you for helping Ma-
son County stay a red county.
Also on another note, the Electoral
College works, it’s how smaller states
get representation. Too bad we can’t
do that on a state level so smaller
counties can get representation on
choosing our senators and governor. ’
Carl Olson
Shelton
Unfriend Trump
Editor, the Journal,
The event will happen on Mon-
day, Dec. 14, at the same time across
America. The time will be 4 pm.
Eastern, 3 pm. Central, 2 pm. Moun—
tain and 1 pm. Pacific. The event will
be forever known as the National Day.
to Unfriend Donald Trump.
The event participants are those
of you who have befriended Donald
Trump on your current Twitter and
Facebook accounts. All that is re-
quired of you is to Unfriend Donald
Trump from your private Twitter and
Facebook accounts on the previous '
mentioned day and times. The event
slogan will be “Make America Great
Again Unfriend Trump.” For those of
you'who still have your Trump flags,
please consider flying them with the
’ added word “UNFRIENDED” at-
were for Biden so the sheep followed. 1
I know I was raised and have always
voted Democrat, until my party de-
cided to run Hillary, I felt that was a
bad move. I knew President Donald
Trump would win, so I wrote in good
old Mickey Mouse on that one.
But after four years of made-up
lies, false reasons to impeach, closing
down our country and blaming CO-
VID on Trump and now court packing
(coming to your county commission-
ers’ chambers soon) I’ve crossed fam—
tached to the flag. ,
To all of you readers — consider
this one truthful fact: “Trump Lest
—-— America Won.” Merry Christmas
America!
Earl W. Burt
Bremerton
see LETTERS, page A-20
TimesizTell me about being a parent in a pandemic
continued from page A—5
it’s OK to have feelings. They need to understand
that it’s normal to cry or be upset or happy or sad
and that they can experience these feelings. And
they always have a letter of the week. That’s a big
focus.
Q: How is Mason able to express himself online?
A: It’s all through me. They might ask him some-
thing orinteract with him, but I’m there helping
him. His teacher and the teacher’s assistant are
helping me help him. He’ll watch the videos and
they’ll watch him while he absorbs the videos. It’s
not ideal for him for where he’s at and what he
needs, but we’re adapting.
Q: What would be ideal?
A: Me not being the only person who speaks to
him or interacts with him. He does have speech
therapy for 15 minutes once a week. The speech
therapist goes through games and finds one thing
that we can work on, like T’s or L’s. He’s getting
better. Both of them are improving. The way kids
grow you feel like they’re on a plateau, then they’ll
take a huge jump and you realize they’ve absorbed
so ‘much.
Q: How has this method of education affected
you?
A: It has stressed me out. I’m the one who has to
go to kindergarten. With Teagan’s school, I have to
be the person who tells her to sit down and watch
a video when she says she doesn’t want to, which is
most days. Teagan would much rather play with her
Barbies than watch a learning video. Her afternoon
class is about a half an hour. That’s where they’ll do
a project and she really has'to be paying attention
so I’ll sit next to her and help her any way I can.
Q: Barbies are still a thing?
A: Barbies are still very much a thing. a
Q: What do you do when you get stressed out?
A: There are two things we probably do the most:
nature and Netflix. We’ll go camping. You can do ,
remote learning from anywhere because I have Wi-
VFi on my phone.-
Q: Do you have trouble falling asleep?
"A: Yes. The stress is showing physically. I get
headaches and I have started clenching my teeth. I
went to the dentist and the dentist said, “Are you by
any chance really stressed?” I just laughed.
. Q: Do you consider yourself as much teacher as
parent? '
A: I consider myself a teacher’s assistant. I’m
here to help Teagan absorb the information that has
been put in place. It’s a positive that I’m able to stay
home and give that to her, considering that some
kids in her class are in child care. They’re the ones
who have the hardest time finding the papers they
need. They’re the ones who had the hardest time fig-
uring out the mute-unmute by themselves because
no one is behind them or next to them. Teagan is
blessed that I could stay home and be with her, but
at the same time, I’m her constant. I’m the one nag-
ging her. .
Q: Tell me about being a parent of youngrchildren
during a pandemic.
A: If Teagan or Mason aren’t doing exactly what
they’re supposed to be doing, I have the perspective
that at least we’re surviving a pandemic. The hOpe
is in a couple of years we’ll find a new normal and
the kids will be able to adjust, just as they’ve had to
adjust to this. When you’re as stressed-out as most
parents of young children are, you have to take it
down to the essentials so you don’t put too much ’
pressure on yourself.
I Contact Kirk Ericson at kirk@masoncounty.com.