OPINION WEDNESDAY, October 11, 199 WY, The Gastlégar Sun iS Serving the 16,000 people of the Castlegar area, The Castlegar Sun is ‘every Wednesday by Sterling Newspapers Lid. at 465 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8. The Castlegar Sun is politi cally independent and a member of the Sterling Nowe Seren, Cana- c A Noslpapats ‘Assocation, and the B.C. Press Council. Established 28, 1990 Mail Regi 10420 PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CHRISTINE MOYER EDITOR PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERK' HOFF GARY SCHNEIDER REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT JEFF. GABERT CATHERINE ROSS SPORTS REP. MARGE LALONDE OFFICE/CIRCULATION MANAGER CARI DOLGOPOL CLASSIFIED ADS NICOLE BEETSTRA ADVERTISING REP. FRED JACK ADVERTISING REP. Direct Department Phones 365-5266 365-5266 365-7848 ..365-2278 365-5579 365-7762 Display Advertising Newsroom .. Facsimile cCcNA editorial comment Canada’s shame We, as a country, should be ashamed of ourselves—but more specifically, the government of Canada should hang its head in shame. i Victoria Times-Geenist ad SURE BEATS ME WHY YOU'D WANT Td BETURN TO YOUR, OLD ae . It seems that it has much to ieam about something most of us strive for—firm family relations which include our most precious asset, our seniors Canada has lots to leam from the people of Japan who treat their revered elderly with respect, deference and care. But what does our government do—they hungrily grab all the money they can. usually out of the pockets of the work- ing poor, disabled and elderly Pharmacare’s recent initiative, reference-based pricing, is simply another way in which to fill the voracious and insatiable coffers of a greedy and conscienceless govern- ment which makes its people pay for its mistakes. The initiative, which will see Pharmacare only paying the equivalent cost of a medication it decrees is effective for treatment of illness, targets the elderly—the population it will most likely affect. With total disregard to physi- cians,and pharmacists, who are educated in making the right decisions regarding the right medications, Pharma- care has rammed through an initiative which will surely erode our health care and the well-being of the elderly, disabled and poor. As of October 1, 1995, Pharmacare has said that if your prescribed medication in one specific category costs $20, and Pharmacare’s reférence-based product will only cost $10, you must pay the difference. And at the end of the year, don’t count on submitting the cost to Pharmacare— they won’t pay for it then either. For seniors, especially those who must take ultra-expen- sive heart medication, this decision could truly make the difference on whether they eat or not—or life and death. We suspect that most seniors will opt for the Pharma- care-sanctioned (and therefore cheaper) medication. But, as stated in the story on the front page, the sanctioned med- ication could be detrimental to their health with side effects that could cost them their mental stability, or even worse, their life. Our seniors have been hard-hit by a government which refuses to look at them as people, but instead insists on looking at them as a money-sucking handicap. Their annual incomes are generally at close to poverty levels. If they are hardy enough to supplement their incomes, the government then assures that their hard eamed dollars will be eaten up by taxes. If they dare to linger before their demise the government assures that they will have to linger away from home in an extended care facility, because it has been decreed that they will only fund X amount of beds per community. It seems that the government is picking on a minority which until most recently has little voice. But that is where the government is making its most serious mistake. Today's seniors are active and vocal, and we guarantee that they won’t take this laying down. Something else the government needs to consider is that seniors are no longer the silent minority—-a glut of aging baby boomers totters shakily on the brink of old age. And we assure you, the previous flower children of the 60s won't allow themselves to be unheard It’s time government quit acting like a bully by picking on those who are the weakest. Any school-age child will Invisible and insidious, Alzheimers is a real killer Caring for full-ti is difficult, but living with Alzheimer’s Disease can be a nightmare. Although some men are caregivers, it is mostly a woman's nightmare. Quietly, unseen. often unacknowledged, wives look after their husbands, and daughters care for their mothers in a losing battle. Alzheimer's slowly steals a loved one away to sure death. It can take a long time and the road is rough and pitted with frustra- tion, guilt, and exhaustion. I know this, I have stumbled down that lonely road; cared for my father until Alzheimer’s and old age took him. Challenging as it may be, we want to keep our aging parents and spouses at home as long as possible. Someone with Alzheimer’s does not fare ‘well in a strange place; they become disoriented and confused quickly. The famil- iar help keep them grounded And so a daughter is determined to care for her mother in her house, and a wife, despite exhaustion, struggles to keep her husband at home with her. The job is a huge one. Looking after someone with Alzheimer's is called the 36 hour day. The demands of dementia are non- stop, the behavior can be diffi- cult, fri and embarrass- ing. Alzheimer’s is invisible and insidious: the victim appears nor- mal, does not know what obsess- es him. We caregivers are often in denial. We don’t admit, our bur- @cn. We do it for love. We do it because We must. We wait and wait for names to move up a list Inevitably we get sick and tired So very tired. Without a break, the caregiver may come unglued. Elder abuse happens. Caregivers succumb to stress, exhaustion and depression and often become ill and dies before the one they care for. This happens. A daughter feels she's the only one who can man- ager her father; a husband can’t bear to move his wife into one of the crowded, impersonal institu- tions called ‘secured units’ that exist for the keeping of elders with dementia. They want to con- tinue caring at home but they des- perately need a break. What is needed is respite, or relief, and for someone who understands to take the loved one to a safe place for a day, a night, or a week so the caregiver can get some sleep. A special place, designed for the particular needs of Alzheimer’s and staffed with knowledgeable, caring pro- fessionals. A place, hopefully, close to home. The need for a such a respite centre here in the Kootenays is cnit- ical, The Canadian Study of Health and Ag cll us eight per cent of Canadians over 65 now suffer dementia and the number of cases LITTLE will triple by 2031. With a popula- tion of 1,615 seniors in Castlegar (from recent Ministry of Health survey), this means there could be as many as 130 suffering Alzheimers or other dementia. In those over the age of 80, the inci- dence is | in 4. We will soon run out of caregivers. In a recently released joint study on family caregivers by the University of Victoria and the Caregivers Association of B.G. the Kootenays were identi- fied as having the second high- est number of caregivers in the province Who's supporting them? A thin, invisible net, torn and straining, woven from hundreds of caring hands, mostly women’s hands; neighbors, friends, family members, care- giver support groups. Tired, unpaid hands that keep thou- sands of dementia sufferer’s at home; saving the health care systent millions of dollars. The newly formed Alzheimer’s Respite Centre Society (ARC) in Castlegar plans to do something about that. ARC hopes to build an adult day service and respite cen- tre for dementia to give local caregivers a much needed break. A non-profit society, ARC, originated out of a local caregiv- er’s support group and is driven by a board of current and past caregiver's, health professionals, and concermed citizens. Are you a caregiver? Would you take your loved one to a respite center? ARC is in the pro- cess of determining and docu- menting the need for respite in the Kootenays. If you, or anyone you know is caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia, ARC wants to hear from you. An information package on the proposed center and survey ques- tionnaire will be mailed our to respondents. For information or to partake in ARC's survey, please call Laura Oster at Mental Health 365-8502, or Barbara Lit- tle at 365-8037. Speaker’s Corner Castlegar student Tamara Terry is pounding the pavement in search of answers to questions that correspond with news stories that have appeared in The Castlegar Sun. If you see Tamara, it could be your opportunity to appear in Speaker’ s Corner, which is published each week Question: How should the gov- ernment deal with Native land claims? LEGISLATIVE | Tape Wednesday, October 11, 1995 Dear Editor: Through the first program of its kind in North America, Castle: gar residents can drop off their used paint for safe disposal at the B.C. Paint Care Association’s Swap and Drop, a free collection and paint exchange on Monday, October 16. The Paint Care program began in September, 1994 and has been a huge success. We have collected one miljion equivalent litre con- tainers of paint, diverting it from the province's landfills, sewers and waterways. At the sixth of 14 collection events to be held in B.C. in Octo ber, residents can drop off their a and oil-based paints, shel lacs and stains for safe disposal at the South Castlegar City Works yard at 2405-6th Avenue, from 3. 7 p.m. Any re-useable. paint will be set aside and be made available to the public for free on a first come, first-served basis The Paint Care program is not intended to handle anti-fouling, industrial or automotive paint or aerosol cans. Nor does it handle other house- hold hazardous wastes such as sol- ' ase T./8 = Don’t throw that paint away! vents, pesticides, poisons, pharma ceuticals and paint thinners. A limit of 10 paint cans per vehicle would be appreciated. We have learned from our research that British Columbians want a long-term, sustainable one-stop collection arid disposal solution for all household haz- ardous wastes. Our program is the first step toward a comprehensive collec- tion system for the province. Paul Iverson, President, B.C, Paint Care Association We’re off to Maharashtra, India Dear Editor: As a project leader represent- ing Canada World Youth, and as an individual who lived and worked in your c ity, I Their homes were the founda- tion on which these participants became more than just visitors— they became members of the would like to take this opportuni- ty to thank those citizens of Castlegar and area who partici- pated in our India/B,C. Youth Exchange program. Canada World Youth's success is dependent upon community support. Without the devotion of time and energy, and the constant of individ- c y. Ci ions for your dedication. I would also like to thank all work placement supervisors for taking time out of their busy days to provide guidance to their vol- unteers. These work placements provided marvelous learning experiences and allowed the par- ticipants to make meaningful uals and organizations, we would have never achieved our goals. As we prepare to leave Castle- gar after our stay of 11 weeks, it is clear that the seven Canadian and seven Indian youth partici- pants have shared in a very rich cultural learning experience They have learned on a daily basis about communication, cooperation, understanding and respect through their activities in and around Castlegar. I would like to extend a special thank you to all host families who were so gracious to share their homes and lives with these young adults. ¢ i to the y. We departed Castlegar on Oct 10 to debrief our experience for three days before continuing to Vancouver where we will remain until Oct. 18. Then we will begin the second half of our experience as we fly to India. Our home in India will. be Pathardi, a village. of 9,000 peo- ple in the state of Maharashtra. As we did in Castlegar, we will live with host families and work in volunteer placements, although our focus at work will shift from the social sphere to cottage industries We are looking forward to a program as successful as the one in this community. Chris Cordoni, Project Leader, Canada World Youth Much thanks Editor: On behalf of the Castle- gar District Teachers’ Association I would like to thank Christine Moyer and the other members of The Castlegar Sun pro- duction management and editorial teams for the very effective way they used the submitted mate- rials to promote World Teachers’ Day in the October 4 edition of the paper. The C.D.T.A. would also like to thank the people who took the time to share their thoughts about teachers who made positive difference to their lives. Margaret Hill, President, C.D.T.A. 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Threatening is not all have to stick togeth- enough, there has to be er as Canadians mstead an understanding of agzunst cach other. between the govern- The B.C. government should yield to the Abo- riginals of Canada Although the govern- ment praises multicul- turalism, I feel that genocide has replaced ethics and we ought to If giving the Natives back their land would help preserve their cul ture, then I'm all for it Native culture and her bonds to the land and Anybody who is born here is native to B.C. It is a tough issue to pre sume the Aboriginal people have more cal The whole issue is rights, The government way out of hand and we shouldn't be so lenient on the terms that they have so-called rights ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise... and there shall be no ks wilderness are very liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount important every- paid for such advertisement. All advertising subject to publisher's where—not just in DRAWS SUNDAY - 3:00 P.M. No Exchanges or Refunds on honor all ethnic cultures, ha =} Sale items . approval Contracts must be completed within one year from contract Cariada. over any other group. — Susan Beresford ment and Natives. 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