communicate with concerned family members living outside the valley, Bowden said. “If I see something going haywire, I’ll call them.” Another local organization looking out for the needs of the elderly is Guardian Angels, a project of The Cove Food Bank in Twisp. Nurse and Guardian Angels administrator Eunice Marchbank said the primary purpose of Guardian Angels is companionship, but the 30 volunteers who visit clients in their homes also help out with chores and housekeeping, go shopping, and provide transportation to doctor appointments. “Transportation is a big issue here,” said Marchbank, “and winters are especially hard if you are living by yourself.” The Methow Valley Senior Center in Twisp fulfills many needs for senior services in the valley. The lift-equipped Okanogan County Transportation bus is stationed there, and three hot meals a week are prepared and served at the center or delivered to homebound seniors.
The Senior Center runs a medical equipment loan program, and volunteers perform blood pressure checks and provide 15-minute chair massages. “We also keep an eye on people’s well-being,” said Senior Center president Rosalie Hutson. “A volunteer does a welfare check if one of our regulars doesn’t come in.”
Home care
Eight years ago, Kim Kenney chose to become the fulltime caregiver of his parents, Frank and Mary, at their home in Winthrop. “I realized that out of everyone in my family, I was the one who was going to step up to the plate with my parents,” Kenney said. “I wanted to and could put both feet into the commitment.” Mary is mostly bed-bound as a result of Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis, while Frank suffers from dementia. Kenney considered other options, including moving his parents to Seattle, or even Bogotá, Colombia, where he could afford to hire full-time nursing and housekeeping care, “but the
one thing I was not going to do was separate my parents after 65 years of marriage.” His parents have been on the waiting list at Jamie’s Place adult family home in Winthrop, but because there hasn’t been space for the two of them, Kenney has said “no” twice. From Kenney’s perspective, his parents have “tremendous access to health care” in the Methow. “Dr. [Joe] Jensen can see my mother on any given day; he will drop everything and help,” – a factor that “above all else made it attractive to keep my parents here,” said Kenney. Kenney has also availed himself of services provided through Aging and Adult Care of Central Washington, an agency that provides support to family caregivers. “They understand what your needs are before you do,” said Kenney, who heeded the counsel of a visiting nurse and now shares the burden of care with his “right-hand woman,” Leonides Dominguez. “My biggest mistake was thinking I could do it by myself,” said Kenney, who also See SENIORS on P. 14
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