Elder


Culturally Enlightened: An interview with Nancy Alquist, Jenner, CA


Jenner, CA. ~ Nancy Alquist was born in southeast Arizona in 1925 and lived her first ten years on her father’s cattle ranch. Then, her mother decided it was time to move into town so Nancy and her brother could “learn how to get along with other people our own age.” She graduated from high school in the small town of Douglas, AZ on the Mexican border and went on to college; first to a “finishing school” in Hollywood, California for junior college. Her most vivid memory there was of graduation when they marched in to the Triumphal March from Aida, rather than the expected Pomp and Circumstance tune. Nancy went on to com- plete her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona in anthro- pology, thanks to the inspiration of a “magnificent professor who taught one class in ethnology,” providing Nancy with an edu- cational framework for under- standing her childhood experi- ences, having grown up around


September 2011 Life, Health & Family differences that were very much


Wisdom


three distinct cultures: Anglo- American, Mexican, and Yaqui Indian. After graduation, Nancy moved


back to Los Angeles, found cleri- cal work, married for five years, and eventually discovered social work as a career to support her- self and her son based on the advice of an “astute counselor” at the California Department of Employment. As a social worker in L.A. County, Nancy became disgruntled with the way she and other County employ- ees were treated, inspiring her to join efforts to bring the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to the area in 1966. The main concerns of organizers such as Nancy were related to the lack of recognition and value placed on the work they were doing in the field. Core values Nancy was raised with were to work hard, do the right thing, and in turn you could expect decent treatment and fair compensation; yet she knew this wasn’t hap- pening. For one thing, the field of social work at the time didn’t take into consideration cultural


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Boomer the dog taking hold of a bone teddy. We lost the name of the person from Santa Rosa who sent it! You know who you are!


a reality among client families in L.A. County. Written job descriptions and expectations did not reflect


actual


ences, and field workers were not their


reality.


followed, received


Also, employees had no medical insurance, the civil service rules were not necessarily and some employees


good things about the therapy staff


there, stating “they inter-


viewed and tested me to find out what I could do and encouraged


field experi- me to do something daily, but didn’t push me beyond what I


allowed to provide input to more was capable of doing.” She was accurately reflect


supervision until


equally pleased with the care she received at a local


residential


care home, Elsa’s, where she continued her 24 hour


home just weeks ago. Nancy


admitted feeling some concern when social workers


recovery under she


less compensation than compa- was able to safely return to her rably sized families on welfare. Eventually, the union made a dif- ference in all these areas.


Nancy’s life changed abruptly


when her mother had a stroke and Nancy returned to Arizona to care for her. Like herself, Nancy’s mother was an indepen- dent spirited woman, and the role reversal was a bit of an adjust- ment. She eventually found a good caregiver for her mother and was able to return to L.A. where she embarked on a 10 year active volunteer career for the American Red Cross. Her first relief effort was back in Arizona after the Tucson flood of 1983, and her last assignment was in the Caribbean after Hurricane Hugo.


When Nancy’s son and daugh-


ter in law moved to Northern California in 1988, they helped her look for affordable invest- ment property on the California Coast and found a large property to purchase near Jenner. After a series of health issues, Nancy moved to this property a decade later, and she still resides there. It’s not a cattle ranch, but it’s def- initely rural! Since then, she has struggled with other health issues, including a significant bout with pneumonia which required sur- gery and extended rehabilitation at Golden Living Center in Santa Rosa. She couldn’t say enough


approached her about the idea of "board and care," because she recalled a rather “grim” experi- ence at a care home back in her social work days when she visit- ed a disabled client. Fortunately, her recent experience was “180 degrees different; the complete opposite.” She described “friend- ly, fantastic” caregivers and “very well prepared, balanced” meals. Other residents were also “fun” company at meal times, while maintaining a sense of indepen- dence and privacy at other times, which she appreciated.


Despite her own experi-


ence with aging parents, Nancy openly admits she didn’t connect that experience with her own reality today, and her son still worries about her despite having in-home care. Her advice for other seniors is to “find some means of comprehending what’s going to happen down the line” and discuss options with fam- ily members sooner than later because “it will never happen to me” thinking is unrealistic, particularly as we live longer and lack the extended family living arrangements of prior genera- tions (and some other cultures). She also encourages people to keep their bodies and minds


initially


Pg 24


healthy to avoid some of the preventable problems associated with aging. As for Nancy, she keeps her mind active by reading, computer games, and surfing the World Wide Web. Yes, she’s a self-described “computer illiter- ate” but has a computer and regu- larly searches the Web, which is up and running most of the time thanks to Sonic.net! Nancy also encourages other


retirees to apply their work skills in some form of volunteerism. “It gives you a reason to get up every day and get out of the house. You’re doing and learn- ing something worthwhile, and particularly in our country where we’re being exposed to different cultures every day. So much is fascinating!” One of Nancy’s primary guid-


ing values is to respect other human beings who earn respect. Not because of culture, skin color or language, but because of the way they behave; their moral conduct. She lives up to her own moral standard and is clearly a survivor, having survived numer- ous medical challenges. Nancy has a contagious enthusiasm for life and living, and is wise, indeed!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Eloise Tweeten is an elder care advisor based in Santa Rosa, CA.


If you know a wise el- der who is willing to be in- terviewed


for this column, please contact her at 707-570-2589 or Eloise@ TweetenEldercare.com


The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.


Ivy Baker Priest It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary


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