Well-known Edmonds author Ann Saling spoke at a writer’s conference I attended in Tacoma in the early 1980s. She clued in wannabes about how to sell our written words.
We’ve written about her many literary accomplishments through the years at The Herald. Several of her books are for sale at Amazon.com, including “Article Writing: A Creative Challenge” and “Foundations of Fiction.”
In the late 1970s, she and her husband, Fred Saling, a retired Navy commander, bought a lovely brick home in Edmonds with a view of the bay.
He retired after 21 years with the Navy and taught Spanish at Meadowdale High School.
I visited the couple in their home. Approaching their late 80s, Fred Saling, very hard of hearing, hesitated to rise from his recliner to greet visitors. Ann Saling was a bit cloudy on details of day-to-day life, but asked if she could read this article before it was published.
She still has an eye for accuracy.
Needing extra personal care these days, the pair chose to hire live-in help to make breakfast, check medications and give them the comfort of knowing they aren’t going it alone.
Don’t we all say we want to remain independent in our homes before we have to move to assisted living?
Senior Services of Snohomish County offers help in making living-arrangement decisions for seniors. Jessica McDougall, caregiver outreach coordinator, said folks can learn about home care, referral and home health agencies through Senior Services.
For more information, visit www.sssc.org on the Internet.
“We do hope that individuals and family members call us first because we are the senior information and assistance program for Snohomish County and aren’t affiliated with any home care agencies,” McDougall said. “We try to provide unbiased information.”
HomeWell Senior Care, Inc., of Lynnwood provides personal assistants for the Salings. Having reliable home workers is even more important during our recent bad weather.
We can do without the mail getting delivered, without garbage getting picked up at the curb, but the elderly need their helpers to arrive rain, ice or snow.
Founder and CEO Joshua Hoffman, 37, said he takes pride in matching clients with personal assistants. The cost is $18.95 to $23.95 per hour for light to heavy care. Live in assistance goes from $225 to $260 per day.
Hoffman used to be a caregiver.
“The long-term care industry is something that people typically learn about after a fall, illness or hospital stay,” he said. “For many seniors, we realize receiving ‘care’ can seem embarrassing and erode self-dignity. That’s why we call our caregivers personal assistants who are there to assist with daily activities.”
The Salings’ children do their grocery shopping and take them to doctor appointments, Hoffman said. Shandy Flyer, 62, a personal assistant from HomeWell, stays with the couple around the clock from Monday until Thursday. Another assistant lives in for weekend shifts.
Flyer, from Iran, was a beautician before studying to become a certified nursing assistant.
“I wanted to help people,” Flyer said. “I worked in a nursing home for three years, then wanted to go private.”
Her husband is a busy artist and doesn’t mind that she is gone days and nights for her job, she said. She said Fred Saling loves her Iranian cooking.
“The last thing I want to do is go to a nursing home,” Fred Saling said. “I like living with her, that’s obvious.”
He pointed at his wife across the room, who said her only complaint is that her husband needs his beloved classical music turned up very loud.
“We love being together,” Ann Saling said. “And I don’t like people telling me what to do.”
Both agreed that nighttime kisses keep them going.
Before I left, I was given a postcard about a book by Ann Saling, “Great Northwest Nature Factbook,” a guide to the region’s remarkable animals, plants and natural features.
She formed the annual “Write on the Sound” Writers’ Conference in 1964, an event with top-notch authors sharing tips of the trade.
I hoped that Saling knew what a pleasure it was for me to see her again. If only she could edit my work, I’d learn from a pro.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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