Agnes Sweetsir, third from right, with Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility staff and residents enjoying a summer day with a beautiful view of the river.
Agnes Sweetsir stands outside the Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility in Galena, where she has dedicated 15 years ensuring its success.
One of the first things Agnes did in her position was help the board design their values, philosophy and mission.
Margie Attla, a revered Elder in the Athabascan community and resident at the Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility, hosts a weekly Athabascan radio show on Fridays, 1 p.m. on KIYU 88.1 Galena Community Radio. She has hosted her program since the 1970s. Tune in to learn Athabascan words, listen to great fiddle music, and more. The station is streamed online at https://kiyu.com/.
In 2009, Agnes Sweetsir noticed that the Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility (YKEALF) in Galena was empty. "It just sat and sat," she recalls. "I lived right down the street and was embarrassed. It was just a monster of a building."
Agnes prayed on it. "I figured I could help get it up and running for a few months, but I didn't realize we needed an administrator." She took on the role. "I worked 60 to 80 hours a week for $25,000 a year. Charlie Green was our maintenance manager-same pay. We never would've made it if they had tried paying us a half-decent salary."
Fifteen years later, Agnes is retiring and reflects on her journey.
"I knew about Elders, but not the industry. It was hard to find information on regulations because people haven't been doing assisted living here. Things like average water usage, no one knew. Then there's the design. We had to take off all the glass doors. In the winter, we put Styrofoam on the windows to insulate. It's not pretty, but we need to do it."
Agnes spent countless hours researching and networking. Her family's support was invaluable, she says.
"This is a business. In any business, you need to create a product or service that people will be willing to invest in and purchase. I knew a little about accounting, supervision, and HR. And I am very resourceful. One of the first things I did was meet with our board and go through the process of crafting their mission statement and values. We're a private nonprofit licensed by the state, and a 501c3. Foundations and agencies are out there to help but you need to be either or both a 501c3 and a private nonprofit."
Community effort
A crucial aspect of the Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility's success is its community involvement. The facility sources about 80% of its protein locally. Folks provide fresh moose, fish, baked goods, and berries.
"If we're short-staffed, people volunteer to help cook and clean. Having traditional Native food makes a big difference," Agnes says. "One resident calls it their 'spiritual food.' Young Elders from the community provide emotional support for both residents and staff, especially during end-of-life care. Before our facility existed, families would struggle. People had to move their loved ones out of town. If I had stayed my parents' caregiver, I would've been dead before them. Both my parents spent their final days at YKEALF. It was beautiful."
The 2013 flood posed a significant challenge, causing housing shortages and increased maintenance costs, Agnes says. "We would've sunk if we didn't have property insurance. This is a high-risk industry and insurance is absolutely necessary."
Trainings and resources
Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility also owns a four-apartment housing complex for staff. Some workers are related to the residents, Agnes says.
"Our facility is one of the few in the country that is truly culturally relevant. Staff work long hours and deal with a lot. We teach them in orientation to not take things personally. People suffering from dementia would never normally act like that, it's the disease."
The facility originally developed a dementia-friendly community with help from Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska, Agnes says.
"Our staff was trained, and we also offered trainings at the community hall for health clinic staff, churches, and families to learn about dementia. Even our store clerk was familiar with ADRD (Alzheimer's disease and related dementia). It was very progressive because the public was not afraid. They learned to recognize the signs and knew what to do."
The "Five Wishes" living will to help residents communicate their end-of-life care preferences has been critical, Agnes says. "More and more, we take our residents through that process. Those kinds of activities bring people peace. I think they live longer because of that-they're not worried about what will happen in the future."
Agnes remains available as a resource for those interested in starting ALFs in their communities. She recommends Teepa Snow and Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska's "Savvy Caregivers" training.
Chastity and Ginger, who have been with Yukon Koyukuk Elder Assisted Living Facility and are committed to its mission, will take over as co-administrators as Agnes retires. They plan to expand to 20 beds, the original intended size of the facility. Agnes is confident in their ability to continue the work, noting their dedication and love for the Elders.
"It's the littlest amount of money I've ever made in my life, but it's the most rewarding job I've ever had," she says. "I go to bed at night knowing that I have made a positive difference in someone's life. It really mattered what I did, and they can't pay you enough for that."
Agnes Sweetsir can be reached at 907-656-7449 and a.m.sweetsir@gmail.com. To reach the new administrative staff for YKEALF you can email Ginger at ykealfresidentmanager@gmail.com and/or Chastity at ykealf311@gmail.com.
Contact Riki Chapman for UAA's three-part Dementia Skills Training for Assisted Living Homes (based on Teepa Snow's method of Positive Approach to Care®) at racook@alaska.edu or 907-264-6257.
See below for recipes from YKEALF's cookbook.
Yasmin Radbod is the Alaska Commission on Aging Rural Outreach Coordinator.
Recipes from Galena
Here are two recipes from YKEALF's Cookbook, "Baaba' Leeneyh" (Delicious Food). There are dozens of recipes from meat to dessert to casseroles. Cookbooks are available to purchase, and funds go toward keeping the facility running. Call 907-656-2574 to order a print copy in the mail.
Rhubarb Muffins
by Rosalie Cramer
Ingredients:
• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup rhubarb, diced
• ½ cup nuts
Topping – mix together:
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup chopped nuts
• ½ tsp cinnamon
Mix together dry ingredients. Mix together buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and sprinkle on topping. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.
Quick & Easy Salmon Cakes
by Maudrey Vent
Ingredients:
• 1 quart jar salmon
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ cup Wesson vegetable oil
Thoroughly drain salmon; reserve 2 tbs juice. In a medium bowl, flake salmon with a fork. Add reserved salmon juice, onion and egg. Blend well. In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to salmon mixture. Blend well. Evenly divide mixture into patties. In a large skillet, heat Wesson oil. Fry patties on each side until golden brown. Remove from oil; drain on paper towels.
