Barbara Johnson, Part 1, Transcript Section 11

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Barbara Johnson, Part 1
Transcript Section 11

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KAREN: Did you think it made a difference in terms of your work as a health aide for you, emotionally, that you weren't related to people you were taking care of here versus your relatives? Does that matter?

BARBARA: It did in a way. I felt like, you know, they are all my blood relatives here. And in Angoon, I adopted and I had a few relatives there, too, but not as close as here.

So it did in a way, it was a little better as far as my job and stuff. I didn't feel so, how would you say that, you know, when you're kind of afraid of things happening.

KAREN: Yeah.

BARBARA: You have to really watch your Ps and Qs, you know. And it was just a little better here. But I -- I think it's just a little -- it was just a little different.

KAREN: Yeah.

BARBARA: Because I was here with my immediate family.

KAREN: I know because I -- I wonder with being a health aide how people handle that. You know, you're providing medical care for your relatives and your friends, and so I wondered if maybe it's easier if it's a community you're not from?

BARBARA: Yeah, it was -- it was a little easier. You know, it's kind of hard coming into a community, even though I was from here, there was a lot of changes.

KAREN: Yeah.

BARBARA: You know, a lot of new people here, too. And this clinic here sees everyone. In Angoon, we -- we just saw the Natives, you know. And here, they see everyone. And which I didn't mind doing, you know, but it was a little bit different.

So I managed with it, though, you know, the change and everything.

And then it's kind of harder for travel for some of our people because the ferry comes here now but it -- awhile back, it didn't come in as often. And people don't usually travel on the ferry to go to Mount Edgecumbe to see the doctor, they go on -- they go by Alaska Airlines.

KAREN: Right.

BARBARA: And it's kind of hard for the people right now because if they are really disabled and stuff like that, they have to -- they go to Juneau and they wait three hours there to get on a plane to Sitka. And then by the time they arrive in Sitka, it's about 11:30 or so.

KAREN: At night.

BARBARA: Uh-hum (affirmative). And then they have to get up at 7:00, go to see the doctor in Mount Edgecumbe, you know, or get their tests done. But it's the waiting, you know, and stuff that's kind of hard for our people.

KAREN: So if somebody's really critically --