OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall Winter 2022

The Oregon Caregiver FALL/WINTER 2022 www.ohca.com 26 PROFILE Jack Tincknell Willamette Lutheran Retirement Community RESIDENT Jack Tincknell is 90 years old and has been involved with Willamette Lutheran Retirement Community for the past 30 years in various capacities, from serving on the board of directors, to currently residing there with his wife, Beverly. Jack has a special bond with the onsite animals at the community, which we also discuss in the feature. In this interview, he shares more about the value of incorporating community animals into his daily routine. Willamette Lutheran has many animals, including goats, chickens, and dogs, that live onsite at the community. What do these animals mean to you? I’ve taken care of the goats since day one when they were just seven weeks old. I walked them, played with them, provided medical aid to them, and everything in between up to this day. Why are these animals such a big part of your life? I love taking care of them because I just love animals. I was raised with animals: sheep, steers, dogs, and others. We always did 4H, which is a mentoring program that empowers young people with hands-on learning. I was 15 years old when we came to Oregon, and I always helped my dad take care of our animals on the ranch. I’ve had animals all throughout my entire life. I always had dogs, cats, and chickens around. When I got out of the service and got married, even my wife loved animals. She grew up on a farm and she always had animals. Do you currently have a pet? I have a cat, Jade, and I always say he adopted me. One morning, I got up and he was sitting on the patio, and he never left. What’s your favorite activity with the animals? I love walking the goats and playing with them every day. I’m always making treats for them, and I always take a treat when we take a walk. When we get down to the lake, they always know they’re going to get a treat. They can always smell the peanuts in my pocket. We have apple trees here. When the apples are ripe, I pick them for the goats. How does being around these animals make you feel? I feel joyful. I feel loved because they love me and I love them, you know? I can take them out with other people and the goats will push the people out the way because they’re jealous, they’ll try to get people away from me. I got one little black goat, Becky, and she really is a handful. I’ll have people with me and she wants to buck them out of the way. What’s your favorite memory with these goats? Back when they were babies, I was kind of like a mama to them. They looked up to me like I was their mama and I’d go out there and they’d come and suck on my coat or my hand. They know when I’m coming too. I would go up the hill, they’ll be all up on the fence, standing up and waiting on me. Sometimes, I can kind of feel sorry for myself, but when I get with the animals, everything goes away. They bring a lot of life to you right away because they’re happy to see you. They provide a lot of comfort.

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