by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Growing up with four siblings, Christmas was always a very special time for Sharon Smith-Davis, RN. Lots of fun, lots of games and lots of family always made the season one she would look forward to all year long.
Christmas in the Smith-Davis household meant attending Midnight Mass before coming home to eat and open presents.
It was a night filled with wonderment – and to Smith-Davis – one bursting with magic.
That’s why decades later the Norman Regional Health System nurse decided she needed to capture that magic and pass it on by writing her first book, The Legend of the Reindeer Shoes.
“I tapped into something I had been thinking about,” she said. “I just wanted to leave behind for future generations some good, old-fashioned Christmas magic.”
The Legend of the Reindeer Shoes is a tribute to the tradition of that Christmas magic. This delightful story chronicles the preparation and journey of Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve and introduces Jingle, the North Pole’s blacksmith.
According to the legend, the reindeer need shoes on their hooves before they can leave on their famous flight. During the trip their shoes are in frequent need of repair and replacing if lost.
Jingle is there to attend to their needs and assure that the reindeer have a full set of shoes on their hooves for the job ahead.
The story reveals that the reindeer shoe itself is a magical source and if you are lucky enough to find one and hang it from your Christmas tree, you too will experience a little bit of good old fashioned Christmas magic.
Smith-Davis wants everyone to make Christmas Eve a memorable family tradition but it took a devastating accident to settle her down long enough to put what was in her head and her heart down onto paper.
Smith-Davis had long written poetry just for herself but a professional barrel riding accident in 1997 on her sport’s largest stage that unsaddled her from her best friend.
The five-time National Finals Rodeo competitor was separated briefly from riding due to a personal injury and found herself alone with her thoughts.
Looking to occupy her time, she turned her attention to writing a book. Her leg fracture was long healed by the time she completed her labor of love.
It took an entire year from start to finish to complete the book.
They say write what you know and Smith-Davis did.
The reindeer’s eyes are drawn from one of her best quarterhorses.
The reindeer shoes were originally forged by a six-time world champion blacksmith and then sent onto a toy factory to create the molds.
When she’s not working you can find Smith-Davis reading her book at local schools.
“I always ask my kids ‘did my book make you smile,’” said Smith-Davis, who still competes locally. “When I see that smile it’s all good.”
“My big hope for it is to maybe one day be made into a traditional Christmas movie.”
Labors of love can be expensive. She poured $20,000 into the venture through illustration and publishing costs alone.
But it’s all worth it to her.
It was years later Smith-Davis realized how much her mother, a registered nurse herself, put into the whole night before getting up early to work her shift on Christmas Day.
It was just one of the memories that came to her when her mother passed away last week.
That selfless love is part of the season to Smith-Davis, who already has her thoughts swirling around her next book, an Easter theme to go with her love of rabbits.
When she’s not writing she’s working at one of Norman Regional’s campus as a flex nurse, drawing a new assignment, new unit and new campus each shift.
“I love nursing,” Smith-Davis said. “I love the science part of it. I like maintaining healthcare standards and assuring that people get quality care.”
From home health to supervisor of a medical surgical floor Smith-Davis has worked in every setting outside of women’s and children’s services during her nursing career.
After 35 years she can recover a heart or take pretty much any post-op patient that comes her way.
And she still loves it.
“I love my boss,” Smith-Davis said. “I just like – as the work implies – the flexibility. You don’t go to the same place every day. I learn something new every day and I’m amongst the most experienced people that are awesome to work with. And we’re blessed to have the quality of doctors we have.”
“I love it all.”
You can buy the Legend of the Reindeer Shoes book and a magical pair of reindeer shoes online at www.reindeershoes.com. You can also contact her directly through the website.
And her greatest hope is that your family will make its own holiday tradition and the magic returns each and every year.

With a new year comes a time for reflection and a time to look to the future. This should hold true with your insurance coverage. While your insurance policy for your home or apartment should provide a sense of security; the new year is a great opportunity to make sure that your sense of security is well founded.
According to a survey by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), more than half of Americans don’t have a list of their possessions. Without an accurate inventory, you may not have the right home or rental insurance coverage. The things you own change constantly – new TV here, new bedroom furniture there – so you need to update your home inventory every year. Without an accurate inventory, you may forget to claim items lost in a fire, tornado or other covered peril.
There are many ways to create a home inventory. You can create a paper copy and write things down room-by-room. We’ve created this file to help you do it. Additionally, you can use a free home inventory app to capture images, descriptions, bar codes and serial numbers of your possessions. Be sure to share the inventory with your agent or insurer. Periodically update the list as you acquire new things.
Do you understand your policy? A standard homeowner or rental insurance policy contains four parts: *declarations page *the insuring agreement *exclusions section *general conditions
A standard homeowners or renters policy generally provides coverage for either the actual cash value or replacement value of your property. After a loss, you will always have to pay your deductible as outlined in your policy.
Rental insurance is different from homeowners insurance in that rental policies only insure the contents of the home, not the structure. Policies vary from company to company, so be sure you read — and understand — yours.
Am I covered if someone breaks in and steals my stuff?
Most standard homeowners and renters insurance policies cover items that have been stolen (up to your policy limits). Be aware that certain categories like jewelry, antiques, art, firearms and other items often have relatively small limits unless you purchase additional coverage.
What if there’s a fire? A typical policy will issue payment to replace or repair anything inside the home damaged by flames, smoke, soot and ash. While losses from fire and lightning are usually covered, don’t be surprised if your insurance company asks for an inventory. The company is only required to pay for personal property you can prove you owned at the time of loss.
My home flooded, now what? Homeowners and renters policies do not offer protection against flood losses. Flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If you live in a city or county that does not participate in the NFIP, you can also find flood insurance through the surplus lines market. Your insurance agent can find those policies.
What about natural disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes?
Damage caused by earthquakes is not covered in a standard homeowners or renters policy. If you want earthquake coverage, you can either add it for an extra premium or, if your insurance company doesn’t offer the coverage, you can purchase a separate earthquake policy. Be sure to understand the coverage and deductibles before buying the policy. Some policies exclude masonry damage but all earthquake coverage carries a deductible equal to 5-20 percent of your home’s value.
What else isn’t typically covered? Hazards that are not usually covered include: war, nuclear accident, landslide, mudslide, sinkhole, pollution and acts of terrorism. Read your policy and speak with your agent or insurer for a complete list of excluded perils.
If you don’t understand parts of your policy, ask your agent, your attorney or your insurance company for assistance.
For more insurance information, contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

Recently Released Results Indicate the HeartMate 3 LVAS is a Promising New Tool for Patients Suffering from Advanced Heart Failure

St. Jude Medical Inc., a global medical device company, recently announced results of the MOMENTUM 3 U.S. IDE Clinical Study, comparing the HeartMate 3™ LVAS (Left Ventricular Assist System) to the HeartMate II™ LVAS in treating advanced stage heart failure.
The Advanced Cardiac Care program at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center is a proud participant in the study. In fact, INTEGRIS was the very first facility in the United States to implant this new technology in 2015. Currently, INTEGRIS remains a leading implanter of the HeartMate 3 LVAS in the country.
The HeartMate 3 LVAS is a small, implantable mechanical circulatory support device for advanced heart failure patients who are awaiting transplantation or are not candidates for heart transplantation. The HeartMate 3 LVAS restores blood flow with full MagLev™ technology, which allows the device’s rotor to be “suspended” by magnetic forces. This design aims to reduce trauma to blood passing through the pump, thereby minimizing complications and improving outcomes for patients.
“The early results of the MOMENTUM 3 are encouraging. This trial is the single most important study in the world of heart pumps at this time,” said James Long, M.D., Ph.D., cardiovascular surgeon and director of the INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care program. “It has been the fastest enrolling trial in this field, indicating the importance of this therapy and the ever-increasing need for new generation heart pumps to treat people with end-stage heart failure when there are no other options.”
The MOMENTUM 3 U.S. IDE Clinical Study is the largest LVAD trial in the world following more than 1,000 patients for a period of up to two years. The data just released to the public shows the six-month results of the first 294 patients enrolled. The patients receiving the HeartMate 3 LVAS had an 86.2 percent survival rate with freedom from disabling stroke and reoperation to repair or replace the device.
“The Heartmate 3 LVAS represents the continued advancement in therapy options available for patients living with debilitating heart failure,” said Doug Horstmanshof, M.D., heart failure cardiologist and co-director of the INTEGRIS Advanced Cardiac Care program. “INTEGRIS, working with a network of partners, is the only center in our state and surrounding regions with the ability to offer this exciting new option on an ongoing investigational basis.”
INTEGRIS holds a leadership role in the MOMENTUM trial, with such centers as Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, the Duke Heart Center, the University of Michigan and Barnes Jewish Hospital. Drs. Long and Horstmanshof joined in the authorship of a current article on the study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

by Jason Chandler
Staff Writer

Most of the people don’t ask to be sick or plan a hospital admission. But when there is a health crisis, they find help at OU Medical Center Oklahoma City.
Dedicated nurses serving in the cardiac program, or Cardiovascular Institute at OU Medical Center are part of a continuum of care navigating the hospitals with opportunities.
“Our nurses have the opportunity every day to work in CVT and still have mobility in different areas,” said Scott Coppenbarger, hospital spokesman.
This continuum of care is a high priority for the patients’ experience as nurses are specialized in certain areas.
Examples include the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, step down, in house telemetry, cardiac floor, cardiac rehab, cardiac trauma, cardiac service line management, ability to impact STEMI times and outcomes, cath lab, adult congenital program, thoracic program, perioperative services, and the heart, lung and valve clinic.
Corinna Reed, RN, has been a nurse for 21 years. She works in the cath lab where diagnostic and interventional procedures are performed.
“For blockages in the heart, we stop heart attacks. We put pacemakers in and help eliminate blood clots,” Reed said. “There’s so many procedures we do. It’s becoming more and more encompassing.”
She said some procedures have been transferred from surgery to the cath lab setting where it is less evasive. Patients can be in and out of the cath lab in an afternoon versus surgery where they may stay overnight. So comprehensive care is becoming much easier for patients and families, Reed explained.
All of the cath lab nurses are critical care nurses. Reed has always circled back to focusing on the heart.
“I like to see people walk out of here,” Reed said. “One of my biggest rewards when I recovered open hearts was getting to take the ventilator off, and then the next day walking them down the hall to the cardiac nursing floor.”
A few days later, Reed would watch her patients wave goodbye as they were wheeled out of the hospital.
During Shawn Penington’s nine years at OU Medical Center he has worked in intensive care and cardiac intensive care units. The RN currently serves patients in the cath lab. OU Medical Center has been good to him by providing vital experience.
Patients who have had open heart surgeries will sometimes come to the cath lab for stents. The RN is familiar with all the medications they take.
“Some of those people come in. They are not scared. Some of them have a lot of anxiety,” he said. “So I like to identify with those kind of people.”
Understanding their emotions by acknowledging they are scared helps to ease their mind.
“Usually I tell them I would be scared, too, ‘if I was where you’re at,’” Penington said. “Even though I know there’s good outcomes of what we do and nothing’s going to go wrong I would still be afraid myself. That’s usually where I can meet them on level ground to help calm their fear.”
Nurses are attracted to cardiovascular ICU care because of the complexity of the work, said Bertha Nunez, RN, nurse manager for cardiovascular intensive care. It’s the hard work, she added.
“The critical thinking aspect, the busyness, because if your heart’s not working right then other things won’t work right either,” Nunez said. “And you have to have the anatomy, physiology knowledge behind it. Know your medications and how it impacts one organ and the rest of the body as well.”
Some nurses have been in different roles with OU Medical Center for more than 20 years, she said. There are also younger nurses the hospital works hard to keep on staff.
Nunez commends the nursing staff for their dedication, she said. They take the extra effort to help patients feel better, she said.
They also incorporate the family and feel gratified that for the 12 hours of work, they made a difference in a patient’s condition.
“That’s what attracted me to nursing was the ability to help somebody who may be anxious like Shawn said, or somebody that doesn’t know what’s going on and taking the time to explain,” Nunez said.
Teamwork and support through all aspects of the organization makes OU Medical Center’s stellar reputation thrive.
Ashley Milam, RN, works in the cardiothoracic ICU. She aids in heart recovery after open heart surgery and other dealings with the lungs and esophagus.
“We get them after surgery. They see us after the procedure is done and throughout their stay in the recovery process,” Nunez said.
Patients going to the hospital are trusting their lives with someone else.
“I admire their fight and their drive,” she continued. “And how they can be in an area that is very scary and they remain calm a lot of times. I admire they put so much trust in us.”
The staff remains updated with the flow of state-of-the-art technology be means of a computer system, said Chandra Ross, RN, manager of the cardiovascular progressive care floor unit.
“To update we use evidence based practice articles,” Ross said. We have a couple nurses that do that often, pull that up for us and spread it through the units.”
Information is shared during huddles and weekly updates.
“I was always drawn to the seriousness of different heart diseases,” Ross said. “I’ve loved every aspect of it from the floor nurse, supervisor and now the manager,” she said.
Nurses stick with cardiac nursing because of its energy and complexity of different procedures, Ross said.
“They get to see a whole variety of things because how the heart impacts stroke, vascularization and different things. They love new challenges,” Ross said.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Norman Regional Health System Lung Navigator Sherri Jo Johnson, RN, is a cancer survivor.
That trauma is permanently ingrained in her mind as well as her DNA.
So she wants to do everything possible to make sure that everyone she reaches has a fighting chance against cancer.
It’s a major reason why she’s involved in the health system’s new low-dose CT lung scan program.
Phillip Dobbs is the manager of diagnostic imaging services and a key player in the new screening.
Dobbs explained that the screening tool reduces the amount of radiation to the patient versus a normal chest CT by 90 percent.
“But the protocol we use we are able to detect even the smallest nodules down to just a few millimeters,” Dobbs said. “The radiologist can look at that and only about five percent of nodules end up being cancerous.”
The peace of mind that monitoring carries with it is worth its weight in goal.
“Six months after any scan I’m fantastic,” Johnson says of her mindset while she’s in remission.
The program has been under development for two years.
The screenings involve pathologists, radiologists, oncologists, a nurse navigator, and thoracic surgery.
“A lot of people have to be at the table,” Mobbs said.
But the whole process can begin simply with a phone call to make an appointment to come in. No referrals are required. No insurance is billed with a cost of $79.
After the test is done, the results go to Johnson. Based on a radiological assessment scale Johnson can determine if the patient needs to return at three months, six months, 12 months or needs to progress faster.
“I put it into my system and I’m virtually you’re reminder,” Johnson said. “If you are intentionally coming in to get it done you’re a lot easier to track because you’re actually wanting us to watch this for you.”
Monitoring is power, especially when dealing with lung cancer.
“Most cancers are found in Stages III and IV when we don’t have very many opportunities to do anything about it.”
Johnson said often cancers that are found in the later stages are accompanied by previous CT scans when the patient or provider failed to follow up on nodules that were noted.
“Whenever it’s brought to them in a nonchalant way it doesn’t have the same importance,” Johnson said.
Johnson says anyone who is a previous smoker, spouse of a smoker or anyone who has been around second-hand smoke for an extended period of time needs to have a scan done. Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women; about 1 out of 4 cancer deaths are from lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.
Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older, while less than 2% are younger than 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 70.
Overall, the chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about 1 in 14; for a woman, the risk is about 1 in 17. These numbers include both smokers and non-smokers. For smokers the risk is much higher,
Black men are about 20% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men. The rate is about 10% lower in black women than in white women. Both black and white women have lower rates than men, but the gap is closing.
The lung cancer rate has been dropping among men over the past few decades, but only for about the last decade in women.
Statistics on survival in people with lung cancer vary depending on the stage (extent) of the cancer when it is diagnosed.
Despite the very serious prognosis of lung cancer, some people with earlier stage cancers are cured. More than 430,000 people alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point. The American Lung Association is trying to draw more attention to early screening because one reason why lung cancer is so serious is because by the time you have symptoms, it may already have spread and become more difficult to treat.
The Association cites a study that between a chest x-ray, sputum cytology and low-dose CT scans, only the low-dose CT (LDCT) scan reduced the risk of dying from lung cancer in high-risk populations.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn  t4z@aol.com

Often the best part of visiting a destination is splurging for an upscale gourmet meal, or two. This is the case in Miami Florida where the ambiance, service and ultimate perfect meal comes together with the BLT Prime at the National Doral Resort Hotel and dinning at the infamous South Beach Gianni Versace Villa.
Sometimes the simplest of menu items, if prepared to perfection, can be the memory you take away from a destination city. The BLT Prime at the National Doral Resort’s Filet Mignon is a prime example. Despite the Miami August heat dining outside overlooking the Big Monster golf course can be elegant for sipping your pre dinner cocktail, but soon you may want to move in to the elegant dining room with a more comfortable temperature. Sometimes the mind over thinks the body’s own thermostat and you have to concede to air condition comfort.
Moving from your preferred exterior to the interior is graciously accomplished by the congenital and efficient wait staff, who I feel agreed for their serving comfort as well, the traditional indoor dining was preferred.
You might think a good prime filet with accompanying sides, is not a complicated gourmet challenge, but when prepared with skill it can be an over the top savory satisfaction. This is the case at the BLT Prime.
Of course the accommodations at the recently renovated hotel are up to its reputation standards. If you get upgraded to an available mini suite, of two bathrooms (one huge with shower, tub, expansive double sink lavatory, and one on a more modest scale for guest), two big screen TVs, large bedroom and siting/living room, is a gracious oasis.
On another upscale over the top luxury experience, book a dinner or two at the exclusive, but accessible Villa Versace in the middle of popular South Beach. There are two dining areas in this infamous home of fashion and style designer Gianni Versace. If you are stay at any of the affordable South Beach icon hotels, it is a pleasant stroll down Ocean Drive, either on the less traveled Eastern ocean park side, or if you prefer to dodge dinners at the many outside bumped out tables on the Western side. Needless to say Ocean Drive is always a traffic lover’s delight, and in the evening even more so where many come just to drive by the pastel colored lights illuminating classic art décor architecture.
The mansion was officially named Casa Casuarina for more than a decade, where it first operated as a private club and then as a boutique hotel. It reopened in 2013 under new management. Locals still refer to it as ‘the Versace mansion’.
It is reported that Versace bought a neglected three-story, Mediterranean-style home, originally built in 1930 by Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman, and a dilapidated hotel next door in 1992 and spent $33m on renovations.
To add to the villas notoriety Versace was shot dead on its front steps by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in 1997. The 10-suite Villa by Barton G boasts a 54-foot ‘thousand mosaic’ swimming pool lined in 24-carat gold, which was designed by Versace.
You will be met by the guard at the street side gate and then you may announce yourself to your hostess coming out of the main entrance. You will be invited to sit in the patio area, a formality even though you have previously made your dining reservations which are strictly required. You will be told no cameras are allowed and so you are instructed to check such at the reception desk. Cel phone cameras are currently allowed although standard cameras are not. In time you are escorted to your table, past an elaborate interior courtyard with fountain and past the intimate cocktail bar. By now you know you are somewhere special.
The interior dining room is almost oppressive with its intricate walls of rock and tile mosaics. The mood is brooding and your fellow room diners explode your imagination when you conger up what might be their history. The outside terrace overlooking the Roman villa styled pool and cabana area is the delight of South Beach. You almost hate to order your meal in anticipation of its finish and your need to leave. Again a perfect beef filet is an exquisite choice. If you are offered a dinner salad to start off, be warned the size is gigantic and so is the variety of greens.
A Martini toast to Gianni and this Villa is a must, to pay tribute to a man of means and his open to the dining public of his South Beach Villa. While an upscale dining experience may not be in your travel budget, but is there a price for an over the top memory you recall year after year?
Editor’s Note: Terry Zinn is past president of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
www.new.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com

Bone and Joint Hospital at St. Anthony is the first in Oklahoma to offer the Mako Total Knee procedure. Performed using the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery System, the Mako system is a surgeon-controlled robotic arm technology that enables more accurate alignment and placement of implants.
The Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery System provides three dimensional pre-surgical planning, as it details the technique for bone preparation as well as a customized approach. “The Mako Total Knee procedure is an innovative technique available to patients who suffer from degenerative knee diseases such as osteoarthritis. It enables surgeons to personalize the total knee procedure to achieve optimal results,” said Corey Ponder, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Bone and Joint Hospital at St. Anthony.
Using the robotic-arm technology allows the surgeon to precisely execute the procedure based on an individualized CT scan of each patient’s own unique anatomy. During the Mako Total Knee procedure the robotic-arm assisted surgery system provides visualization of the joint and biochemical data, to guide the bone preparation and implant positioning to match the pre-surgical plan.
“Bone and Joint Hospital at St. Anthony is proud to be the first in Oklahoma to have this innovative technology. It is part of our commitment to provide our community with the best care possible,” said Dr. Ponder.

story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Norman has and always will be a college town.
Today more than 31,000 students come to Norman each year to further their education.
As a result, Norman’s population has grown more than 50 percent to nearly 120,000 residents since 1990.
For the past 50 years seniors like Jim Jinkins have paid for that growth, supporting and paying for municipal bonds, school bonds and keeping dollars local and paying city sales tax.
And it was senior voters like Jinkins who threw their support behind the Norman Forward initiative that in October 2015 resulted in a half-percent sales tax increase intended to fund a number of quality of life issues.
One of those items listed on the ballot was a new, standalone senior center that would replace Norman’s current facility, housed in the city’s original 8,000-square-foot public library built in 1929.
But now Norman seniors feel they’re the ones standing alone and are accusing some city officials of trying to do an end-around with funds that should be used to build a new facility.
NORMAN FORWARD
“Seniors worked their butts off to get that initiative passed,” said Jinkins, who spent four hours on election day holding a sign on a street corner campaigning for the measure. “It passes and a couple months later they start talking about the budget again so we start going to the study sessions of the council meetings and they start saying ‘We don’t have any money. It’s going to take the entire $159 million to fund these Norman Forward projects.’”
“We said ‘Wait a minute. We’re a Norman Forward project.’”
City leaders indicated they had been considering using bond funds from a previous bond issue to fund renovating the existing Norman Public Library for use as a senior center.
That would be done after the library moved into a new building paid for through the sales tax increase.
Voters like Jinkins felt they secured a standalone senior center by passing the Norman Forward initiative.
“There’s not an asterisk next to it, there’s not any language that says if there’s money available,” Jinkins said about building a senior center. “Everybody I know that voted on it (thought they were voting) for a senior center.”
In March 2016, an Oklahoma not-for-profit corporation by the name 21st Century Norman Seniors Association was formed and Jinkins was elected president.
He says there are now more than 400 active members.
With seniors encompassing nearly 20 percent of Norman’s total population the group feels a significant segment of Norman residents are supporting the call for a free-standing senior center.
For now, Jinkins says the city is only offering yet another renovated former library to serve seniors’ needs or trying to float yet another bond issue to voters specifically for a new senior center.
Jinkins worries about voter fatigue and the fact voters have already voted twice to fund a new senior center.
The senior group says the plan of moving into the existing library does a disservice to seniors on multiple fronts.
Seniors and City of Norman staff would share the building and end up competing for space and facilities. Neither could expand as their programs grow.
Problems with parking and traffic flow cannot be resolved.
A shared parking lot with City offices plus the Municipal Court would create a bottleneck and there would also not be enough covered parking spaces that a senior center requires.
Senior centers in Edmond, Shawnee, and Midwest City have this.
The existing library lacks space for kitchen facilities. The staff of the kitchen at the present senior center would like to move to the new senior center, and most people agree that the new center should house the kitchen as the center is the only source for many seniors’ meals.
The option Jinkins’ group favors is building a new facility – which would cost in the neighborhood of $8-9 million – at the nearby city-owned Andrews Park.
The site would provide plenty of adequate parking plus be located across the street from the new library – benefitting from library programming and public resources located on site.
Association Associate Vice President Nadine Jewell penned a letter to the editor of The Norman Transcript that read, in part:
“Norman Forward is certainly needed in our community, and seniors do not think they are being greedy asking for a standalone center. While many projects, like Westwood, can only be used for 3 months of the year, a senior center can be used the year around. Surely, Norman cares enough for its seniors to find enough excess Norman Forward funds to build one standalone.”
With already a fair measure of support from existing council members, one thing working in the group’s favor is the fact City Council seats in the odd-numbered wards will be up for election this coming February.
Norman Seniors will host a candidates forum before the election so that you can meet the candidates, ask your questions, and hear their positions.
In the meantime, Jinkins is urging all interested Norman seniors to call their City Council representative and voice their opinions.
You can find out more information online at www.normanseniors.org as well as the group’s Facebook page listed as Friends for a 21st Century Senior Citizen’s Center.
“I think they just really wanted us to go away and they didn’t think we would get this far,” Jinkins said. “It is our hope that the Council will identify a funding source for a standalone center that does not involve yet another vote of the people.”

story and photos provided

This holiday season, Susan Abrahamsen says she is especially grateful. In addition to having a loving family and a successful 30-year career in health care, Abrahamsen is a breast cancer survivor.
“It was surreal,” said Abrahamsen of her diagnosis. “All of a sudden, everything changes.”
Abrahamsen learned she had stage two breast cancer. in February. By March, she began weekly rounds of chemotherapy.
“In the beginning, it was easy to keep my illness hidden from my patients,” said Abrahamsen. “I just poured myself into my work, but as I started losing more hair, my patients could tell something was going on.”
For nearly the last two years, Abrahamsen has worked as an advanced practice registered nurse and certified nurse practitioner in the telemedicine program at Mercy Hospital El Reno. She takes care of patients in the hospital, while helping to relay important information about her patients to physicians in Oklahoma City using a television screen with two-way audio and video technology. She often works with Dr. Daniel Pascucci.
“I just remember her being very shaken when she told me she had been diagnosed with cancer,” said Dr. Pascucci. Despite the diagnosis, he said it was hard to keep her away from work. “Her first priority has always been our patients, and even as she was going through a health scare of her own, she did whatever she could to continue taking care of them.”
Dr. Pascucci said Abrahamsen’s outlook on her illness and recovery is now inspiring his own practice in medicine.
“It is humbling to be able to see somebody live out the Mercy mission of bringing to life the healing ministry of Jesus in such a selfless way,” he said. “To see her faith in the Lord guide her through that and give her peace while she continued to care for patients has been very eye-opening.”
Following surgery and now daily radiation treatments, Abrahamsen hasn’t been able to work since September, but she still believes that she has been “very blessed” throughout this journey.
“It is a different feeling being on the other side of care, but it’s helped me connect on a much deeper level with my patients, and I understand better what they are feeling,” she said. “When my patient’s started realizing my diagnosis, they would often offer support and encouragement, even when I was the one taking care of them. There are good people in El Reno.”
Abrahamsen will finish her final round of radiation two days after Christmas. She plans to return to work at Mercy Hospital El Reno by New Year’s Day.

LeadingAge Oklahoma Executive Director Mary Brinkley recently announced that 45 nursing homes throughout the state have received national certification in the MUSIC & MEMORY program and will take part in this new program that uses personalized music to assist residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
In an effort to improve the quality of life for people suffering from dementia, a personalized music program is now available to 2,000 nursing home residents in 100 skilled nursing homes in Oklahoma. The two and half year project will use iPods to re-introduce nursing home residents to their favorite, personalized music to improve their day-to-day life and assist in reducing medication usage. Phase 2 of the program will begin next Spring for the remaining 55 nursing homes. The LeadingAge Oklahoma Music for the Ages initiative is part of the national MUSIC AND MEMORY program developed to train nursing home staff to create personalized music. The grant through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Oklahoma State Department of Health will enable residents to listen to their favorite music and be able to recall memories that haven’t been lost to their disease. This has an uplifting affect that improves their spirits, and allows them to be responsive, cooperative, and engaged with family, friends, staff and other community members. “Increasing a person’s ability to positively interact with others through the power of music is really priceless,” said Brinkley. “We’re pulling from their past – music that made them feel happy or made them joyful and triggers good memories.” “The music has a connection to the emotion system. It’s sort of a back door to the mind, and that’s why people come alive.” Program Director, Denise Clemonds said, “LeadingAge Oklahoma will host monthly support sessions for nursing homes to discuss successes, solve challenges and receive additional training.” Nursing homes will receive start up equipment, certification and also participate in a research study to measure the effectiveness of the program. The results of the study will be used for future planning. “We are gratified that so many of the nursing homes across the state will participate in what we believe is a landmark program in the treatment of people with dementia”, said Brinkley.
“Music has long been known as a powerful tool for stimulating memory, and this new program in Oklahoma nursing homes is harnessing that power to improve the lives of residents with advanced dementia,” said Brinkley. “Our brains are hard-wired to connect music with long-term memory. People with dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other diseases that damage brain chemistry can reconnect to the world and gain improved quality of life from listening to personal music favorites.” MUSIC & MEMORY founder Dan Cohen used thorough neuroscience research to create the program which has been shown to enhance the lives of residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias by: „* Reducing the reliance on anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety medication „* Reducing agitation and “sun-downing” „* Enhancing engagement and socialization, in turn fostering a calmer social environment * Increasing pleasure to persons with dementia „* Increasing cooperation and attention of patients „* Boosting staff morale by reducing resident resistance to care „* Increasing fulfilling engagements among the residents, staff, family, friends, and their community.
“LeadingAge Oklahoma is the first long-term care provider association in the country to develop its own program based on Cohen’s program,” said Brinkley.
LeadingAge Oklahoma plans to expand Music for the Ages initiative this spring to include a total of 100 nursing homes in the project.
For additional information about the Music for the Ages, go to: LeadingAge Oklahoma For the list of Oklahoma nursing homes participating in the program, go to: http://leadingageok.org/music-for-the-ages