January typically begins with the best of intentions. Shed a few pounds. Hit the gym religiously. Sound familiar?
But while many make resolutions, most fail to follow through, with fewer than one in 10 achieving their goals. The key to being one of those who succeeds, says Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation President Stephen Prescott, M.D., is to make goals that are both reasonable and quantifiable.
“People often say, ‘I want to lose 25 pounds,’ or ‘I want to eat better.’ Those are both laudable aims,” said Prescott. “The problem is, one is awfully ambitious, and the other is almost terminally vague.”
If you overreach with your goals—like trying to drop 25 pounds—an early misstep or bump in the road can derail you quickly. “Then the task will feel impossible, and the natural reaction is to give up,” said Prescott.
For a better shot at a healthy 2017, he suggests mapping out smaller, achievable goals to get the ball rolling.
So instead of pledging to lose 25 pounds, said Prescott, set a goal to lose two pounds in January. “When you succeed, you’ll feel great and have the motivation to keep going with two more pounds in February, then March and so on,” he said. “After 12 months, you could end up dropping those 25 pounds by tackling the goal in increments. Short-term markers can translate to long-term success.”
When it comes to improving your diet, Prescott suggests a similar approach.
Start with a specific, manageable goal, like giving up sugary drinks for a month. If you achieve this, then build on it in February by also pledging to add a green vegetable to your plate every day. Over time, these small adjustments can lead to big changes.
For the best chance of success, Prescott recommends taking on a single resolution at a time. It’s a lesson he learned from personal experience.
“When I resolved to lose weight and improve my fitness level a few years ago, I found it was really difficult to exercise while I was also dieting,” said Prescott. “It worked much better when I shifted my focus to losing weight alone. Then, after I dropped 15 pounds, I got serious about fitness.”
“You only have so much willpower and self-discipline, so don’t stretch yourself too thin,” he said. “Choose the resolution that is most important to you and focus on that one.”

A national rural health organization has chosen Mercy Hospital Watonga as a “Community Star” for its commitment to area residents.
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) selected 50 rural hospitals across the nation, and Mercy Hospital Watonga was the only hospital in Oklahoma to make the list.
“It is an honor,” said Bobby Stitt, who has served as administrator at Mercy Hospital Watonga since 2012. “In the face of what has been a difficult economy for rural health care, this shows our long-standing commitment to the community and our willingness to serve the people of Watonga.”
Each year, the hospital organizes a holiday season basket drive and collects food, clothes and toys for area families in need. In the summer, Mercy Hospital Watonga hosts a neighborhood block party, complete with a bouncy house, food and games. But it is the hospital’s work with local middle school students that received the attention of the NOSORH. Through a program called “Life Wise,” volunteers help students develop life skills such as better decision-making, communications and relationship-building.
“We’ve really tried to create a space in the community where kids feel safe contacting somebody from the hospital and using our resources,” said Robert Pearson, a native of Watonga who serves as Mercy’s emergency preparedness and safety officer. “We want to help them identify healthy choices in their lives to steer them away from the typical things that get kids in trouble.”
The program meets weekly at the hospital for six weeks in the fall and spring. Since starting two years ago, Stitt estimates hundreds of middle school students have been helped.
“The kids love it and they continually ask to come back,” Stitt said. “It’s a great way to make an impact in our community and with our children.”
The honor caps off a year of awards for Mercy Hospital Watonga.
In August, the hospital earned “Excellence Recognition” for reaching the highest standards in health and prevention for their employees, and the “Gold Apple” award for nutritional food options for co-workers and patients. Both awards were given by WorkHealthy Hospitals, an Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) initiative. The hospital was also recognized by the OHA for providing more than 96-percent of co-workers with the influenza vaccine during last year’s flu season.

Several members of the Edmond Senior Center’s “Tap For Fun” class kicked off this year’s holiday season with their 10th Annual Holiday Tap Dance Performance, held at the senior center on December 14, 2016.
The fun-loving senior tappers performed six very lively tap dances and – by popular demand from their delighted audience – an encore tap dance to “Let It Snow”.
Men and women, ages 55+, are welcome to participate in the “Tap For Fun” class. For more information about the class, call the Edmond Senior Center, 216-7600.

Betty Hatcher, a resident at The Fountains at Canterbury in Oklahoma City, earned an honorable mention spot in a national art calendar competition hosted by Watermark Retirement Communities.
The national calendar, created by Watermark Retirement Communities which manages The Fountains of Canterbury, is designed to be a source of inspiration for all those who receive it. Pieces of art submitted for the competition included sculpture, needlepoint, oil and watercolor paintings and mixed-media work. The Expressions art calendar is distributed nationwide and celebrates active aging and the arts.
Hatcher’s cross-stitching was selected as one of 24 honorable mentions for the 2017 Watermark Expressions art calendar out of entries from 39 Watermark communities across the United States.
Hatcher began learning needlework from her mother at a young age. She went on to use her skills as a member of the Oklahoma City Embroiderers Guild for more than 20 years. Her favorite thing about cross-stitching is the multitude of colors and watching a piece transform into artwork. Today, Hatcher is 98-years-old and continues her love of cross-stitching by creating knitted caps for adults and babies as well as baby blankets.
“The Fountains at Canterbury is home to many talented individuals who thrive each day through continuing their life’s passions and discovering new ones,” said Becky Strong, director of community life at The Fountains at Canterbury. “Betty is an incredible artist and we are proud to see her receive national recognition for her talent and hard work.”
The piece was first judged as part of a local competition among residents at The Fountains at Canterbury. Three local experts narrowed down the pieces and sent the five best on to the national competition. Final selections to be featured in the calendar were made at the Watermark Retirement Communities’ national resource center in Tucson, Arizona.
The calendar is available to the public at no charge while supplies last. If you would like a calendar, please call (405) 381-8165.
The Fountains at Canterbury is dedicated to being the first choice in senior living, providing a continuum of care including independent living, assisted living, memory care, innovative rehabilitation therapies and skilled care. The Fountains at Canterbury is managed by Watermark Retirement Communities and is committed to creating an extraordinary community where people thrive. To learn more, please call (405) 381-8165 or go online to www.watermarkcommunities.com.

What are you wishing for in 2017? Integris Southwest Medical Center Volunteers

Joy to the world in 2017. Jody Wilkerson

Let there be peace on Earth in 2017. Tomie Webster

Peace around the world. Ellen Lewis

Peace and food for the hungry. There is so much violence throughout the world. Doreen Tiffany

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.

Students at F. D. Moon Academy in Oklahoma City were already excited about Christmas break when a special surprise came to their elementary school on Tuesday thanks to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF).
A cold December morning was filled with joyful squeals of delight as the giant Clydesdale horse from Express Ranches, Blazer, stomped out of his trailer and lifted his huge head to the sky. Doug Sauter talked softly around Blazer and two miniature horses as Sauter told the children about how to approach a horse safely and pet its nose.
Before the outside activities, students and teachers warmed up and enjoyed a breakfast snack donated by ODAFF directors, the State Board of Agriculture and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. Sticky fingers eagerly grabbed donuts and washed them down with hot chocolate to get fueled for the last day of school.
Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture members assisted ODAFF’s Ag in the Classroom coordinators as they taught agriculture lessons from the award-winning preK-12 curriculum. Students tried their hands at milking Betsie the Cow, a large wooden cow-shaped cutout with a balloon udder. Coordinators also talked about milk and all the good things made from milk.
Best of all was the sound of reindeer hooves on the school playground. Two of Santa’s reindeer found their way to Oklahoma and amazed the children with giant antlers and thick, soft fur. Prancer posed for photos with Santa and students from each class. Although the reindeer didn’t fly around the school they delighted the students as part of the special happy holiday wishes from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.

Dear Savvy Senior, What types of discounts are available to baby boomers, at what age do they kick in, and what’s the best way to go about finding them? Almost 50

Dear Almost,
One of the great perks of growing older in America is the many discounts that are available to boomers and seniors.
There are literally thousands of discounts on a wide variety of products and services including restaurants, grocery stores, travel and lodging, entertainment, retail and apparel, health and beauty, automotive services and much more. These discounts – typically ranging between 5 and 25 percent off – can add up to save you hundreds of dollars each year.
So, if you don’t mind admitting your age, here are some tips and tools to help you find the discounts you may be eligible for.
Always Ask
The first thing to know is that most businesses don’t advertise them, but many give senior discounts just for the asking, so don’t be shy.
You also need to know that while some discounts are available as soon as you turn 50, many others may not kick in until you turn 55, 60, 62 or 65.
Search Online
Because senior discounts frequently change and can vary depending on where you live and the time of the year, the Internet is the easiest way to help you locate them.
To do a search, start by visiting SeniorDiscounts.com, which lists thousands of discounts that you can search for by city and state, and by the category you’re interested in, for free.
You can also look for discounts at TheSeniorList.com, which provides a large list of national and regional business chains that offer them, or you can Google them individually. Just go to Google.com and type in the business or organization you’re curious about, followed by “senior discount” or “senior discount tickets.”
If you use a smartphone, another tool is the Sciddy app (see Sciddy.com) that lets you search for senior discounts and can send you alerts when you’re at an establishment that offers them.
Join a Club
Another good avenue to senior discounts is through membership organizations like AARP, which offers its 50 and older members a wide variety of discounts through affiliate businesses (see AARPdiscounts.com).
If, however, you’re not the AARP type, there are other alternative organizations you can join that also provide discounts such as The Seniors Coalition or the American Seniors Association. Or, for federal workers, there’s the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.
Types of Discounts
Here’s an abbreviated rundown of some of the different types of discounts you can expect to find.
Restaurants: Senior discounts are common at restaurants and fast food establishments – like Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Subway, Wendy’s, Applebee’s and Golden Corral – ranging from free/discounted drinks, to discounts off your total order.
Retailers: Many thrift stores like Goodwill, and certain retailers like Banana Republic, Kohl’s, Michaels and Ross stores offer a break to seniors on certain days of the week.
Supermarkets: Many locally owned grocery stores offer senior discount programs, as do some chains like Albertsons, Kroger, Publix and Fry’s Supermarkets, which offer some discounts on certain days of the week but they vary by location.
Travel: Southwest Airlines provide the best senior fares in the U.S. to passengers 65 and older, while Amtrak offers a 15 percent discount and Greyhound offers 5 percent off to travelers over 62. Most car rental companies provide discounts to customers who belong to organizations like AARP. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival cruise lines offer discount rates to cruisers 55 and over. And, most hotels offer senior discounts, usually ranging from 10 to 30 percent.
Entertainment: Most movie theaters, museums, golf courses, ski slopes and other public entertainment venues provide reduced admission to seniors over 60 or 65. And the National Park Service offers a lifetime pass for those 62 and up for $10 (see nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm).
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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.

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