Nationally, Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of staff turnover in nursing homes – 68 percent — a statistic that affects the quality of care that residents receive.
To address that problem, the Fran and Earl Ziegler University of Oklahoma College of Nursing is creating the Long-Term Care Leadership Academy, a training program that aims to develop leadership skills through education and mentoring for staff members at nursing homes across Oklahoma. The goal is that a resulting culture change will improve staff retention and the care that residents receive.
The program is funded by a nearly $400,000 grant from the Civil Money Penalties program, administered by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. When nursing homes are fined, that money goes to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and part of it returns to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, where it can only be used for quality improvement projects that help residents of nursing homes.
“Improving the nursing home workplace culture by developing staff leadership skills is an important determinant of quality care for nursing home residents,” said Gary Loving, Ph.D., RN, interim dean of the OU College of Nursing.
Recent studies have shown staff turnover to be more important to nursing home outcomes than staffing or skill mix. Nationally, certified nursing assistants have the highest turnover rate at 51.5 percent, followed by registered nurses at 50 percent and licensed professional nurses at 36 percent. With an overall staff turnover of 68 percent, Oklahoma’s nursing homes lose significantly more employees than the national average of 43.9 percent. In addition, Oklahoma’s Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes is one of the lowest in the nation, which adds to the difficulty of retaining good staff.
“It is extremely difficult to work on improving the quality of life and care of residents without adequate staff,” said Diana Sturdevant, Ph.D., RN, of the OU College of Nursing. “High turnover depletes limited resources and reduces productivity because of the added costs of hiring and training new employees.”
Sturdevant is leading the Long-Term Care Leadership Academy with OU College of Nursing colleague Teri Round, M.S., RN. The curriculum is being developed by incorporating evidence-based practices and the expertise of college faculty and nursing home experts.
The program will be geared toward three levels of nursing home employees. Level one consists of the director and assistant director of nursing and the administrator. Level two includes RNs and LPNs who have direct leadership responsibilities of co-workers. Level three consists of certified nursing assistants and their roles in affecting the quality of life and improved care for residents.
Four face-to-face regional meetings will be provided, with one day for each level’s education. The fourth day will be a half-day period for all three levels to practice the skills they’ve learned. Program topics include communication and teamwork, giving and receiving delegation, generational differences, person-centered care, culture change, co-worker engagement, retention and succession planning.
Leadership skills will be an important focus for nursing home supervisors, Sturdevant said. Nursing homes typically employ RNs as directors and assistant directors of nursing, and LPNs as charge nurses. They usually do not receive leadership training as part of their academic education.
“They often lack skills in conflict resolution, effective communication and inclusiveness,” Sturdevant said. “Many use an authoritative approach with top-down communication that does little to facilitate teamwork.”
Following the Long-Term Care Leadership Academy, staff members will continue to be mentored. They also will undertake projects designed to support culture change and to meet a need specific to each nursing home. Projects will potentially address antibiotic stewardship, infection prevention, antipsychotic medication reform and others.
“The OU College of Nursing faculty and staff have expertise in leadership training, development and implementation of quality improvement processes and systems change,” Round said. “We are excited to work with nursing home staff members across Oklahoma on meaningful ways they can retain staff and create a better culture for both employees and residents.”

By Darlene Franklin

What would you do if you only had six months to live?
That question confronted me during a recent close brush with death. A blood clot had formed in my lungs. I filled a tiny red notebook provided by the hospital with thoughts on how to leave nothing important unsaid or undone.
Living intentionally is like carpe diem, seize the day. Don’t put off to tomorrow what is on my mind today. But it’s also not carpe diem. I’m not ignoring the future; I want to live life to the fullest today because tomorrow is uncertain.
I’m not talking about doing more. I’m talking what I choose to do. Yes, prioritize. After all, I won’t care if I have 100 unique book titles written before I die (although I hope to) but I will regret not sharing as much of myself as I can with my grandchildren while I am still able and they are still listening. My to-do list (which gets longeron a daily basis) will probably still have unfinished projects on it when I die, and that’s okay. God’s got it covered.
But there are things only I can do in the time where I am, in the place where I live, with the people around me. That’s where I want to make a difference while I can.
What did I add to my intentional living list? What last things did I want to make sure I focus on?
My relationship with God, my Father, my all in all, whom I will worship for all eternity. Since I want to see the world as He does, I need to spend time with Him every day..
My relationship with my family. To pour my unconditional love, joy and pride into them. To pass on our family legacy, things they won’t know if I don’t tell them.
My interactions with people. To grow in graciousness and friendliness, to make people a priority.
Using time wisely. Don’t accept opportunities because they exist. Accept them only after careful consideration.
My health. Take better care of my body, to prolong my days on earth or at least the quality of living.
My tasks. To be faithful in the jobs God has given me to do; to continue writing unless God gives me permission to stop.
While I do the above, I want to suck as much joy as possible from each day.
How about you? What would be on your list? Your priorities may be different than mine, especially if you’re at a different age or stage of life.
Having a clear view of what I want from each passing day, from every person I encounter, will make living intentionally easier. If I can get to the end of a day without regrets, so much the better. If I mess up, I confess where there’s sin, give myself grace where I just was thoughtless, and start over again,
The bigger question is, how do we get there? How do we avoid Blame Lane because we set ourselves up for failure?
Here’s a few tools I use:
Plan ahead. I realized I spent most of my visits with my grandchildren talking with their parents. I’ve started planning activities for us to do together. They bring things to share as well. We may read about trains, play a board game, write poems.while we talk about their lives, and mine. The planning allows for spontaneous moments that are the best of all.
Let go of schedules and allow life to happen. If someone drops by, invite them in for a visit. Human beings always trump things and work. I had to ask my grandson’s forgiveness when he broke a Christmas ornament. For a moment I lost sight of the fact the ornament was meaningless compared to his precious life.
Forgive myself when I mess up. God’s rule to forgive someone seventy times seven starts with me. When God has forgiven me, why can’t I forgive myself?
Let go of the small stuff.
Follow through. What made me examine my life in the first place?. Seek reconciliation with that person, take care of my health, spend more time with my family.
Keep track of your progress. I keep a record in my prayer journal, thanking God when I meet my goal, asking for help when I allow small things to get to me.
Examine your priorities periodically. Is there something I need to change?
When we live life intentionally, we’ll have fewer regrets when we reach the end.
You can find Darlene Franklin online at www.darlenefranklinauthor.com .

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn [email protected]

Even in the depths of winter, Wichita, Kansas can be an inviting destination. My wintry escape included a traveling Broadway show, museums, dining, A Cowtown Christmas and quality comfort in an expansive historic hotel. And its two and half hour drive north of Oklahoma City on smooth interstate 35, made it even more appealing.
Over the decades, I have seen several theatrical events at Century II, Wichita’s modern convention and entertainment venue, and it was my starting point in planning my weekend get a way. Having never seen, and needing a humorous musical entertainment, Once I booked a ticket to see the traveling, “Young Frankenstein.” It was performed admirably, and despite the inevitable comparison to the movie, it held up rather well as an evening’s respite from reality.
The convenience of my hotel stay at the Drury Broadview, across the street, added to my pleasure as did the perfect meal at its adjoining restaurant Avi. My filet was prepared to my directions as was the three blue cheese olive Stoli Martini, which got the evening off to a fine start. Completing the meal it was hard to choose from the dessert offerings of: Carrot Cake with German Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate and Orange Vanilla Cream Brule, Apricot Almond Goat Cheese-cheesecake, or a Chocolate covered Cranberry Chipolte bread pudding with Mixed Berry ice cream. But I did.
Besides the complete renovation of the Drury’s interior, the free extras of Internet, a hot buffet breakfast and the offerings of 3 free cocktails at their evening breakaway, complete with heavy additional treats that might include hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and nachos, and free internet, made the reasonably priced stay even more of a pleasure. Of course the pool and hot tub along with covered parking let you know you were an appreciated guest.
The highlight of my weekend’s theatrical entertainment was the surprise virtuosity of the Diamond W Wrangler singers at the Empire House Christmas Dinner at the living history Cowtown venue. Their close harmonies ~ reminiscent to the “Sons of the Pioneers”~ along with tongue in cheek humor, and a sufficient western style meal made the evening worth the effort to venture out in the cold.
Of course I was there during a Santa Claus visit, with his lap venue for good little girls and boys, along with singing in the western church ~ complimented by guitars and dulcimers courtesy of the Great Plains Dulcimer Alliance and Acoustic Treasures ~ and wandering in the moonlight over boardwalks past wooden stores and Victorian styled houses lit by kerosene lamps, set the stage for a congenial wintry outing.
Wichita has a number of exceptional museums and galleries, including the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum with its authentic recreation of an 1890 Wichita Cottage; the Kansas Aviation Museum with its collection of everything aviation; the Wichita Art Museum with its traveling exhibits and the Museum of World Treasures with everything from pre historic Dinosaurs to movie memorabilia.
A visit to Hat Man Jacks, in the historic Delano district, will custom fit your head to the appropriate covering for comfort, utility, and most expertly for an appealing appearance. Jack is the couture of men’s hats. He also has an extensive knowledge of early Wichita, and his stories are not only educational on frontier Chisholm Trail times, but entertaining.
Of course in our mobile society some venues may have changed or even closed so it is wise to do a little on line checking before taking your Wichita visit.
As there is more to share of Wichita, so please explore on your own by visiting, www.gowichita.com and asking for their visitor guide.
Drury Plaza Broadview – druryhotels.com/content/broadview.aspx
Wichita Historical Museum – www.wichitahistory.org
Wichita Art Museum – http://wichitaartmuseum.org
Century II – www.century2.org

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

by Kaylee Kain, Director of Communication

Art becomes the platform for discussion surrounding history, race, sex and injustice in The Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair: Mildred Howard and Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman, both opening on Jan. 25 at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.
San Francisco-based artist Mildred Howard, who has achieved an international reputation for her collages and installations, will serve as the seventh Jerome M. Westheimer, Sr. & Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair. An exhibition of Howard’s work will open at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on Jan. 25 with a public opening at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24.
Mildred Howard’s work incorporates a variety of media to create nuanced examinations of gender, race, politics and other issues central to contemporary society. Through her use of collage, sculptural assemblage and large-scale installations, Howard blends American folk art and family photographs among other appropriated objects to explore these increasingly relevant issues of sexual harassment, racial oppression and class struggles found in America.
Her methods for creating these pieces is just as diverse as the themes behind them. Over the course of her influential career, she has not limited herself to any one medium. Her Casanova series is a perfect example of her versatility, in which she uses both collage and jacquard woven tapestry. The endless possibilities and combinations for multiple materials is what fascinates Howard most. “I started off with collage, and I love the mixture of materials,” says Howard. “That’s always interested me – patterns within patterns. You can make art out of anything. That’s my reason for using those materials, because I’m interested in history, because I’m interested in memory and in place, and looking at objects in other kinds of ways that what they were originally intended for.”
Her work in this exhibition provides a platform for discussion revolving around political and sociological topics currently making headlines in regard to the #MeToo movement and immigration, among others.
Also opening this month is Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman, which surveys the artist’s long career, with a focus on his series Because They Were Jews!, a visual diary of his time in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland and his internment at the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Friedman(n) was born in Mährisch Ostrau, Austria (now Ostrava, Czech Republic), but moved to Berlin in 1911, where he studied under German impressionist Lovis Corinth. With the rise of Nazism, he and his family escaped to Prague in 1938, where he continued to paint for himself and sold artwork until 1941 when the family was deported to Lodz Ghetto. Most of the work from earlier in his career was lost, destroyed, or looted by Nazis.
In 1944, Friedman was separated from his wife and daughter, never seeing them again, and was transferred to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Friedman survived his internment at the infamous concentration camp and married fellow survivor Hildegard Taussig. After living in Israel for five years, the family immigrated to the United States in 1954, eventually becoming citizens and settling in St. Louis, where he worked as a commercial artist for an advertising company, later retiring in 1962. As a Holocaust survivor, Friedman found a new purpose in life to fight anti-Semitism and racial hatred by depicting the horrors he had witnessed and to show them to the world.
Testimony offers a glimpse into the lifelong effects of the Holocaust, but also serves as an affirmation of survival. An event is scheduled on Feb. 28 featuring the artist’s daughter, Miriam Friedman Morris, and Lorne Richstone, associate professor of music at OU, will honor the legacy of Friedman’s work and will include musical excerpts from Jewish composers who were lost to the Holocaust.
More information about these exhibitions and related programs is available on the museum’s website at www.ou.edu/fjjma.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors, thanks to the generosity of the OU Office of the President and the OU Athletics Department. The museum is closed on Mondays. Information and accommodations are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting www.ou.edu/fjjma.
A new exhibition at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art focuses on artist Mildred Howard (b. 1945) and her influential career. She has used a variety of media to engage in pointed yet nuanced examinations of the history and politics of gender, race and other issues central to contemporary society. Howard serves as the seventh guest artist in the university’s Jerome M. Westheimer, Sr. and Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair program. A native of San Francisco, Howard received her master of fine arts degree from John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California, in 1985, and has worked in the Bay Area for the majority of her career. This exhibition will be on display Jan. 25 through April 7.
Mildred Howard (U.S., b. 1945)
Casanova: Style, Swagger, and the Embracement of the Other I, 2018
Jacquard tapestry, 72 x 54” Courtesy of Magnolia Editions and the artist
Testimony: The Life and Work of David Friedman surveys the career of artist David Friedman (1893-1980), from his early days in Berlin to his late career in St. Louis, Missouri. The exhibition includes portraits and landscapes as well as his powerful series Because They Were Jews!, a visual diary of his time in the Lodz Ghetto in Poland and his internment at the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.Testimony is both an indictment of the horrors of the Holocaust and an affirmation of survival. This exhibition will be on display Jan. 25 through May 26.
David Friedman (Austria, 1893-1980)
Cattle Train to Auschwitz from the series Because They Were Jews!, December 1963, Charcoal, 18 x 24”
Copyright © 1989 Miriam Friedman Morris All rights reserved

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak is praising the ruling by a federal judge that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Judge Reed C. O’Connor said the tax bill passed by Congress in Dec. 2017 effectively rendered the entire health law unconstitutional because it eliminated the penalty for not having insurance. O’Connor, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, ruled that without that penalty, the law was no longer valid.
“I applaud the decision by Judge O’Connor to rule that the ACA is unconstitutional,” said Doak. “It offers an opportunity to refocus efforts on choice, affordability and consumer protections, elements that have been absent in the marketplace since the inception of the ACA. Whether the ruling is upheld through the appellate process or not, it is now time to apply sensible free market alternatives and fix the ACA problems legislatively. Part of this strategy should be the promotion of consumer alternatives such as association health plans and short-term limited duration plans.”
The administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees federal insurance exchanges, said the ruling will have no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan. An appeal is expected in the case which will likely end up in the Supreme Court.

by Bryan Painter

One ride plus one full day equaled two lessons learned for Esther Miller.
Although Miller grew up on a farm, she learned some valid points of ranch life from husband Dave Miller, rather quickly.
“Early in our marriage I learned that when you are told to get a good drink of water, do so,” she said. “Dave and I were going horseback to look for cattle. I had on a new pair of boots which I wasn’t accustomed to wearing. Dave told me to get a good drink of water. I took a sip or two, but did notice Dave drank a lot.”
It was an August morning in humid eastern Oklahoma.
“When we finally got back to the house I had learned to never leave the house with a cowboy without getting a good drink of water, and never wear new boots to go on a long ride,” Miller said. “On the farm, water was never that far away, but it was on the ranch.”
That’s not all. Miller, who lives near Okmulgee, has a tip from another experience that might help a new ranch bride out somewhere down the road.
“I have also learned that when you cut down a fence with a swather,” she said, “just burst into tears and you will have a very sympathetic husband instead of a livid husband.”
Growing up
Esther was born in the 1930s to Aldon and Rose Sullivan Magness, who raised wheat, cotton and cattle near Geary. In later years, the family took on a custom wheat harvesting business and operated combines from Grandfield in southern Oklahoma all the way to Montana.
“We had a trailer house and went along with him some years,” she said. “My mother cooked for the crew and my sisters and I helped in the kitchen. The summers we did not go with him, my mother and a neighbor took care of the farm.”
Through those years, Miller saw her parents work hard and steady for what they had and she realized nothing is for free.
“Agriculture is a way of life to me,” she said. “People in Agriculture have good values, are well-grounded and friendly and are always there with a helping hand. We feel lucky to have raised a family in an agricultural environment.”
The next chapter
Esther and Dave met in 1952 while students at then-Oklahoma A&M College. They married in 1953 and Dave was drafted soon after that.
“The Korean War was just winding down and he went to Japan and I followed,” she said. “When we returned, he continued in the cow/calf and wheat partnership he and his brother had started earlier. They also raised horses and alfalfa, and baled native grass hay for the cows in the winter.”
Dave came from a pioneer ranching family, a cow/calf operation in northeastern Okmulgee County. In 1878, Dave’s grandfather Bluford Miller and his new bride, Lizzie Anderson, made their home in a log cabin along Rock Creek. Two years later they moved into an L-shaped two story house. Today, Esther and Dave live in that house that was remodeled nearly a hundred years ago, in 1919.
Dave and Esther lived on the family ranch at Mannford in Creek County and then moved to the ranch in Okmulgee County after his father Bluford W. “Bunch” Miller died in 1963.
“We have lived here for 55 years,” she said. “We have added some land, but mostly have cleared land already owned. Early on there were some registered Hereford cows, but the cow herd was mostly commercial. In about 1982 the brothers dissolved their partnership and soon after that Dave sold his cows, went into the stocker business and started clearing land. We now have our hay baled.”
The business is still very much a family endeavor. Esther and Dave have three sons: David Jr., John and Mark. Between the three sons, Esther and Dave have six grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
“David Jr. and Mark are in partnership with the stockers and John runs a family owned oil and gas business,” she said. “A grandson, Tanner, a recent OSU graduate, is helping us out temporarily. We hope we have taught our family to be good citizens, to be reliable, honest and trustworthy and that it takes effort and perseverance to accomplish what you want. A ranch is a good place to learn that. Our boys grew up working cattle and baling hay.”
Other lessons learned
When the interest rates were so high in the 1970s and 1980s, Esther Miller said they were just starting in the stocker business and it was pretty tough getting the lenders to loan money for stockers. However, they kept their heads up and continued trying different things and finally got through it.
That lesson taught her that, “If you want to do something bad enough you can do it.”
“When things came together for us financially, I realized even though there had been a lot of trials, we had really had a wonderful life through it all and feel that we have been truly blessed,” she said.
Maybe that’s why one of her favorite quotes is from the Serenity Prayer: “God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Change, The Courage to Change the Things I Can, and the Wisdom to Know the Difference.”
Miller feels that is a lesson learned that equals a lifetime worth of blessings.
“It seems to me if we all took that to heart it would be a better and happier world,” she said.

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has received its share of interesting donations over the years. Along with the typical gifts made by check and credit card, there have also been cars, houses, jars of change collected at a lemonade stand, and even a toy soldier collection.
But none quite rival the estate gift that Claremore’s William Edgar Riggs left to the Oklahoma City nonprofit.
Riggs’ brother Lynn penned “Green Grow the Lilacs,” the 1931 play that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II used as the basis for the musical “Oklahoma!” When Lynn died, he willed equal shares of his 1-percent royalty on the musical to William Edgar and his three other siblings.
William Edgar lost his wife to heart disease and his daughter to cancer. So, when he passed away in 1977, he left his royalty share to OMRF to benefit research for those two diseases.
“It was a really generous and foresighted thing to do,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D.
With the gift, OMRF receives one-quarter of 1 percent of the musical’s box office share each year.
The show enjoyed a series of revivals from 1979 through 2002, including two on Broadway and one in London’s West End starring Hugh Jackman, and is still performed approximately 700 times a year. As a result, William Riggs’ gift has now provided OMRF researchers with more than $700,000.
“I’ve worked in the nonprofit sector my whole life, but I’d never heard of a donation like this until I joined OMRF,” said Penny Voss, OMRF’s vice president of development. “It truly is a gift that keeps on giving.”
Indeed, the donations will continue as long as “Green Grow the Lilacs” remains under copyright. In 2017, OMRF received just over $10,000 in “Oklahoma!” royalties.
With “Oklahoma!” celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2018, the musical saw a surge in the number of productions. That should mean a corresponding boost in revenues for OMRF.
“Even though OMRF didn’t yet exist when Lynn Riggs wrote his play, I hope he’d find it fitting that his work benefits Oklahoma’s homegrown research institute,” said Voss.
Grassroots support from Oklahomans in all 77 counties helped make OMRF a reality in 1950. “Those are the same kind of people portrayed in the musical—strong, caring, forward-looking,” she said. “We still see that spirit in our donors today.”

Fundraiser will feature a performance by country music group Runaway June
Next month, break out your dancing shoes to benefit a great cause at the Mercy Gala, hosted by Mercy Health Foundation Oklahoma City.
The annual fundraiser will be held on Friday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. This year’s event will feature dinner, a silent auction, a raffle, a special performance by country music trio Runaway June and an after party hosted by DJ Kirby.
Recognized by Billboard as the “Next Hot Trend in Country Music,” Runaway June is the first all-female trio in more than a decade to earn two Top 40 hits. The group also received a 2018 Academy of Country Music nomination for “New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.” They just released their debut project for Wheelhouse Records and are preparing to join Carrie Underwood on tour in May.
“For more than 30 years, the Mercy Gala has been a way for the community to come together to help those in need receive medical services and we are so thankful for that support,” says Lori Cummins, executive director of the Mercy Health Foundation Oklahoma City. “And, we are thrilled to have Runaway June performing and DJ Kirby hosting our after party this year.”
DJ Kirby has a distinct style of mixing and blending classic party music spanning every music genre. He has performed with The Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock and many others. He also has a mix show every Saturday on eight different radio stations across the country.
Because Mercy provides care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, all proceeds from the gala will support the charitable needs of patients at Mercy. Last year’s event raised more than $280,000 for programs like Mercy’s Project Early Detection, which provides free breast health services to uninsured or underinsured Oklahomans.
This year’s event will help support the charitable needs of patients at Mercy in Oklahoma City to include the Mercy Good Samaritan Clinic, Project Early Detection and other forms of patient assistance like help with medications, transportation, nutrition and more.
To learn more about the gala, to purchase tickets or to become an event sponsor, visit www.bit.ly/MercyGALA19 or call (405) 486-8944. Individual tickets are $200 and sponsorship opportunities are still available.

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Hand-written cards.
The joy of simply being present with loved ones and making their day a little brighter.
The pride that comes with honoring a loved one who gave their life in the service of country.
These simple things have always been foundational for Missy Beckett.
As a registered nurse, Beckett has cared for people from all walks of life, all the while knowing that memories they create will last a lifetime.
It’s this approach that Beckett promised to keep as the director for the aptly named Promise Care Hospice service.
Promise Care is locally and privately owned and Beckett has worked with the owner more than a decade now.
The focus has and always will be personal.
“I want to be small,” Beckett said. “As an RN and the director I want to know everyone. I want to know who my team is talking about. I want to know every single person’s name. I want to know their families. I don’t want ever to be too big to not know why I’m doing this.”
Promise Care is comprised of an expert teams of caregivers consisting of registered nurses, physicians, home healthcare aides, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors and trained volunteers.
The palliative care offered eases pain and discomfort for all who experience it.
Social and spiritual support for both patients and their loved ones is bedrock.
Volunteers are often the lifeblood of a quality hospice experience.
That’s where Stacy Wingfield comes in. Promise Care’s volunteer coordinator hand picks those individuals with both the heart and compassion for the role.
Wingfield knows no paycheck could ever be equal both the service volunteers provide and the what they receive in return.
“They’ve gotten a lot of strength,” Wingfield said of her volunteers. “We have training all along the way. You don’t have to have any medical background at all. It’s very interesting the different areas. You could be a florist and want to volunteer to put arrangements together.”
“You could be a masseuse and maybe come do hand massages or an art student who wants to make cards and do crafts. There are so many different avenues.”
One of Wingfields volunteers is an author who comes in after book tours and takes her book into a home and reads while in costume.
“The older you get the more life has thrown at you and the more you do understand where people are coming from,” Wingfield said.
Beckett knew of a woman through healthcare that transportation circumstances had left her homebound. She decided to present her the opportunity to volunteer.
“It has changed her entire outlook on everything to be able to get out and visit and help and spend time with people,” Beckett said. “It’s super important for the patient to have a neutral person to be able to tell their fears. They’re not going to tell their family. Sometime they’ll tell us as a nurse but to have someone who can go in and spend four or five hours at the bedside and just watch TV or read or have a conversation it’s so important.”
“And it’s important for the family to get out of the house and get a break and we really encourage that.”
From the outset, Beckett has brought her staff out into the community when they’re not in patients’ homes.
Once a month you’ll find the Promise Care team working at a homeless shelter serving others.
Every year you’ll find Beckett and staff handing out turkeys with a local law firm.
“Our group is really unique. We like to get out and go do things probably a lot of other businesses don’t do together,” Beckett said.
Remembering the holidays are always packed with events, Beckett was scolded by her staff this year when she suggested they take December off from the shelter serving line.
“They got mad at me,” Beckett laughed. “We like to give back. I think for most of the staff we all have to have a paycheck but I think we’d all do this for free.”
Honoring loved ones is what Promise Care is all about.
And Beckett admits she has a soft spot for veterans.
“I’m a Lawton girl so veterans are near and dear to my heart,” she said. “My dad is buried at the national cemetery. People on our team are veterans so we want to honor them, too.”
It’s those little things along the way that most don’t realize that are actually the big things in life.
And it’s those moments that Beckett promises to make count.

The Oklahoma City Police Department’s Triad program has been around for close to 18 years. Triad is a program which provides a joint approach to crime issues which affect older citizens and provides the enhanced delivery of law enforcement services to our more mature population. Triad sponsors crime prevention and victim/witness programs for older persons, offers reassurance programs for older persons to reduce fear and provide moral support; provides a forum for law enforcement and the community to share needs, concerns, and develop solutions. TRIAD unites senior citizens, sheriffs and local police to identify problem areas for senior citizens in order to develop and implement community-wide solutions.
The Oklahoma City Police Department started the Triad program in November 2001. Sheryl Presley is the department’s Triad coordinator and runs the Triad groups in the metro. Triad North meets the second Thursday of the month at 1:30pm at India Shrine. Triad South meets the third Thursday of the month at 1:30pm at Woodson Senior Center 3401 S May, and Triad East meets at our Springlake Station (4116 N. Prospect) on the third Monday of each month at 10:00am (except January & February when the meetings are bumped to the fourth Monday of the month). There are no meetings in September & December. Each meeting typically features a guest speaker who provides informative information. Current scams and frauds targeting senior citizens are also discussed.
Tax season is a time when we see IRS scam ramp up. Seniors are targeted primarily because they are viewed as easy prey. Usually the scammer will call from a number they have spoofed to make it look like it is the IRS calling. The caller will usually say something like they are with IRS and you owe them money. The victim, thinking that it is the IRS, reacts out of fear and suddenly believes that they had better pay the IRS. First, the IRS will never call you if you owe them money. Second, the IRS will not threaten you and tell you that you have to pay them right now. If you owe money to IRS, they will send you a letter in the mail. If you choose to ignore it, they will send you another letter. If you still ignore the letter, then the IRS will turn your case over to a collection agency. This type of scam is something we go over in our meetings with our Triad members and talk to them about what to do. You can also report the call to the IRS impersonation scam line at 1-800-366-4484 or website at www.tigta.gov.
Scammers also use a ploy known as phishing to obtain your personal information. Phishing scams are typically carried out by a scammer sending you an email that claims to be from a financial institution, business, or a government entity like the IRS. The email usually asks for personal identifying information such as your date of birth or your social security number. It is not uncommon for the scammer to ask for your credit card number or the PIN from you debit card. Never give out this type of information to anyone who requests it in the form of an email. Again, the IRS will not send you an email claiming that you owe them back taxes.
This is but one of several IRS scams of which senior citizens should be mindful. Over the past few years, we have seen a trend of thieves stealing identities to fraudulently obtain IRS refund checks. It begins when a scammer assumes someone else’s identity and then fills out a tax a tax return in that person’s name. The IRS then sends the scammer victim’s tax refund check, and since they have already assumed
the victim’s identity, they simply cash the check and pocket the money. Please remember that if something seems suspicious, always err on the side of caution and call police.
A great way for senior citizens in our community to stay current on the latest scams and threats is to get involved in Triad. Having knowledge of scams and crimes targeting the elderly is a great way to help yourself stay safe.
If you have questions regarding Triad, please contact Sheryl Presley at 316-4336. Sheryl is also available at no charge to give presentations on scams, identity theft, mail safety, neighborhood safety, personal and home safety, holiday shopping tips, purse safety, and elder abuse.