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.”

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.”

Eliza Chakravarty’s journey to better health started with an impulse buy in a checkout line.
“It wasn’t some grandiose plan to get in shape,” Chakravarty, an immunologist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, said of the beginner’s Pilates DVD she tossed in her grocery cart years ago. “It was just a small step in the right direction.”
Despite her busy schedule as a new mom and medical resident, she committed to doing the 17-minute video every evening while the baby napped.
It didn’t seem like much, she said, but soon she felt more energized, happier and, generally, better about herself.
“That was several years ago, and I’ve slowly built on that foundation. This year, I completed my first half-marathon, and it all started in that check-out line.”
Chakravarty said it’s these small, positive decisions that ultimately lead to real lifestyle changes. Overly ambitious goals are a big reason more than nine out of 10 Americans fail to stick to their resolutions.
So instead of pledging to drop 30 pounds or run a marathon, start slowly instead. Go for a walk three days a week or give up one poor food choice. Then, once the changes become routine, add on new goals in bite-sized pieces.
OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D., agrees. “You only have so much willpower and self-discipline, and you don’t want to set yourself up for failure. Focus on one tree, not the whole forest.”
Big goals can lead to setbacks that discourage you and knock you off course. Small, manageable goals have the opposite effect. “Small steps allow you to build gradually on your successes. The more you succeed, the more you crave that feeling of accomplishment,” Chakravarty said. “The little lifestyle changes really add up.”
These principles, she said, can be applied to anything from fitness to passion projects or even financial health. For example, consider saving just $10 a week in a separate account, Chakravarty suggested. “It might not seem like a lot, but by the end of the year, it adds up and might help adjust your attitude on spending.”
Over time, she said, little changes can pay off in a big way for your health, both physically and mentally.
“Before you know it, you’ve done something you didn’t think you could—and it didn’t require a total system shock or radical lifestyle change to do it,” said Chakravarty. “That can be incredibly empowering.”

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.

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.

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

A book club series offered by the Salvation Army is helping bring seniors together.
Diane Maguire, Senior Programs Coordinator, North District, began the book club last year that met once a month and brought in various scholars to discuss what participants would be reading.
“The group that was involved was very interactive,” Maguire said.
This is the second offering for the Salvation Army. The initial group wrapped up in November.
“Based upon feedback from a lot of seniors from the first one it just seemed they really enjoyed it,” Maguire said. “The whole thing is socialization here, even the book club the heart of it is socialization. I talked to a couple of the scholars and they mentioned this was an excellent series. Because they had already interacted with the group it just kind of fell in that this would be perfect.”
In December, the Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Command announced that it will host Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma!. The series of reading and discussion programs are made possible through a grant from Oklahoma Humanities with generous funding from the Inasmuch Foundation and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.
The Salvation Army’s Warr Acres Senior Center, 4301 N. Ann Arbor, will be the venue for the five-part series, Friendship. The series will explore the subject of friendship and its power to enrich and sustain our loves.
The titles in the series include: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson; The Chosen by Chaim Potok; The Color Purple by Alice Walker; Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban; and Recovering: A Journal by May Sarton.
The first reading and discussion group is set for January 17th from 9-11 a.m. with Harbour Winn leading the discussion of Jacob Have I Loved. Participation is free, however seating is limited.
“We are very excited to be offering this reading and discussion program once again,” Maguire said. “The discussions and open dialogue our participants have been having, not only with the scholar, but also with each other are both interesting and thought provoking. I am extremely thankful to Oklahoma Humanities for investing in our senior population with this program.”
“This is how I view it: if it changes one life it’s impactful,” Maguire said. “You have seniors that love playing dominoes or love line dancing but then you have seniors who need to be intellectually stimulated because maybe of their background, love for reading or they can’t do the other things.”
“Some of them needed that intellectual challenge and that really answered to the stimulation they were looking for.”
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma has been serving the elderly population for more than 50 years. There are currently four senior centers in the Oklahoma City metro area serving approximately 350-425 seniors each week.
The centers are open to anyone age 55 or older, free of charge. Wellness activities, lunch, Bible study, and reading and discussion groups are all a part of the current programming taking place.
The mission of Oklahoma Humanities (OH) is to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life. OH is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, we strive to stimulate discussion, encourage new perspectives, and to actively engage people in the humanities disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy and ethics.
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God.
The mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.
Nearly 183,000 Oklahomans receive assistance from The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.
About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyokcac.org.
The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Area Command is a proud partner agency of the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

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 .

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.