Dear Savvy Senior, Can you give me a brief rundown of Medicare’s enrollment choices along with when and how to sign-up? Approaching 65

Dear Approaching,
The rules and timetables for Medicare enrollment can be confusing to many new retirees, so it’s smart to plan ahead. Here’s a simplified rundown of what to know.
First a quick review. Remember that original Medicare has two parts: Part A, which provides hospital coverage and is free for most people, and Part B which covers doctor’s visits and other medical services, and costs $170.10 per month for most enrollees in 2021.
When to Enroll
Everyone is eligible for Medicare at age 65, even if your full Social Security retirement age is 66 or later.
You can enroll any time during the “initial enrollment period,” which is a seven-month period that includes the three months before, the month of, and the three months after your 65th birthday. It’s best to enroll three months before your birth month to ensure your coverage starts when you turn 65.
If you happen to miss the seven-month sign-up window for Medicare Part B, you’ll have to wait until the next “general enrollment period” which runs from Jan. 1 to March 31 with benefits beginning the following July 1. You’ll also incur a 10 percent penalty for each year you wait beyond your initial enrollment period, which will be tacked on to your monthly Part B premium. You can sign up for premium-free Part A, at any time with no penalty.
Working Exceptions
Special rules apply if you’re eligible for Medicare and still on the job. If you have health insurance coverage through your employer or your spouse’s employer, and the company has 20 or more employees, you have a “special enrollment period” in which you can sign up. This means that you can delay enrolling in Medicare Part B and are not subject to the 10 percent late-enrollment penalty as long as you sign up within eight months of losing that coverage.
Drug Coverage
Be aware that original Medicare does not cover prescription medications, so if you don’t have credible drug coverage from an employer or union, you’ll need to buy a Part D drug plan from a private insurance company (see Medicare.gov/plan-compare) during your initial enrollment if you want coverage. If you don’t, you’ll incur a premium penalty – 1 percent of the average national premium ($33 in 2022) for every month you don’t have coverage – if you enroll later.
Supplemental Coverage
If you choose original Medicare, it’s also a good idea to get a Medigap (Medicare supplemental) policy within six months after enrolling in Part B to help pay for things that aren’t covered by Medicare like copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. See Medicare.gov/medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans to shop and compare policies.
All-In-One Plans
Instead of getting original Medicare, plus a Part D drug plan and a Medigap policy, you could sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan instead (see Medicare.gov/plan-compare) that covers everything in one plan. Nearly half of all new Medicare enrollees are signing up for Advantage plans.
These plans, which are also sold by insurance companies, are generally available through HMOs and PPOs and often have cheaper premiums, but their deductibles and co-pays are usually higher. Many of these plans also provide coverage for extra services not offered by original Medicare like dental, hearing and vision coverage along with gym/fitness memberships, and most plans include prescription drug coverage too.
How to Enroll
If you’re already receiving your Social Security benefits before 65, you will automatically be enrolled in Part A and Part B, and you’ll receive your Medicare card about three months before your 65th birthday. It will include instructions to return it if you have work coverage that qualifies you for late enrollment.
If you’re not receiving Social Security, you’ll need to enroll either online at SSA.gov/medicare or over the phone at 800-772-1213.
If you need help, get a copy of “Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To” at Nolo.com for $17.50 for the downloadable versions, or $20 for a printed copy.
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 by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

In Dale Graham’s short remarks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 25 for the new larger location in Norman for the nonprofit Dale K Graham Veterans Foundation, he made everyone welcome. Speaking at the front doors at 1233 W Lindsey St., the Vietnam Veteran and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal, 74, shared his pride in how far the group’s mission has grown.
“When I first started out helping veterans sign up for their benefits in my garage 30 years ago, I knew a lot of satisfaction in helping other veterans,” Graham said. “Now I know a lot of these great people gathered here today who have helped thousands in that same mission. We are all proud to welcome you to this new location.”
The foundation is named after Graham, who has dedicated his life to encouraging and helping veterans file their benefits claims. They serve more than 300 veterans each week with a 96 percent success rate for claims filed in 2019.
The main speaker, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, told the crowd of 120 he is prefilling a bill aiding veterans for the new legislative session beginning in February. It will further emphasize that Oklahoma is a welcoming state for veterans, retired and separated from the service.
Pugh’s effort this session is Senate Bill 401, a carryover measure from last year, to exempt military retirement from state income taxes. He said this would keep Oklahoma keep in line with the surrounding states.
“According to our research at the legislature, Oklahoma has more per capita veterans than any state in the country,” said Pugh, a former U.S. Air Force Officer of almost eight years. “The legislature needs to do more in making sure our resources like this new Dale Graham Veteran Graham Foundation center are an example of how Oklahoma can be seen as the number one state for veterans.”
Pugh served as an AWACs command and control officer worldwide as an air battle manager as a captain. Before election to the Senate in 2016, he was an executive at Delaware Resource Group. There he oversaw the local aerospace company’s B-1 Bomber program, an extensive program with millions of dollars attached to it, he said.
Those gathered — veterans and their families, volunteers, veteran’s rights advocates, and Norman and Cleveland County officials, then saw Norman Chamber of Commerce dignitaries welcome the new facility and perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony. After the ceremony, 25 veterans waiting to be helped were invited into the new facility for their appointments with volunteers. On January 27, more than 50 veterans were helped. At the intake event on February 1, 150 veterans are expected to receive services.
The new location on west Lindsey is twice the size of the previous office on Interstate Drive in northwest Norman. The new office provides volunteers a training room and the veterans a computer lab where they can get online and scan their documents to complete their claims. The new computer lab has gone from 40 computer workstations in the previous office to more than 80.
Additionally, there is office space for private meetings. The new office means there is room for the volunteers to give the veterans more privacy as they assist them. This has allowed the Graham Foundation to increase the number of veterans they can help each day.
The Graham Foundation has assisted more than 25,000 veterans across all 77 counties in Oklahoma, 50 states, and eight foreign countries in filing claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Many volunteers help veterans fill out forms and submit medical or other documentation supporting their request for service connection to a disability or an increased rating on a pre-existing service-related disability.
Jonathan Foti, Graham Foundation CEO, spoke as master of ceremonies, saying their mission had outgrown their previous office because there are now about 330,000 veterans in Oklahoma.
The Graham Foundation’s seven full-time employees and nearly 100 volunteers help veterans apply for service-connected benefits. To do this, the volunteers have to go through continuing training programs. This ensures they keep current with Dept of Veterans Affairs policies as they change. In addition, the volunteers who are certified Veteran Services Officers have additional training requirements to maintain their certifications.
Most of their volunteers and staff recently attended the Joint Service Officer Training Symposium training from the Muskogee VA Regional Office and the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. The two-day event was held in Norman at the Oklahoma National Guard Training Center.
The Graham Foundation had teamed with numerous other nonprofits and service organizations to provide veterans with additional services, support, and counseling. This means veterans are better able to get the services they need. The VA application process is a dynamic environment that continually changes as rules, laws and federal policy change.
Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Chuck DeBellevue, president of the Graham Foundation Board, said, “Our supporters and volunteers have helped many veterans who never sought help in the past. While only a few World War II veterans still visit us, most of the veterans seen by the Graham Foundation are from the Vietnam War era, with visits from Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans on the increase.
This move will allow us to assist more veterans in more ways. You had to show up in person to receive our services in the past. Now you can get an appointment online and be seen virtually. Jon Foti, our CEO, has continually improved the processes and our efficiency. We are all proud to be a part of this effort to help those who served this great country.”
Veterans register online to start the process and are then contacted to schedule an appointment. Details about the next intake session can be found at Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation | Our mission is to serve military veterans and their families. (dalekgrahamveteransfoundation.org)

story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer

A glowing celebration was held in Guthrie at the recent coronation of Roxanne Parks, Ms. Oklahoma Senior America (MOSA) Queen 2022.
Parks was crowned by MOSA Queen 2021 Kathryn Gordon.
Several former MOSA queens were among the scores of guests who honored Parks at the Old Santa Fe Depot in Guthrie on Saturday, Jan. 22.
“To reign in life means we are filled with confidence in God and in our assignment,” Parks said. “It is that we are able to have peace in chaos. We’re able to have power and peace, regardless of the circumstances. We are able to be free of the grips of sin…”
MOSA is considered the senior version of the Miss America Pageant, said Dove Morgan-Schmidt, MOSA Queen 2016.
At the coronation, Parks presented three requirements of the national pageant. This includes her talent, philosophy of life, and her evening gown presentations.
She shared her original spoken and inspirational work highlighting her YouVersion Bible Plan that has close to 400,000 subscribers, as well as her latest book, “Breathe: 101 Life-Giving Devotionals.”
Parks said every person is created with a purpose in life.
“Each of us are uniquely gifted to serve and to bless others,” she said in her philosophy of life presentation. “I don’t want to miss out on one thing that God has in store for me to accomplish this year on earth. I want to live bold; I want to give bold and, in a world where depression and anxiety abound, I want to be that life-giving breath of fresh air.”
The Ms. Senior America Pageant is the world’s first and foremost pageant to emphasize and give honor to women who have reached the “Age of Elegance.” It is a search for the gracious lady who best exemplifies the dignity, maturity and inner beauty of all senior Americans, according to the mission statement. The Ms. Senior America philosophy is based on the belief that seniors are the foundation of America, and our most valuable treasure. It is upon their knowledge, experience and resources that the younger generation has the opportunity to build a better society.
An Edmond resident, Parks will represent the state of Oklahoma and its senior community along with state queens from 31 other states this September at the national pageant to be held at the Hershey Lodge and Resort in Hershey, Pa., said Carol Kallenberger, Oklahoma MOSA state administrator.
Parks is a certified life coach at Roxanneparks.com. She has served as president of a large marketing company, and is the founder, president, and CEO at Winter Summit Ministries, Inc. She studied at the University of Oklahoma’s Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.
She and her husband Brian Parks have been married for 36 years. She is the mother of three adult children and a proud grandmother. Parks believes that families are the foundation of our society. Parks is also corporate chaplain. She appears at conferences and conventions throughout the US. Parks appeared inspired and enthusiastic in her talent presentation as she accompanied herself on the piano. Parks said she gathers her peace of mind with faith in God, and not to news or events.
“There has never been one like you before. There will never be one like you again. And since today is the first day of the rest of our lives, and life is not a dress rehearsal, let’s make today the best day of the rest of our lives,” Parks said. “Even though there are very many noises and choices in our head in the battlefield of our mind, we hear the voice of ourselves as loud as it speaks to you. And then, there is the voice of the enemy who likes to raise doubt and discouragement in our heart. And then, there is the voice of the other — your mother or your neighbor — your boss. And then, there is the voice of truth. Oh, we have ears, but do we hear. Oh, we have eyes, but do we see? The same God that fashioned you and me, assigned us with a thumbprint. He invited us to live a full life. Since today is the first day of the rest of your life, let’s choose today and the rest of your life to be the very best of your life.”
For more information about Ms. Senior America, please visit http://senioramerica.org.
“This is a sisterhood,” said MOSA Queen 2021 Kathryn Gordon. “And, if you’re sitting there thinking, ‘Maybe I might try it,’ just step out of your comfort, take a chance, believe in yourself. It’s a wonderful experience — it will help you grow into being the person that maybe you were supposed to be. And I challenge you to challenge yourself to take a chance and become a part of our 2023 pageant for Ms. Oklahoma Senior America.”

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, Contributing Editor

Senior readers may soon see historical revisionism upstage many authors’ books about the University of Oklahoma’s Football Program if today’s writers use the treasure trove of facts about the famous Sooners that came online last year.
Now historical writers can easily go directly to the best source — stories written by student journalists who went to the games and interviewed the athletes to file their stories in the student newspaper. “The Oklahoma Daily,” stretching back 120 years in now online in digital form. The Oklahoma Historical Society recently partnered with the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at OU in the digital conversion effort to make 200,000 pages searchable by name. This free service available on The Gateway to Oklahoma History includes 9,557 issues from 1897 to 2017.
The searchable archive is important to the university and anyone seeking to search, browse or document notable accomplishments at OU for Wikipedia pages. This resource supports a diverse range of research needs across various academic disciplines for students and faculty.
“In observing how much is left out of sports stories in my 34 years of working for the “The Oklahoman,” I realize the reader is often uninformed in so many ways because of the space constraints,” Todd Schoenthaler said in an interview. “Now because the Inasmuch Foundation has funded digitizing the “OU Daily” into an online archive searchable by name, even the amateur historian may be better informed than previous historian authors.”
Oklahoma’s most successful football program now offers all future writers the definitive touchstone of authenticity, access to the story as it happened.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Now readers have free access to the first accounting of the historical facts rather than stories crafted after the fact.
OU’s 1950s superstar and Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1998, Tommy McDonald, is an excellent example of a candidate for revisionism now that all the facts are available. Nowhere can you find some of this running back’s most important OU football achievements depicted except in recent revisionism. Much has been neglected about his exploits in books about the Sooners.
McDonald won the Maxwell Award as the college football player of the year while only getting to play half the game. OU coaching legend Bud Wilkinson played the starters for the first quarter and the just-as-talented alternates for the second quarter. The starters played the third quarter while the alternates finished the fourth quarter. And yet, while playing only half the game, two-time All-American McDonald became arguably the most complete OU football player ever.
In 1955 and 1956, McDonald’s track-star speed propelled him to be the top rusher on America’s best rushing team. In 1955, he led OU in passing with his accurate halfback pass and scoring to become the first Sooner to score a TD in every game of a season. OU led the nation in scoring with 36.5 points per game. He was the only OU player ever to score a TD in 19 straight games.
He led OU in receiving in 1956. This makes him the only OU player ever to lead the Sooners in all four offensive categories.
Aside from that untouchable record, he played outstanding defense with many interceptions and long runbacks. McDonald also averaged kick-off returns of 25 yards and punt returns of 15.8 yards, all without wearing a facemask.
Again, extraordinary revisionist claims require extraordinary evidence. This can be found by going online to the Gateway to Oklahoma History and searching for Tommy McDonald. Finding this page:
The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 42, No. 63, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 7, 1955 – Page: 6 of 16. Magnified. The Gateway to Oklahoma History (okhistory.org), the reader finds McDonald’s name appears 16 times on the page in two stories about the first of back-to-back national championships he helped the team earn in 1955. One article written by student writer Louis Ferguson says it all, “McDonald turned the pitchout run-pass option play into one of the most deadly offensive weapons in football during the season. McDonald hit either senior halfback Bob Burris with a short pass or an end further downfield on 17 of 24 aerials for 265 passing yards in 1955.”
McDonald’s energetic urgency to score on every play because he was elated to be in the game for even a half also created the first form of the hurry-up, fast-break offense in college football.
Many authors credit Wilkinson with the fast-break offense, but careful examination of Wilkinson’s interviews tells us McDonald should be credited. Wilkinson, who died in 1994 at 77, shared his reasoning for the fastest offensive pace possible on the gridiron in a 1983 interview for a book about the Orange Bowl “There’s no reason in my view to let defenses go into a defensive huddle and call a play against you. The so-called ‘hurry-up’ offense everybody does in the last two minutes – there’s no reason not to do that for 60 minutes. You’ve got to be in better shape – that’s why we won anyway; we were in better shape than our opponents.”
Wilkinson explained McDonald’s leadership got the 1955 team sprinting back to the huddle when the whistle blew to end a play.
“Tommy McDonald figures that any play that doesn’t go for a touchdown is a failure,” Wilkinson said in his hyperactive halfback’s heyday. “When he carries the ball and doesn’t score, he’s mad and wants to hurry up and take another crack at it. His desire is tremendous. He jumps up and tears back to the huddle when he is tackled. It’s nothing we taught him. It’s something God gave him, or his parents, or somebody. The other boys picked it up from him, and that’s how our fast break started.”
They huddled to call the play quickly and ran to the line, where they snapped the ball on a quick count. The difference in the timing came with the speed at which they sprinted to and from the huddle and started the next play.
Wilkinson said, “Going into the season, we’re not any better than they are physically, and we’re not smarter than they are, and we’re not any tougher than they are, but maybe we are even with them in these things. Assuming that, how are we going to win? If it’s that even, they’ve got the ball 30 minutes, and we’ve got it 30 minutes. If we run 15 more plays in our 30 minutes then they can snap the ball in their 30 minutes the yards made on those 15 extra plays will win for us.”
McDonald never played in a losing game at OU in three varsity seasons as part of Wilkinson’s still NCAA record 47-game winning streak.
McDonald died at 84 in 2018 in Audubon near his home in King of Prussia, Penn. It overlooks Philadelphia. There he became a legend with the Eagles by powering their 1960 NFL Championship Team. Sports Illustrated titled a 1962 cover painting of McDonald catching a ball “Pro Football’s Best Hands.” The irony was he had small hands befitting his small stature and had lost the tip of his left thumb in a motorcycle accident.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is working to make sure Oklahomans have widely available access to N95 masks in the state.
In partnership with the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association and pharmacy partners around the state, the OSDH will be distributing N95 masks around the state to local pharmacies through a distribution system that will provide Oklahomans the opportunity to go to their local pharmacies to receive N95 masks, free of charge.
Through the OSDH and Federal Government distributions, local, independent pharmacies and pharmacies that are a part of the Federal Retail Providers program will have N95 masks available to Oklahomans throughout the state.
“With the highly transmissible omicron variant we know that the quality of the mask someone chooses to wear matters,” said Michael DeRemer, director of emergency preparedness and response service for the OSDH. “We want to make sure all Oklahomans have access to the best mask possible to protect themselves and others from this virus, no matter where they live and at no-cost.”
The first shipment of masks was sent to select pharmacies on Thursday, Jan. 27 with the next shipment, to additional pharmacies, occurring on Monday, Jan. 31.
In total, the OSDH will be distributing a total of just over 500,000 N95 masks across the state

Story and OU story scans by Darl DeVault, Contributing Editor

Seniors who prefer books in the world of digital access will descend on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds for its huge annual free two-day Friends of the Metro Library Booksale 2022 on February 26 and 27. As thousands of book lovers gather in the Oklahoma Expo Hall, 3213 Wichita Walk, the sale provides hundreds of big print books printed with larger point size fonts to make it easier to read if you have weak eyesight and audiobooks.
“We are grateful for the way our Friends Booksale continues to be a fixture in the community for acquiring great, accessible books, supporting libraries and sharing a love of literacy,” said Tatianna Canon, vice president of communications and membership for the Friends. “The Friends Booksale is truly a local institution, and we are thankful for the support we receive to make it successful each year. The Booksale is one of the many ways the Friends organization works diligently to support local libraries and help them thrive.”
The most significant difference this year is customers must be a member of the nonprofit Friends of the Metro Library before the sale to come to the Friday ‘member’s only’ Pre-sale. Memberships and tickets will not be sold at the door this year to cut down on volunteer exposure to the crowd.
Due to the changing public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, the Friends will require all volunteers and guests over age 2 to wear a mask while assisting with and attending the book sale. Capacity requirements will be implemented as well, to keep patrons safe.
Safety updates will be communicated clearly in advance of the sale on Facebook, Twitter, and membership emails leading up to the event. Additionally, with the unexpected nature of the pandemic, the latest announcements and event information can be found at www.supportmls.org/fol/booksale.
The free admission annual sale opens to the public Saturday, Feb 26, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., providing a diverse selection of paperback and hardcover books, CDs, DVDs, magazines and more for every demographic of customers.
This year, the sale’s theme is “Dive into a Good Book with Us.” The books feature a wide range of subjects—including fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, biographies, medical, westerns, romance, children’s, encyclopedias, reference and foreign language books.
In the General Area, hardback books are one dollar each and paperbacks and magazines are 50 cents each. Collectors go for the Items in the Better Books Room, which vary in price, mostly under $5.
The sale raises money to support the Metropolitan Library System (https://supportmls.org/fol/). In its 41-year run, the Friends have given more than $4.9 million in grants to the system.
All of this is due to the tireless efforts of hundreds of volunteers each year. With 800,000 books available, the sale becomes the largest bookstore in Oklahoma for three days ending Sunday, February 27 – 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Customers shop for many reasons. Some are trying to select bestsellers, classics, collectibles and research books needed for school. Others seek to complete personal libraries in certain subjects, while parents strive to enhance their children’s reading exposure.
Selective shoppers are advised to volunteer or join the nonprofit to ensure the best possible purchasing opportunity. Volunteers helping this year will be treated to the best possible selection opportunity available by having access to the sale on Thursday for a special volunteers-only session.
Those who become members for $15 ahead of time can shop a Presale from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25. Held the day before the sale goes public, members are invited to first access. Children 11 and under accompanied by an adult are free.
After 41 years, the sale is well established on the literary sale calendar for customers from all over Oklahoma, surrounding states and region. Book lovers line up all three days awaiting the 9 a.m. opening.
The multi-day event attracts more than 10,000 book lovers. Each year, a quick parking lot survey shows many of those customers are from out of state, coming to Oklahoma for the vast selection.
In some ways, the diverse selection offered represents a snapshot of high-quality current American publishing with the bonus that everything is available for purchase.
The Friends offer a year-round Amazon store to access their selection at Amazon.com. They also provide ‘Buy the Box’ sales where volunteers package and seal books by genre – buy a box of romance, mystery or children’s books – and enjoy the surprises inside.
The shopping is so robust at the sale volunteers offer a dozen checkout points in each of the two sections. And yet, so many customers arrive early a line forms for the first few hours each day.
The shopping is intense, almost competitive, as this is a once-a-year opportunity. Customers quickly buy the best music or audio CDs, gaming systems and video games, eReaders, DVDs and vinyl records.
Shoppers will see every form of wheeled cart pressed into service by other shoppers as they move among the sections of tables laden with thousands of books. Those sections are a broad cross-section of interest, from tables of books by Oklahoma authors to books about Oklahoma.
Some year’s special sections offer brand new books donated when book stores and Oklahoma publishing houses use their donations as a way to balance their inventory.
Many business and industry concerns are well represented when entities going out of business donate their libraries. Retiring attorneys and doctors donate to provide shoppers the chance to buy current-within-four-years law textbooks or books of law statutes and medical textbooks or medical journals at a steep discount.
Volunteer shifts are still open, as the group is still looking for volunteers! To volunteer for Booksale, visit Supportmls.org/Volunteer. Please select an opportunity and complete the online volunteer profile before volunteering, even if volunteering with a group. For additional questions, contact the Friends at 405 606-3763 or
friends@metrolibrary.org.

Honey Springs Battlefield is excited to announce a special presentation, “The First Indian Home Guard,” to be held at the battlefield’s Visitor Center on Saturday, February 26, at 1 p.m. Dr. Jane Johansson, professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Rogers State University and editor of the book “Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards, and the Civil War on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier,” will speak about the regiment’s unique history in relation to the Civil War in Indian Territory and the Battle of Honey Springs.
“Recruited in Kansas refugee camps in the spring of 1862, the First Indian Home Guard was a unique Civil War regiment,” said Johansson. “Comprised of whites, refugee Muscogee Creeks and Seminoles, and African Creeks, the regiment served in a variety of military operations from 1862–1865. Notable actions that the unit engaged in included Locust Grove, Fort Wayne, Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, Honey Springs and many smaller encounters. This presentation will explore the regiment’s background, its composition, notable personalities, military actions, relations with the federal government and the postwar era,” Johansson continued.
Johansson is a native Oklahoman and graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU). After completing her bachelor’s degree at OBU, Johansson attended the University of North Texas where she earned a master’s degree in library science and a doctorate in United States history. She has written three books about the Civil War west of the Mississippi River, and co-edited two volumes of the papers of Will Rogers. Her most recent book, “Albert C. Ellithorpe, the First Indian Home Guards, and the Civil War on the Trans-Mississippi Frontier,” was honored with the Founders Award given by the American Civil War Museum in recognition of “excellence in the editing of primary source documents.” Johansson especially enjoys traveling to historic sites and visiting used bookstores with her husband, Richmond, an English professor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
After the presentation, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the Visitor Center’s exhibits, view the new “Battle of Honey Springs” film, buy newly stocked items from the gift shop, and tour the largest Civil War battlefield in Oklahoma.
For more information regarding the presentation and Honey Springs Battlefield, please email honeysprings@okhistory.org or alynn@okhistory.org, or call 918-617-7125.
Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of U.S. Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The Visitor Center is located on a hill within close proximity to the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame in Rentiesville. Take the second left after reaching the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Museum (driving from the west).

by Greg Schwem

Aw, heck, let’s just work one day a week.
I mean, we’re all overstressed, burned out, mentally exhausted and up in arms that receiving paychecks requires us to do something other than attend spin classes whenever we feel like it. Never mind that our parents, their parents, and their parents’ parents clocked in at 9 a.m. and left at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. True, there was no such thing as Zoom to haunt their weekend plans; but there also wasn’t a “Bring Your Dog to Work” day at my dad’s office.
We demand a shorter work week. We want Dolly Parton to sing, “Workin’ 9 to noon, ’cause three hours should be plenty; Boss, my brain is fried, although I’m still in my 20s…”
Bosses and even politicians appear to be learning the new lyrics, or at least humming the tune. Last July, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) introduced a bill amending the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, reducing the standard work week from 40 to 32 hours. The bill is currently languishing in the House and the chances of it remaining there will only intensify if Congress decides to take Fridays off.
Meanwhile, a nonprofit pilot program, 4 Day Week Global, is encouraging companies to sign up and participate in shortened weeks. The website contains a petition, seeking 100,000 signatures from employees who favor working less, even naming specific companies and the number of employees who have already signed. When I checked, the petition had received 114 signatures from Amazon workers, a figure I found shockingly low considering the guy who kept dropping packages at my door the week prior to Christmas appeared to be working about 100 hours a week.
The site points to companies like crowdfunding platform Kickstarter and fintech startup Bolt, which have switched to four-day workweeks. It also posts studies with phrases like “productivity increase” and “laser focused employees” as proof that a three-day weekend is an idea whose time has come.
So, why stop there?
If workers are “laser focused” working four days a week, imagine how sharp they would be if they worked three days? Or two? Or even one? Let’s try it. I hereby present to you a company that requires employees only produce eight hours of weekly work. I’ll call it Slack.
Wait, that company already exists. My bad. Let’s call it Slacker. That’s a movie but not yet a Fortune 500 company.
Before my company is besieged with applications from enterprising workers who want to change the world providing it doesn’t conflict with thrice weekly Pilates sessions, please be aware that working for Slacker does have some drawbacks.
During your one day of employment, you cannot break for lunch.
Red Bull and other energy drinks are forbidden. If you need a “jolt” before starting your weekly eight-hour shift, you’re probably not going to fit in at Slacker.
Don’t even think about asking for paid vacation.
You will be required to work in an office, which will not contain clocks of any type. I don’t need Slacker employees, on their way to the parking lot to begin their six-day weekends, saying, “Man, I thought 5 o’clock would NEVER get here.”
Calling in sick is allowed, but sick days must be made up in full. That’s right, if you’re sick one day, you must work TWO days the following week. If that makes me a tyrant of a boss, just remember there are plenty of jobs available at Kickstarter, where your workload will quadruple!

I will pay you an honest wage, but don’t expect a 401(k) or profit-sharing plan of any type. You’ll have plenty of free time to become a Bitcoin millionaire.
Finally, I will not offer a health care plan, but I will provide gym memberships. Slacker employees are expected to use their off time to stay in shape. I don’t need any workforce members unexpectedly dropping dead on their off days.
From boredom.
Kids be warned; the Great Elf Retirement may soon be upon us.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

OU Health is projected to receive more than $1 million to participate in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. Enrollment in the study begins soon, and researchers will follow participants for up to four years.
The NIH launched the RECOVER (Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery) Initiative to learn why some people have prolonged symptoms (often referred to as “long COVID”) or develop new or returning symptoms after the acute phase of infection from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The most common symptoms include pain, headaches, fatigue, “brain fog,” shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, fever, chronic cough and sleep problems.
“This is a unique opportunity to be part of a nationwide study that investigates the impact of post-acute sequelae from SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), which includes long COVID. In other viral infections, you rarely see long-term symptoms at the rate we have seen with COVID-19. If we can understand the biological underpinning of these symptoms, that may help us to better treat people who continue to have problems for weeks or months after the infection is over,” said Timothy VanWagoner, Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the study for OU Health.
VanWagoner is deputy director of the Oklahoma Clinical and Translational Science Institute (OCTSI) at the OU Health Sciences Center. The OCTSI unites universities, nonprofit organizations, American Indian communities, public agencies and primary care providers in research addressing the health outcomes of Oklahomans. OCTSI’s existing infrastructure will be used to enroll patients from across the state, including those in rural and medically underserved areas. OU Health is among more than 30 academic healthcare institutions across the nation enrolling patients in the study.
OU Health will enroll approximately 80 adults in three different study categories. One group will include individuals with a past COVID-19 infection who continue to have symptoms. Another group will be comprised of people with a recent COVID-19 infection who may or may not continue to have symptoms. To serve as study controls, the final group will feature people who have never had COVID-19. Participants will be asked to undergo laboratory tests and other analyses, depending on the category.
Current data show that 10% to 30% of people who have had a serious COVID-19 infection will continue to experience symptoms for at least one month. Researchers don’t know why symptoms persist long after the infection or why some people have little to no symptoms.
“The RECOVER study is important because researchers around the country will be sharing their findings in real time in an effort to find answers as quickly as possible,” said Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., co-principal investigator of the study for OU Health and director of the OCTSI. “We hope to discover factors that put people at higher risk for ‘long COVID’, as well as protective factors. That information will be critical for preventing and treating the long-term effects of the virus.”
The current study will focus solely on adults; however, a study in children and adolescents will be forthcoming.
For more information about enrolling in the OU Health study, call (405) 271-3490 or email osctr@ouhsc.edu.

Every year many elderly and vulnerable adults become victims of financial exploitation. Financial exploitation is defined as illegal or improper use, control, or withholding of property, income, or resources.
Many people fall victim to financial exploitation at the hands of both strangers and family. This crime is a felony under Oklahoma law. Penalties include jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and restitution.
Signs of financial exploitation can include, but are not limited to the following:
• Unusual bank activity • Change of statement delivery address • Unpaid bills • Unexplained withdrawals or transfers • Large purchases that don’t fit the persons income level
How to protect against financial exploitation: • Estate planning • Choose a Power of Attorney ahead of time • Consult an Elder Law Attorney If you or someone you know are experiencing financial exploitation contact Adult Protective Services (APS). 800-522-3511 or okhotline.org
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is in place to advocate for elderly Oklahomans who reside in Long Term Care facilities. As our aging population grows, so does the need to make sure our loved ones are being cared for. If you have question or concerns regarding Resident’s Rights in a long term care facility there are several ways to contact an Areawide Aging Agency Ombudsman. Call 405-942-8500 to speak to an Ombudsman Supervisor, visit the agency website at www.areawideaging.org, or find us on Facebook.