How to Make Your Bathroom Safer

Dear Savvy Senior, What tips do you recommend for making a bathroom safer and more functional for seniors. My 79-year-old mother slipped and fell getting out of the shower last month, and I’d like to modify her bathroom a bit with some safety features that can help protect her.  Searching Daughter

Dear Searching,
Because more accidents and injuries happen in the bathroom than any other room in the house, this is a very important room to modify for aging in place. Depending on your mom’s needs, here are some tips for each part of the bathroom that can make it safer and easier to use.
Flooring: To avoid slipping, a simple fix is to get non-skid bath rugs for the floors. Or if you want to put in a new floor get slip-resistant tiles, rubber or vinyl flooring, or install wall-to-wall carpeting.
Lighting: Good lighting is also very important, so install the highest wattage bulbs allowed for your mom’s bathroom fixtures, and get a plug-in nightlight that automatically turns on when the room gets dark.
Bathtub/shower: To make bathing safer, purchase a rubber suction-grip mat, or put down adhesive nonskid tape on the tub/shower floor. And have a carpenter install grab bars in and around the tub/shower for support.
If your mom uses a shower curtain, install a screw or bolt-mounted curtain rod, versus a tension-mounted rod, so that if she loses her balance and grabs the shower curtain the rod won’t spring loose.
If your mom has mobility issues or balance problems, get her a shower or bathtub seat so she can bathe from a seated position. In addition, you may also want to get a handheld, adjustable-height showerhead installed that will make washing while sitting down easier.
Another, pricier option is to install a walk-in-bathtub or a prefabricated curbless shower. Walk-in tubs have a door in front that provides a much lower threshold to step over than a standard tub. They also typically have a built-in seat, handrails and a slip resistant bottom, and some have therapeutic spa features with whirlpool water jets and/or bubble massage air jets.
Curbless showers have no threshold to step over, and typically come with a built-in seat, grab bars, slip resistant floors and an adjustable handheld showerhead. Prefabricated curbless showers and walk-in-tubs typically cost anywhere between $2,500 and $10,000 installed.
Toilet: Most toilets are about 14 to 16 inches high which can be an issue for many people with arthritis, back, hip or knee problems. To raise the toilet height, which can make sitting down and getting back up a little easier, you can purchase a raised toilet seat that clamps to the toilet bowl, and/or purchase toilet safety rails that sit on each side of the seat for support. Or, you can install an ADA compliant toilet that ranges between 17 and 19 inches high.
Faucets: If your mom has twist handles on the sink, bathtub or shower faucets, replace them with lever handle faucets. They’re easier to operate, especially for seniors with arthritis or limited hand strength. Also note that it only takes 130-degree water to scald someone, so turn her hot water heater down to 120 degrees.
Entrance: If your mom needs a wider bathroom entrance to accommodate a walker or wheelchair, install some “swing clear” offset hinges on the door which will widen the doorway an additional two inches.
Emergency assistance: As a safety precaution, purchase a waterproof phone for the bathroom or get a medical alert device (SOS emergency call button) that your mom could wear in case she falls and needs to call for help.
You can find all of the products suggested in this column at either medical supply stores, pharmacies, big-box stores, home improvement stores, hardware and plumbing supply stores as well as online.
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.

March & April AARP Drivers Safety Classes Offered

Date/ Day/ Location/ Time/ Registration #/ Instructor

Mar 20/ Friday/ Okla. City/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 681-3266/ Palinsky, Woodson Park Senior Center – 3401 S. May Ave
Mar 21/ Saturday/ Moore/ 9 am – 3:30 PM/ 799-3130/ Palinsky, Brand Senior Center – 501 E. Main
Apr 1/ Wednesday/ Warr Acres/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 789-9892/ Palinsky, Warr Acres Community Center – 4301 N. Ann Arbor
Apr 2/ Thursday/ Okla. City/ 9:30 am – 4 pm/ 951-2277/ Edwards, Intergis 3rd Age Center – 5100 N. Brookline
Apr 10/ Friday/ Okla. City/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 951-2277/ Edwards,  S.W. Medical Center – 4200 S. Douglas, Suite B-10
Apr 11/ Saturday/ Okla. City/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 682-7859/ Palinsky, Okla. City Community College – 6500 S. Land
Apr 11/ Saturday/ Shawnee/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 818-2912/ Brase, Gordon Cooper Tech. Center -Sky Lab 1 Room – 1 John C. Burton Blvd.
Apr 14/ Tuesday/ Norman/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 360-5300/ Palinsky, 1st Baptist Church Family Life Center – 300 W. Commanche
Apr 25/ Saturday/ Chandler/ 9 am – 3:30 pm/ 258-5002/ Brase, Thompson Insurance – 121 W. 10th St.
The prices for the classes are:  $15 for AARP members and $20 for Non-AARP. Call John Palinsky, zone coordinator for the Oklahoma City area at 405-691-4091 or send mail to: johnpalinsky@sbcglobal.net

Sudden Cardiac Arrest can strike at any time and at any age. A new bill supported by Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak hopes to educate Oklahomans about this condition.
Doak is supporting Michael Morris, a father who lost his teenage son to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Morris hopes legislative proposals will help educate other parents and save lives. Michael’s son, Chase, died suddenly in 2013. His death came as a shock, because Chase was an active 16-year-old athlete with no family history of heart disease.
Commissioner Doak attended the “Play for Chase” Youth Heart Screening event yesterday. Student athletes received blood pressure checks, physicals and an EKG exam for low or no cost. These types of test are not normally part of routine check-ups for teenagers. More than 275 students were screened at this event and three had serious heart conditions.
“This is an issue that is close to my family. My daughter has had multiple heart surgeries, and my son is a student athlete,” Doak said. “We support this bill 100 percent. I commend the Morris family for all their hard work and dedication to this important cause.”
The Chase Morris Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act will be introduced as proposed legislation in Oklahoma this session.
“This is the first time in Oklahoma’s history that we’ve had doctors in both the House and the Senate,” said Rep. Doug Cox, M.D., who is sponsoring the legislation. “So what better way to introduce our first bill than by using what we do in our real lives to propose legislation that will save young athletes and prevent death.”
The bill includes:
* The development of educational materials on Sudden Cardiac Arrest for student athletes
* A requirement that all student athletes and their parents read the materials and sign a yearly waiver
* Guidelines for removing a student who show signs of Sudden Cardiac Arrest during a sporting event and when they can return to athletics
* Yearly training course on Sudden Cardiac Arrest for coaches
* Penalties for coaches who violate the act
“Chase would be very proud. He was a loving son, and we’re taking the tragedy of our son’s death and trying to make a difference in the lives of other children,” said Morris.

What was your favorite job you ever had? Emerald Square Assisted Living

I worked for an abstractor. I pulled down the big books and typed them from handwritten pages. Christina Smith

I did payroll and paid bills at the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce.  Emma Stone

Being a librarian. I loved it. Hazel Hicks

I guess the one I enjoyed the most was the one that made me a living all my life. I worked for a jewelry store doing their diamond stone setting. Kenneth Sneed

Starting today, Oklahomans can use a new tool from the Oklahoma Insurance Department to find insurance money they may be owed using the Lost Life Policy Locator Service.
The Lost Life Policy Locator Service will help Oklahomans find a life insurance policy or annuity contract left by a deceased loved one. Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak asked his staff to find a way to help Oklahomans get money they are owed and bridge the gap between insurance companies and Oklahomans who think they may be listed as a beneficiary.
“Many times finding life insurance policies can be difficult and time consuming after a loved one’s death,” said Doak. “But with this new service, consumers can request help from the Oklahoma Insurance Department to simplify the process of locating lost life insurance policies.”
After the necessary information is submitted, OID will contact all state-licensed life insurance companies asking them to search their records for any life insurance policies or annuity contracts insuring the decedent. If a policy is found, that insurance company will contact the beneficiary to complete the claim.
Two legislative proposals on this topic have been introduced this session in an effort to protect consumers’ ability to collect lost policies. Doak is working with legislators to find a solution that best meets the needs of beneficiaries within the confines of the law.
“Commissioner Doak has taken an important step to help Oklahoma citizens claim the life insurance benefits they may be owed,” said Rep. Glen Mulready, author of SB 298. “I applaud this effort and I look forward to partnering with him and his team on this issue going forward.”
“I’m delighted that the citizens of Oklahoma will now have a process to inquire about family policies that may have been forgotten over the years,” said Sen. Gary Stanislawski, Senate author of HB 2066. “I commend Commissioner Doak for developing this innovative solution.”
“I applaud Commissioner Doak for implementing a lost policy finder process as an effort to offer protection to consumers. It coincides perfectly with my legislation that will make the consumer whole by requiring the companies to seek out lost or unpaid policies on a go forward basis,” Sen. Marty Quinn, author of SB 298.

To learn more about this new service, visit the Lost Life Policy Locator Service on our website or contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071.

As a former firefighter and paramedic-turned-nurse practitioner, Antoinette Thompson-Ducasse has always been dedicated to public service and believes her profession chose her.
She brings that dedication to her new role as a nurse practitioner at Mercy Hospital El Reno.
During her 23-year career as a firefighter, Thompson-Ducasse became a paramedic and eventually went on to nursing school where she discovered her deep passion for caring for others.
“I love caring for people, teaching them, being straight with them and everything about it,” she said. “I treat people like family with the respect and dignity they deserve. I like to have an open relationship with patients so they know they can trust me since I will listen and care for their needs.”
Thompson-Ducasse received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and her master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
For the past several years, Thompson-Ducasse has volunteered at the Royal Family Kids Camp and the Teen Reach Adventure Camp as a camp nurse. For three years, she has also volunteered for the 1040 Initiative where she provides medical care to patients in a village in West Africa.

About Stephen F. Lovell, MBA, ChFC®, CLU®, CFP®, CFS, BCM, CRPC®, AEP®, RHU®, AIF®

Imagine a bright, golden vista filled with soothing, warm sunshine – perhaps it is California’s Highway 29. You’re driving this scenic route after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on a Tuesday during working hours. That’s right, you’re going to Napa.
Of course, this is precisely the kind of thing you’re getting used to doing on Tuesdays – not only because you’re becoming a wine connoisseur, but also because Tuesdays no longer belong to hours under the glare of fluorescent lights in front of your work computer. Aah, you’re retired.
“That’s the dream, and as a native San Franciscan I know it well. I myself have traveled the byways of food and wine in the Bay Area. More Americans could be living their dream during retirement, wherever they go to play,” says Stephen F. Lovell, a nationally recognized retirement expert who emphasizes a comprehensive approach for well-being during one’s golden years.
“Many baby boomers will retire in the next few years, and for many of them that dream has a nightmarish tinge—they’re worried they’ll run out of money.”
Lovell, president of Lovell Wealth Legacy, (www.lovellwealthlegacy.com), says 2015 can and should be the start of that good life. He offers three simple ways to bring your dream into reality.
•  Revise your budget at the year’s beginning. Ask yourself: How do I spend my money? Many of us believe we have a reasonable idea of where we put our money, but unless you account for your spending, you may miss out by not putting away enough for your happy retirement.
A household’s discretionary spending on nonessential goods and services like a second smart phone case or the premier movie channel is could top 30 percent. And that is often twice what you intended—but you don’t see it until you budget. “Budgeting puts you in the driver’s seat,” Lovell says. “From there you can control where you spend. You’re buying on purpose, and sometimes you get a nice surprise. That alluring vacation is now within reach.”
•  Be proactive about your financial interests before visiting a professional. Knowing which financial products may work best for your personal needs and how to protect your hard-earned money from unnecessary taxation is not what most laypeople excel at. That job is best handled by working with a professional. But, as with your health, you reap the benefits of being aware of your needs and of initiating the process of looking after yourself.
“Remember, 40 percent of retirees underestimate their life expectancy, according to an Ernst & Young study,” Lovell says, “so if you don’t want to run out of money, create your financial plan to cover this extended retirement period. Then, you odds for a comfortable retirement are improved.”
•  Consider alternatives to stocks, bonds and cash. Many new investment types have appeared to solve planning and retirement issues. Yet most investors limit their choices by relying exclusively on stocks, bonds and cash. From 2000 to 2013, the stock market, for all its ups and downs, wound up at roughly the same place, around 1527. At a 2 to 3 percent investment cost per year, many investors, for all their efforts, lost money! “I educate my clients by bringing to their attention the wide universe of investment types. Results are that more suitable solutions are uncovered and then applied for the client’s benefit.”
Stephen F. Lovell is a thoroughly credentialed, nationally recognized financial professional. Since 1990, he has been gathering various licenses — in insurance, securities, real estate, commodities and as a registered principle — to offer his clients a thoroughly comprehensive perspective on their wealth. He is president of Lovell Wealth Legacy, (www.lovellwealthlegacy.com), and a branch manager at LPL Financial. Lovell has earned several professional honors and memberships. Since walking with his mother as a child for the March of Dimes in San Francisco, he has been active in local and national charities. More recently, Lovell has taken to the airwaves as a radio host at KDOW, where he hosts a weekly show about pursuing financial success and, of course, enjoying the fruits of that financial success.