5 Ways to Spot a Lottery Scam

You get a phone call or a letter in the mail informing you that you just won millions in a lottery. Could this be your lucky day? More than likely, no, as this is a very common scam that preys on your excitement to claim a big prize.
To finish out our series of scams, did you know that in 2017, nearly 500,000 people fell victim to lottery scams? The reported losses alone totaled $117 million and that’s only what was reported. The actual number of victims and losses are probably larger, as many victims are too embarrassed to report it. These scams, commonly referred to as “advance fee”, “lottery” or “sweepstake” scam, often begin with fraudsters informing you that you’ve won a lottery or sweepstake raffle. You are issued a check worth more than the amount owed and instructed to pay “taxes and fees” before receiving a lump sum payment. Unfortunately, the check, in addition to the raffle, is false.
There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to send money back. That’s a huge red flag that it’s a scam. To help prevent you from falling victim to this scam, here are some helpful tips to keep you from getting tricked.
* Don’t be fooled by the appearance of the check. Scam artists are using sophisticated technology to create legitimate looking counterfeit checks. Some are counterfeit money orders, some are phony cashier’s checks and others look like they are from legitimate business accounts. The company name may be real, but someone has forged the checks without their knowledge.
* Verify the requestor before you wire or issue a check. It is important to know who you are sending money to before you send it. Just because someone contacted you doesn’t mean they are a trusted source.
* Ensure a check has “cleared” to be most safe. Under federal law, banks must make deposited funds available quickly, but just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good, even if it’s a cashier’s check or money order. Be sure to ask if the check has cleared, not merely if the funds are available before you decide to spend the money.
* Report any suspected fraud to your bank immediately. Bank staff are experts in spotting fraudulent checks. If you think someone is trying to pull a fake check scam, don’t deposit it— report it. Contact your local bank or the National Consumers League’s Fraud Center, fraud.org.

How do you stay active? Warr Acres Senior Center

I’m never still. I like to line dance twice a week. Sharon Garrett

I have a cardio machine in my lanai and get out three times a week. Burna Hankins

I like to line dance and play ping pong every now and then. Billie Willis

I don’t. I do like to line dance. Rita Knight

The Oklahoma Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) recently presented its quarterly Citations of Merit for work in preserving the history of Oklahoma. Three citations were awarded for accomplishments in three Oklahoma communities. The award recognizes efforts to preserve Oklahoma’s historic properties through restoration, rehabilitation, research, planning, public programming and other activities.
The January 2019 recipients of the SHPO’s Citations of Merit and their accomplishments include:
Oklahoma Affordable Housing Partners, LLC; Rosin Preservation, LLC; and Stark Wilson Duncan Architects, Inc., for the rehabilitation of the Mining Exchange Building located on Route 66 in Downtown Miami.
H2O Apartments of OKC, LLC; Steve McQuillin & Associates; and KKT Architects, Inc., for the rehabilitation of the Tiffany Apartments in Oklahoma City.
Archer Building, LLC; Rosin Preservation, LLC; and Lilly Architects for the rehabilitation of the Archer Warehouse in downtown Tulsa.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

An open wound that just won’t heal can be a matter of life and limb.
Traci Davis, RN, is the director of wound care and hyperbarics at Summit Wound Care in Edmond and says seniors need to know when to seek care for a problem that can quickly get out of hand.
Davis says an open wound that hasn’t gotten at least 50 percent better in four weeks is indicated for advanced wound care.
“But, if you can get in sooner rather than later that’s always the best approach,” Davis said. “That way we can do any cultures or x-rays. Especially, diabetics if they are doing their weekly checks and notice they have a small opening that would be an indication to come in … to prevent it getting into a deeper, diabetic foot ulcer.”
What to know
According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, a diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that occurs in approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes and is commonly located on the bottom of the foot. Of those who develop a foot ulcer, six percent will be hospitalized due to infection or other ulcer-related complication.
Diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States, and approximately 14-24 percent of patients with diabetes who develop a foot ulcer will require an amputation. Foot ulceration precedes 85 percent of diabetes-related amputations. Research has shown, however, that development of a foot ulcer is preventable.
Anyone who has diabetes can develop a foot ulcer. Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and older men are more likely to develop ulcers. People who use insulin are at higher risk of developing a foot ulcer, as are patients with diabetes-related kidney, eye, and heart disease. Being overweight and using alcohol and tobacco also play a role in the development of foot ulcers.
Ulcers form due to a combination of factors, such as lack of feeling in the foot, poor circulation, foot deformities, irritation (such as friction or pressure), and trauma, as well as duration of diabetes. Patients who have diabetes for many years can develop neuropathy, a reduced or complete lack of ability to feel pain in the feet due to nerve damage caused by elevated blood glucose levels over time.
Vascular disease can complicate a foot ulcer, reducing the body’s ability to heal and increasing the risk for an infection. Elevations in blood glucose can reduce the body’s ability to fight off a potential infection and also slow healing.
Often times, wound patients have issues with arterial or venous disease.
“We see them every week so we tend to recognize changes,” Davis said. “As a whole, Dr. (William G.) Morgan III and ourselves we look at every system in the body and make sure everything is working together because if everything isn’t working together it makes for difficult wound healing.”
The holistic approach is one Dr. Morgan adopted long ago. Where some see wounds, Dr. Morgan sees much more.
“It’s all connected,” Dr. Morgan explained. “It’s not that we’re treating a wound, we’re treating a person that has a wound. All these things we deal with are connected.
“One of the rules about about wound care is that every wound is a window to an underlying problem.”
“That’s a rule with no exceptions.”
And if left unchecked, those wounds can lead to life-altering amputations.
“It’s extremely dangerous because diabetic foot ulcers very quickly get infected and can get staph infections very easily,” Davis said.
Lower-limb amputations may be rising after decades of decline, according to new data published in Diabetes Care, the journal of the American Diabetes Association.
After years of decline, the rate of amputations jumped by 50 percent between 2009 and 2015.
Oklahoma ranks No. 8 in the country in the number of individuals living with diabetes.
Davis has worked with Summit’s patients for the last eight years. She says it’s like family.
“The patients, Dr. Morgan and the relationships we have here,” Davis said of why she stays. “We are a little bit different in that we are more family-oriented, take care of each other and try to take care of our patients holistically and try to be advocates for them in other areas of their health care and get them to the right places they need to go.”
Patients are able to self refer to the clinic.

by Kaylee Snow

Move and adapt.
For Patti Townsend, her entire life could be described by these two words.
After enduring the drought of the Dust Bowl, Townsend’s father, an Oklahoma farmer and coal miner, decided to move his family west to California during World War II. There was a need for work in the shipyards because of the war, so he was certain a better life would await them there.
“My father just threw up his hands and said, ‘This farming is not worth it right now,’” she said.
Townsend grew up in San Francisco, a much different sight from the New Mexico cattle ranches she would soon call home.
After marrying Gayland Townsend, the two began ranching together in Albuquerque and then Roswell. They raised commercial cattle before incorporating Brangus into their herd, eventually owning nearly 800 head. The Townsends moved several times while in New Mexico, each time to a bigger ranch, before relocating to Oklahoma in 2004.
“I was chief cook and bottle washer,” Patti Townsend laughed, pointing out that she worked more than everyone else because she had two jobs: ranching and cooking.
She added, “They counted on me being out there helping them with cattle a nd then having dinner on the table too.”
“I wasn’t a hired hand,” she laughed. “I was a free hand. Let’s put it that way. I was out there working cattle and then having pot roast in the oven.”
She would have beans on the stove and cornbread in the oven while she worked cattle.
“They’d send me up there about 10 minutes before, and then I put everything on the table,” Townsend said. “They ate. I cleaned up. I was back out there in the corral.”
While the Townsends ranched in Roswell on the “home place,” Patti Townsend became heavily involved with the New Mexico Cowbelles. She served on the board, as secretary and as president.
“I did everything they asked me to,” she said.
Townsend worked beef cook-offs, helped the New Mexico Beef Council – where she also chaired the board – at the state fair, and helped put on the beef ambassador contest. She traveled to each region of the state giving workshops, ran booths at the state capitol, and visited schools to teach children about beef cattle. She also led farm tours to show the public more about the industry.
She recalls one lady being so excited – and scared – to give a cow a shot for the first time.
“She did it. She ended up giving that cow a shot, and then she raised her hands up and just thought that was the greatest thing in the world that she gave that cow a shot,” Townsend laughed.
It was the education and promotion of agriculture, specifically beef cattle, that drove Townsend.
She was involved on the local, state and national level. She was named the 1999 New Mexico Cowbelle of the Year and served as president. She also served as region director of the American National CattleWomen for six years and was president of ANCW in 2003.
Townsend, who “to this day still can’t believe it,” was named the 2011 ANCW Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year.
“It was the best honor I could have in my life,” she said.
The “home place” or “family ranch” as Patti Townsend calls it, is where the Townsends lived for about 21 years and raised three sons: Philip, Charles and Steven. It is also where Townsend started her sheep herd, which grew to nearly 600 head over a 20 year period.
“The boys had them [the sheep] for ag,” she said. “It was an ag project, and course they showed sheep too. The oldest one took off to college, and he had to sell his part of the sheep to the other two. And when the second one went off to college, he had to sell his part to the youngest one. And then when the youngest one when off to college, there was nobody to buy them but Momma. So I bought his share, and so those were Momma’s sheep now.”
“There was a herd of them by the time we finished with them because they can have triplets,” she laughed.
Her sons were all heavily involved in FFA, showing cattle, pigs and sheep. All three received their American FFA Degrees, and Charles was a state FFA officer.
All three also grew up to pursue agriculture. Charles is a veterinarian, Philip is a rancher and fishermen’s guide, and Steven runs the ranch, which is now located in Milburn, Oklahoma.
“We started getting bigger on account of the youngest son [Steven] wanting to be a rancher, and so that’s the reason we sold the family ranch,” she said. “He’s always wanted to be a rancher since he was 3 years old.”
The Townsends moved to a bigger ranch outside of Roswell first before moving the cattle to Oklahoma.
Why would a successful ranching family decide to move 500 miles to begin the challenge of raising cattle in a completely new state?
The answer can be found in one word: drought.
After year five of what would be an eight-year intense drought, the Townsends were at a crossroads. Their time in New Mexico had set them up for success in Oklahoma.
“A man walked up to us and wanted to buy the ranch,” she said, “and my husband said, ‘Sold.’ So we bought a place here in Oklahoma, and that’s where we are now. We still have Brangus cattle. We raise about 600 head here.”
As the ranches got bigger and more help came in the form of her sons, Patti Townsend wasn’t needed as much. However, she never got too far away from the ranch.
“I stayed involved with the cattle, and when we culled cows and stuff like that my husband wanted me out there working to make sure I was satisfied with what they sent to the sale and what they kept for heifers. They didn’t sell my pets. Let me put it that way,” Townsend laughed.
She became very involved with the Oklahoma CattleWomen and was slated to become an officer here too, before deciding she was needed more at home to take care of her husband after his heart attack.
“I’m getting back involved with them again, but I am not moving up to be president so leave that off your list,” she laughed.
She has truly loved the ranching life – where she spent her entire career – and is hopeful that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will pursue it.
“It is a beautiful life for a family, and I would suggest it for any young couple that wants to start living on the ranch to try it,” she said. “Get them out of the city. Put them on the ranch or the farm, and it’s a hard life. I’m not going to say it’s an easy life. We had some rough times. We had some big rough times, but we made it. We just stuck together and made it. I wouldn’t trade it for a billion dollars, or a trillion.”
It has been almost 50 years since the Townsends first started ranching together.
“It was fun days. I enjoyed it. I really did. It’s just something I did, and I was young enough to do it. Don’t ask me to now,” she laughed.
Patti Townsend, now nearly 78, reflects back on her days on the home place and says every memory was great – whether it was good or bad. She would certainly love to be working underneath the Oklahoma sky.
“I wish I was 10 years younger,” she said. “I’d be out there hand in hand. I’d still be the chief cook and bottle washer.”

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Central Oklahoma (RSVP), a nonprofit organization that enriches the lives of senior adults through community volunteer opportunities and the Provide-A-Ride Senior Transportation Program, recently announced its 2019 Advisory Council members.
RSVP Advisory Council members are: Debbie Evers, community volunteer; Jamie Jeter, retired, Tinker Air Force Base; Wanda Patrick, retired, Hank Martin, CPA; Sheryl Presley, TRIAD coordinator, Oklahoma City Police Department; Kimberly Sanders, retired, Focus Oil & Gas; Paul Sanders, retired, All-American Bottling Corporation; and David Smith, retired, Oklahoma Tax Commission.
RSVP’s advisory council helps to enhance the nonprofit’s recruitment, retention, and recognition of volunteers.

The new INTEGRIS Moore Community Hospital, which brings a transformative concept of health care to Central Oklahoma, is officially open and accepting patients.
A Grand Opening ribbon-cutting event was held Feb. 26 to introduce the new hospital, at 1401 SW 34th St. in Moore. Speakers included Glenn Lewis, mayor of Moore, Kathy Gillette, president and CEO of the Moore Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Crow, membership director of the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and State Senator Darrell Weaver.
The 60,685 square-foot INTEGRIS Moore Community Hospital, which opens to the public today (Feb. 27), is part of a major initiative in which INTEGRIS will, in 2019, open four new community hospitals – small-format facilities also known as micro-hospitals or neighborhood hospitals – in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
The INTEGRIS Community Hospital at Council Crossing, 9417 N. Council Road., opened Feb. 6. The INTEGRIS Del City Community Hospital at 4801 SE 15th St., is scheduled to open March 6, and the INTEGRIS OKC West Community Hospital at 300 S. Rockwell Ave., will open in May.
As part of its expansion initiative, INTEGRIS, the state’s largest nonprofit health care system, entered into a joint venture partnership with Emerus, the nation’s first and largest operator of micro-hospitals hospitals, to build and manage the facilities.
“Each new community hospital is an innovative way to create more access points for people who are seeking care,” said Timothy Pehrson, president and chief executive officer at INTEGRIS. “We think the citizens of Moore will find this facility to be more convenient, more affordable and if they need higher levels of care, they’ll be connected to all the great things people have come to expect from INTEGRIS.”
Emerus Chief Executive Officer Craig Goguen said the company is honored to partner with INTEGRIS, an award-winning, highly respected health system brand, as it expands its footprint throughout central Oklahoma. “Our transformative concept of health care allows great health systems like INTEGRIS to expand its reach into the community to provide a variety of patient services that are fast, convenient and economical.”
These new community hospitals will serve a variety of patient needs including emergency medical care, inpatient care and other comprehensive health services. While the ancillary services vary, each community hospital has a set of core services including the emergency department, pharmacy, lab and imaging.
The rest of the services depend on the needs of the community, but common examples include primary care, dietary services, women’s services and low-acuity outpatient surgeries. The community hospitals offer:
* Health system integration — allowing for care coordination, consultation and seamless transition across the care continuum
* Fully licensed as a hospital and subject to all hospital conditions of participation and regulatory requirements
* Emergency-trained physicians and outpatient ambulatory clinical services on site — ensuring patients receive the highest quality care, when they need it
* Inpatient bed capacity — allowing patients to stay closer to home when lower level admissions/recoveries are needed
* All patients accepted without regard to insurance or ability to pay, including Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare
* Community-based hospitals open 24 hours a day, seven days a week – offering ease of access to our patients

NICOA SCSEP – NATIONAL INDIAN COUNCIL ON AGING SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM – is a federally funded program, serving the low-income job seeking population 55 and over. Arnetta Yancey, SCSEP Central Region Program Manager, NICOA stated: “The program offers paid on-the-job training, job search assistance, help in writing a resume and tips on improving interviewing skills. This is a four (4) year training program and is the only federal program for low-income U.S. citizens, age 55 and over. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor under the authority of the Older Americans Act of 1965. The program is free to participants and host agencies.”
NICOA SCSEP participants provide community services for public agencies or nonprofit organizations providing much needed staff in the workplace. Positions are 20 hours per week at minimum wage. The NICOA SCSEP staff focuses on matching job seekers with agencies offering job training in their field of interest. Information on Job Fairs, mentoring, and counseling are available to all. Participants are offered the opportunity to take part in trainings provided by NICOA SCSEP and host agencies. These trainings include ESL, computer literacy, telephone systems and other skills specific to their field of interest and job assignments.
While many seniors need to work to supplement their income, others want the workplace camaraderie and personal fulfillment working provides. NICOA SCSEP is an organization which can help in either case. For seniors’ educational barriers may exist in getting a job in this fast-paced, ever changing work environment. Some may not have the skill sets applicable while physical limitations may prevent others from working in their previous jobs. Some career fields impacted include construction, oil field, plumbing, welding, waitressing or any field requiring physical strength and stamina. For other seniors, becoming proficient in technology skills needed in the workplace is the goal. Many seniors need training in using the internet, social media and computer programs, such as Word, Publisher or Excel.
The goal is for each trainee to find a job outside of the NICOA SCSEP program. In Oklahoma County, NICOA currently has 60 elders enrolled and have placed over 30% of the participants in employment. In 2018, NICOA partnered with more than 35 community agencies including The Salvation Army, Lottie’s House, Department of Veterans Affairs, Heartline 211 and Oklahoma County Senior Nutrition. Diane Maguire, North Coordinator for The Salvation Army, oversees the Warr Acres and Danforth Senior Centers, stated “NICOA SCSEP trainees have been a blessing in many ways for us at The Salvation Army Senior Centers. Having them be a part of the staff has given us the ability to do more for our seniors. Throughout their training I have watched them build skills that have enabled them to serve our senior citizens, ‘the golden generation,’ with both skill and love.”
Jacqueline Lewis, a former NICOA trainee, gave a pep talk and shared her success story with Paycheck Club participants in Oklahoma City. Jacci’s story: “When I applied to this program, I felt defeated. The job-hunting process has changed so much from the earlier years. Beginning with my very first host site to the last one, the things I learned were invaluable. This program teaches self-worth for the aging population that still wants to work. The staff will listen to your concerns and guide you in the best direction. They provide workshops and interview techniques along with the onsite training to better prepare you to reenter the work force. This program is a confidence builder that at 55+ you can step out and succeed. I am now employed full time thanks to this program. If you have barriers to employment start here for help in overcoming them and success in job search.”
Jacci joined NICOA SCSEP to prepare herself to be a viable candidate for employment. She wanted to enhance her skills, learn new processes and techniques, become proficient in computer programs in daily use. At NICOA SCSEP Jacci said she found all of this and more; “The moral support, guidance, advice and workshops kept me on target and focused.” She has been full-time employed for over 18 months and loves having a meaningful job.
If you are looking for a way to learn, develop and refine marketable skills call NICOA SCSEP to learn of your options. NICOA SCSEP provides the opportunity for paid training, meaningful community service, skills development and a great support network.
Ms. Yancey stated: “Our elders have so much experience and knowledge to contribute we must give them viable options. NICOA SCSEP offers options. Contact our office at 405-254-3642”.

LAWTON – Nichole Lorenzen is bringing the farm to the city one art project at a time.
Owner of Lorenzen Farm Art, Nichole Lorenzen creates farmhouse decor and gifts from her original watercolor paintings. She offers her paintings in real barn wood frames and prints on tile, metal, coasters, car coasters, bookmarks and magnets.
“Being able to offer farm tractor art prints to people that own or remember their pieces of equipment makes me feel like I am bringing agriculture into a few more homes,” Lorenzen said.
She said what makes her art special is that it is created from what she sees on her own farm where she bales hay and tends to cattle alongside her husband. Lorenzen said she loves that she can paint and work while watching the kids and dogs play all while the cattle bawl in the background. She loves the idea of growing a business at her farm.
Lorenzen Farm Art was started in 2013 when Lorenzen was accepted to an art show. In 2017 she opened her online Etsy store. This year, she has added Amazon and is currently building a website for wholesale and retail shoppers. She also sets up booths at art shows and festivals.
“The booth should feel like a country home that says, ‘Come in, leave your boots on the porch and grab a sweet tea,’” Lorezen said. “It brings a smile to your face and lightens your load. The artwork is bright and happy. It reminds you of good old memories from Grandpa’s farm.”
Lorenzen’s goal is to continue expanding her operation into gift shops and businesses across the state and nation. Lorenzen Farm Art recently joined the Made in Oklahoma Program. To learn more about the business, visit www.nicholelorenzen.com or find the company on Facebook, Instagram or Etsy.

Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about reverse mortgages for retirees? My wife and I are contemplating getting one but want to make sure we know what we’re getting into. Running Short

Dear Running,
For retirees who own their home and want to stay living there, but could use some extra cash, a reverse mortgage is a viable financial tool, but there’s a lot to know and consider to be sure it’s a good option for you.
Let’s start with the basics.
A reverse mortgage is a unique type of loan that allows older homeowners to borrow money against the equity in their house (or condo) that doesn’t have to be repaid until the homeowner dies, sells the house or moves out for at least 12 months. At that point, you or your heirs will have to pay back the loan plus accrued interest and fees, but you will never owe more than the value of your home.
It’s also important to understand that with a reverse mortgage, you, not the bank, own the house, so you’re still required to pay your property taxes and homeowners insurance. Not paying them can result in foreclosure.
To be eligible, you must be 62 years of age or older, own your own home (or owe only a small balance) and currently be living there.
You will also need to undergo a financial assessment to determine whether you can afford to continue paying your property taxes and insurance. Depending on your financial situation, you may be required to put part of your loan into an escrow account to pay future bills. If the financial assessment finds that you cannot pay your insurance and taxes and have enough cash left to live on, you’ll be denied.
Loan Details
Around 95 percent of all reverse mortgages offered today are Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), which are FHA insured and offered through private mortgage lenders and banks. HECM’s also have home value limits that vary by county, but cannot exceed $679,650.
How much you can actually get through a reverse mortgage depends on your age (the older you are the more you can get), your home’s value and the prevailing interest rates. Generally, most people can borrow somewhere between 50 and 65 percent of the home’s value. To estimate how much you can borrow, use the reverse mortgage calculator at ReverseMortgage.org.
You also need to know that reverse mortgages have recently become more expensive with a number of fees, including: a 2 percent lender origination fee for the first $200,000 of the home’s value and 1 percent of the remaining value, with a cap of $6,000; an upfront 2 percent mortgage insurance premium (MIP) fee on the maximum loan amount, plus an annual MIP fee that’s equal to 0.5 percent of the outstanding loan balance; along with an appraisal fee, closing costs and other miscellaneous expenses. Most fees can be deducted for the loan amount to reduce your out-of-pocket cost at closing.
To receive your money, you can opt for a lump sum, a line of credit, regular monthly checks or a combination of these.
More Information
To learn more, read the National Council on Aging’s online booklet “Use Your Home to Stay at Home” at NCOA.org/home-equity. And see the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association self-evaluation checklist at ReverseMortgage.org/consumerguides.
Also note that because reverse mortgages are complex loans, all borrowers are required to get face-to-face or telephone counseling through a HUD approved independent counseling agency before taking one out. Most agencies typically charge around $125. To locate one near you, visit Go.usa.gov/v2H, or call 800-569-4287.
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.