New transitional care center located near Integris Southwest Medical Center

StoneGate Senior Living CEO John Taylor announces that Accel at Crystal Park celebrated the grand opening on February 23, 2017. Located at 315 SW 80th St, Oklahoma City, Accel at Crystal Park is currently completing local and state inspections and is expected to begin admitting patients the first week of April. The facility will be fully open immediately thereafter.
The new transitional care center, near Integris Southwest Medical Center. represents the second new health care center developed in the Oklahoma City market-area by Lewisville, Texas-based StoneGate Senior Living. The first—Medical Park West Rehabilitation—is located adjacent to Norman Regional Health System’s HealthPlex Hospital in Norman.
Accel at Crystal Park features 59 private transitional care suites designed for patients recovering from an acute care event. All patient suites will offer modern amenities and technologies—flat-panel TVs, Wi-Fi—and a high-quality dining experience, with meal service available in patient rooms and the center’s dining room. Accel’s rehabilitation gym will offer modern equipment and technologies that help patients complete post-acute rehabilitation as quickly as possible and return to their lifestyle.
StoneGate’s web-based EHR software will be utilized at Accel, facilitating easy access to important patient health information by physicians and other providers, as well as transparent sharing of clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction data with physicians and acute care partners. Expected patient length-of-stay at the transitional care center will vary based on diagnosis, and the expected overall average length-of-stay is 15 to 25 days. Accel’s overarching mission will be to rehabilitate patients as quickly as is clinically feasible. Accel at Crystal Park’s architecture and interiors are designed to complement the look and feel of local real estate, and will offer the same attention to architectural and design details as Medical Park West in Norman.
StoneGate Senior Living manages 42 properties across Texas and Oklahoma, and is currently developing two new transitional care properties in Colorado and another in College Station, Texas. Recently ranked as the nation’s 31st largest transitional and long-term care company by Provider magazine, StoneGate is a fully-integrated post-acute health care company, with service-lines and business units that offer transitional care, long-term care, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, wellness, home health, pharmacy, care navigation and post-acute analytical services.

It is summer and Oklahoma families are spending more time at lakes and state parks. With that, the possibility of contact with one of Oklahoma’s many venomous snakes becomes a reality. A new local exhibit offers the opportunity to see these creatures up close and personal in a safe setting to help identify them in the wild.
OKC Rattlesnake Museum will open daily beginning July 5th at 1501 S. Agnew, in Oklahoma City’s Stockyards District. The museum includes 26 exhibits featuring all of the rattlesnakes native to Oklahoma, as well as Oklahoma’s other dangerous snakes — copperheads and cottonmouths. Other rattlesnakes from around the U.S., and a Gila Monster (large venomous lizard) are also on exhibit. Carl Sandefer, museum curator, is available for any questions visitors might have during their tour of the museum.
One of the rattlesnakes on display is an Eastern Diamondback named “Big Girl.” She is over five feet long and weighs 22 pounds. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are the largest of any rattlesnake species, as well as the heaviest venomous snakes in North America. This particular rattlesnake is found in the southeastern United States.
OKC Rattlesnake Museum will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/snakemuseumokc/ or call (405) 850-5905.

by Traci Chapman
Staff Writer

Chronic dialysis is difficult for any patient; when that condition is compounded by a wound or tracheostomy, it’s even worse – and for many families those conditions could mean separation and loss, because local treatment options have been so limited.
Not so anymore, as Oklahoma City’s New Direction Home Dialysis brings treatment to the heart of the patient’s life, in the process making it possible for them to stay with their families and continue their lives, in a way never before possible.
That means people who before had to go to Texas, to Ohio or to some other far-flung medical facility for long-term, frequent dialysis treatments now can receive those services at home, where they can continue their day-to-day routine and remain with the family and friends they love.
“The bottom line is outcomes, it’s quality of life, it’s being able to keep families together,” New Direction Administrator Leslie Whiles said. “For a patient to have to go far away, to another state in many cases, is such a hardship – physically, financially, emotionally.”
“For example, we had a patient who was forced to go to Cleveland for treatment, and she was at the end of her rope – she didn’t even feel like it was worth it because it was just too much for her to bear,” she said. “No one should ever have to go through that, and we want to make sure no one has to.”
Whiles knows a lot about dialysis, with almost 30 years in the field. As administrator for Sooner Acute Dialysis, Whiles sees every day how the right program can make a difference in the lives of patients needing inpatient services; with New Direction, Whiles strived to bring the same level of care – and caring – to those who can take part in a long-term treatment option at home.
That’s why finding the right nurses is paramount, Whiles said. As the company grows – New Direction’s staff of three recently grew to six nurses – it’s important to look not just at medical skills, but also at what lies underneath.
“Because we are independent, we are able to focus solely on taking care of our patients, knowing them, knowing about their lives and their families,” Whiles said. “Of course, it’s about care and nursing, but there’s also the deeper ability to bond with people who are going through a very difficult experience.”
Home dialysis means freedom to New Direction’s patients, whether they’re 20 or 80 – and the company has patients of all ages, backgrounds and temperaments. They might be retired, a student or someone working to support their family while undergoing regular treatments. However they might be different, what Whiles and her staff have seen with all was the benefit of home dialysis.
“There is such a transformation because our patients can take control of their lives again, they aren’t isolated in treatment,” Whiles said. “It removes much of the stress and makes their treatment more effective.”
New Direction offers both Peritoneal and Home hemodialysis treatments. Both have more advantages than allowing patients to take treatments at home, Whiles said.
“There are fewer dietary restrictions and we’ve seen less negative side effects like nausea, cramping, weight gain and vomiting,” she said.
A benefit of Peritoneal dialysis, or PD, is that patients can have treatments, even at work and on vacation, Whiles said. Home hemodialysis – HHD – is broken into traditional and short daily treatments.
Traditional patients usually undergo three four-hour, or more, weekly sessions, while short daily HHD features shorter treatment times more often.
“With that, we would probably see two to three hours per session four to seven times a week,” Whiles said. “It really is a matter of choice for the patient.”
While New Direction nurses are an integral part of each patient’s care, so too are each individual’s “care partners,” family members or friends who, along with the patient, are trained on dialysis equipment use and care, as well as other ancillary information.
“Care partners can be involved in setting up the machine and supplies, inserting dialysis needles, helping to record medical information and post-dialysis care and machine maintenance,” Whiles said.
“It’s very important that the individual have a support system in place and they need to have a caregiver, or partner, who can go through the competency evaluation and who is willing to do the work involved in successful treatments,” Whiles said. “Without that, home dialysis really isn’t a viable option.”
But, for those who can take part, home dialysis can mean a whole new life just waiting around the corner.
“It’s important for us to do all we can – we’re an Oklahoma company and we’re going to take care of our people,” Whiles said. “That’s what we’re meant to do, what we’re dedicated to doing.”

Article by Nikki Buckelew, Buckelew Realty Group’s Mature Moves Division with Keller Williams Realty. www.okcmaturemoves.com

A common question asked by retired homeowners is, “If I were to move, what is available nearby with a smaller yard that fits my budget?”
The vast majority of people over 55 have historically said they don’t want to move from their current homes, but lately many are beginning to reconsider. Instead, boomers and seniors are seeking ways to simplify their lives, both now and in anticipation of future needs.
The challenge for real estate professionals is helping these downsizing clients find places that are both affordable and solve the maintenance and yard work dilemmas.
Some people want to remain owners by simply trading in their current home for one that is a bit smaller, one level, and requiring less maintenance. Others are looking to relinquish homeownership altogether and just rent. By renting, home maintenance becomes the landlord’s problem, taking the concern about falling tree limbs, leaky roofs, and backed up sewer lines off the minds of seniors and their family members.
Even though more seniors are expressing the desire to downsize, there are certain obstacles keeping them from making a move. Reasons for not moving, despite a desire to do so, are largely related to three key factors: affordability, location, and perceived lack of support.
Affordability
Newer homes that are smaller and with yards which the neighborhood maintains are not as available as one might expect. Yes, they exist, but current inventory of such homes is limited. When they do become available, the lower priced ones sell quickly. Exterior maintenance-free homes under $200,000 are hard to find, with more inventory in the over $200K price ranges. Rents on 1-2 bedroom homes or traditional 55+ apartments will typically run between $1,100 – $2,300 in most areas of the metro. Reduced rent properties and section 8 housing vouchers (for those who qualify) require application and have waiting lists from 3 months to 2 years depending on the location.
Location
Newer neighborhoods designed for the 55+ crowd tend to be located toward the outer edge of the metro because that is where developers are finding land at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, there is limited space within the city limits of the Village, Bethany, Warr Acres, and Oklahoma City, where retirees homesteaded some 40 or more years ago and where they prefer to stay. If developers can find a small pocket where they can build, the price point of homes pushes the financial limits for many retiring boomers and seniors on a fixed income. Considering land costs, developers also tend to build bigger than most downsizing seniors want — it’s a matter of ROI for them.
Perceived lack of support
Many seniors say they would move if they found a suitable place, but candidly tell us that they struggle researching their options. With the internet as the primary method for marketing homes and apartment communities, the “technology-challenged” tend to struggle locating 55+ living options. Furthermore, new construction and lease properties aren’t always listed in the multiple listing service (MLS), the go-to database for local real estate agents. Finding leases requires multiple phone calls, driving neighborhoods, and online searches.
Assuming one does locate a neighborhood, home, or apartment that suits them, managing the logistics of the move can be a daunting task to many long-time homeowners. With families scattered around the country and adult children maintaining their own jobs, homes, and kids, seniors often struggle with where to get help. Few are aware of the local services that provide downsizing, relocation, and liquidation support or see it as an unnecessary expense, but the ones who do make the investment find that having a professional move manager can make all the difference.
To learn more about issues effecting retired homeowners, attend the Senior Living Truth Series: The Truth About Homeownership in Retirement. Two sessions: October 12th at 10am or 2pm, MAPS3 Senior Health and Wellness Center, 11501 N Rockwell, Oklahoma City. The event is free to seniors and their guests. Professionals pay $25. Seating is limited so call 405.563.7501 or go online www.seniorlivingtruthseries.com to register.