by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

On the darkest days, sometimes all it takes is a single ray of light to turn everything around.
For the last 20 years, Louise Colbaugh, 90, has shined in the Oklahoma City metro, volunteering at metro hospitals.
Colbaugh is closing in on three years volunteering at Community Hospital in south Oklahoma City but before that she gave 17 years at Hillcrest and eventually St. Anthony.
“I enjoyed it,” she said of her decades of unpaid service. “I don’t know. It’s just a way of life after awhile, you get up and go. You don’t sit at home and watch television or whatever.”
Colbaugh stayed home until almost 45, rearing a son and a daughter before heading out into the workforce.
Her son moved on to the paper products industry in Houston. Her daughter is close by in Moore and retired herself.
Her great granddaughter has already graduated college and is going on to pursue her degree as a physician’s assistant.
Attending graduation for her great granddaughter was a moment she’ll never forget.
“Wonderful and proud,” beamed Colbaugh, who also has two younger great grandchildren.
After raising kids and before volunteering she went back to school and studied accounting. She worked in the accounting department at Shepler’s western store.
As her husband’s health faltered, she decided she needed better insurance. She worked at Tinker Air Force Base as a civilian in the accounting department, eventually in the AWACs division.
Numbers were numbers, but only a lot more zeroes were at the end of those military budgets.
Colbaugh and her husband celebrated 51 years of marriage before he passed.
“It was bad,” she said of the end. “He had so many heart surgeries before he died. They tried to do surgery on him again and he never came out of it.”
For most who spend time with a loved one during an extended illness, the hospital would be the last place they would want to spend more time. Too many hours of fear and pain.
Colbaugh ran towards it.
“It’s just a way of life. It’s like another home to me,” Colbaugh said. “It gives you a purpose to get up in the morning. You know you’re going to meet people and you’re going to talk. I just like to do it.”
It’s an opportunity for Colbaugh to pour into others. She has stories to share. She’s felt the same feelings.
“It may be something like getting them a cup of coffee or a warm blanket,” Colbaugh explained. “I enjoy doing it and I enjoy talking to the people. It’s satisfying I can help people.”
“Like I say, it’s a way of life for me now.”
Colbaugh’s journey to Community Hospital began when St. Anthony closed its gift shop. A few of her fellow volunteers made the trip as well.
“Some people they’ll sit home and don’t do anything and then they wonder why they feel so bad,” Colbaugh said. “If they only knew how satisfying it was they would run for it really. That includes men and women. I work with both.”
“And there’s always somebody coming in and they see what you’re doing and they want to volunteer, too, but it’s getting farther and farther in between.”
Community Hospital has two campuses featuring a comprehensive range of medical services offering nursing care in a close-knit, compassionate community.
“You get paid. You get paid with gratitude and the thank-you’s you get,” Colbaugh said. “Men especially say ‘thank you for being a volunteer.’ That just makes me feel good.”
“And Roxy (Kostuck) our manager she is so good to all of us. She has Valentine’s parties and she gave me a 90th birthday party and it was wonderful.”
She immediately used the gift certificate she received to splurge on a cashmere sweater.
Colbaugh typically volunteers every Monday and Tuesday, coming in at 8 a.m. and working until 2 p.m.
She grabs the cart filled with complimentary items and goes room to room checking on patients and their families asking if they need anything.
From there she goes to the surgery waiting room.
“I go in and see what I can do for them,” she said. “And then I come back and Roxy always has something. I wrap a lot of gifts. They give away so much I can’t believe a hospital does that.”
As you might expect, Colbaugh is a big fan of volunteering her time. She’s quick to share her experience when others ask.
“I would tell them they would appreciate coming up here once they started,” Colbaugh said. “It would be good for them and they would get lots of exercise. I think they would love it.”

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

It’s the gamut of reactions that Jerry Deming, TTS-CTS, receives when she counsels patients in the Norman Regional Health System about their tobacco use.
In her tobacco cessation role she’s been screamed at. She’s been stared at, through and around.
She’s been shunned and she’s even been hugged.
But this year she’s been able to help Norman Regional’s nurses develop a new Smoke-Free Families campaign that is gaining traction.
Deming began working with the Women’s and Children’s unit after Norman Regional nurses and managers sought help.
“There was an understanding that there were a lot of women leaving the hospital to smoke,” Deming said. “This is a very common problem. I’m in contact with people worldwide and we all deal with this problem in our hospital and clinic settings.
“We all scratch our heads and think ‘what are we going to do to handle this.’ It’s a big problem. It comes up again and again.”
Staff understood that once a mother and her baby went home then it would be easier for the patient not only to smoke, but smoke around the child.
Deming brought forward the idea that it’s a population issue and not one of monitoring.
“We needed to drill down a little bit deeper and figure out how we can help these people get through a hospital visit staying away from tobacco use and even contemplating the idea of … even quitting to have a smoke-free family.”
When leaders got together to decide a plan of action they realized they were entering uncharted landscape. Nowhere could they find a comprehensive plan dealing with the in-hospital maternity population.
Hospital stays are often so short that no one had really figured a good way to approach the issue.
Planning meetings included physicians and nurses. A craving scale – much like a pain scale – was developed.
Nurse Manager Alyson Heeke, RN, saw an opportunity.
“Part of the reason we started this in the first place is we noticed there was an awful lot of times our babies were traveling back and forth to the nursery so their parents could go outside and smoke,” Heeke said. “That became a big concern for us just in the fact they were only with us 24 to 48 hours and a good portion of the time these folks who were really addicted the babies were in the nursery sometime 20 out of 24 hours.
“We couldn’t provide what we needed for our patients if they were always outside.”
Nursing became involved in the LEAN (Lean Education Academic Network) team project helping develop educational material including posters for the room and signage for outside.
“The nurses really did want it to be a successful process for the patient as much as possible and not to be the police officer,” Heeke said. “They wanted to help them understand this also impacts how well they bond with their baby, how they do with their breastfeeding issues and all those other things which are complicated by smoking.”
Director of Patient Care Services, Susie Graves, RN, said many women who are able to quit smoking for their pregnancy often will allow themselves to resume after they deliver.
“Part of what we wanted to do was help them through. Don’t have a start date. Let that continue,” Graves said. “They all know they shouldn’t smoke … but we’re just there not as judges but as support and giving them the resources they need.”
If the patient agrees, nurses are assessing each patient every shift regarding their tobacco usage and craving level.
“(Before) nurses felt pretty helpless,” Heeke said. “Their patients would come from a C-section and be begging for a wheelchair the second the baby was born to go outside and have a cigarette.
“At this stage, with all the things we’ve created it’s given our nurses an opportunity to have something to say to the patient beyond ‘don’t you think it would be a good idea to quit.’”
Deming travels through the halls of both Norman Regional hospital complexes visiting with patients who have indicated a history of tobacco use.
For nine years now she has worked with smokers. Some are just thinking about quitting. Others are desperately looking for a way out.
And some won’t even acknowledge she’s standing in front of them.
She terms her approach as “motivational interviewing.” She stresses to her patients that she’s not there to judge.
Nearly every person Deming visits understands that they need to quit tobacco. Many have tried multiple times on their own without success.
“When we look at this population it’s the most difficult population to approach,” Deming said. “Most people smoking during their pregnancy feel ashamed of it. They don’t like to talk about it. Of course, they are very addicted to tobacco at this point because they haven’t stopped smoking. Most people know there’s going to be a health issue related to that.”
And now Norman Regional nurses have even more to offer to help these patients quit.

A very surprised and happy Kay Manning was crown Ms Oklahoma Senior America 2018 on Saturday, July 21.
When asked how she felt, Kay said, “I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to represent my State, tribe, community, and family as Ms Oklahoma Senior America 2018. This is such a rare happening in life to be given such an honor and I will absolutely do my best to make you all proud. I joined the pageant to get more comfortable on stage and with public speaking. I have always been a little shy and theater has been a way for me to get out of my shell. My philosophy of life is If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you have fed him for life. As a teacher my goal is to show children what they need to know to go out into the world and succeed, as well as be independent. I have been teaching 23 years and plan to keep teaching many more.”
God is first, because without Him none of this would be possible and I would not have met so many great people along the way. I am the daughter of Patrick and Jeanette Manning, spirited Oklahomans, Citizens of Potawatomi Nation Native Americans, and in a family of Sooner fans. I have a daughter, Brooke and two grandsons, Peyton and Bivin that bring me a lot of joy and keep me young at heart. I am an active participant in the Catholic Church, reading at Mass, fulfilling my need to give back for all I have been given. Recently I joined another family, the Oklahoma Senior Follies. They are the most colorful and exciting group of people I have ever had the pleasure to be around. As a teacher I work with many active seniors and try to encourage my friends to attend or volunteer. I enjoy promoting senior programs.
Ms Oklahoma Senior America 2018
Kay Manning is a teacher for the Oklahoma City Public Schools. She attended the University of Oklahoma, Marymount College of Salina, Kansas and University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). Kay transferred from OU to Marymount College where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree and an Associate in science. She later attended UCO where she earned her Early Childhood Certification in teaching. Her experience in the theatre began in OKC at Bishop McGuinness High School where she played the role of the eldest daughter, Tzeitel, in “Fiddler on the Roof’. She attended Marymount College in Salina, Kansas, and performed in “Pippin”, “Camelot”, “Annie Get Your Gun”,” Next”, “Orpheus Descending”, “Waltz of the Toreadors”, “The Children’s Hour”, and “Lysistrata” to name a few. Kay also performed the role of Jocasta in “Oedipus Rex” at Marymount College and the Manhattan, Kansas Community Theatre. In 2004, Kay was selected from over 500 singers auditioning to sing in a competition for News Channel 9 called “Gimme the Mike”, Oklahoma.
First Runner Up is Kathryn Carroll Gordon was born in Midwest City. She became a member of the original Oklahoma Twisters Gymnastic Team in the 1950’s. She became 1st Place Jr. Olympic Tumbling Champion, 3rd Place National Tumbling Champion and a member of the United States Pan American Gymnastics Team to Winnipeg, Canada. Kathryn graduated from Milford High School in Connecticut, where she trained in gymnastics for the 1968 Olympics. She attended the 1968 Olympic trials in Long Beach, where she qualified for the finals. Kathryn graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science Degree and a teaching certificate. She was on the Honor Roll and received an Outstanding Gymnast award. Recently, Kathryn graduated from a Getting Ahead class and received a State of Oklahoma citation signed by Senator Ron Sharp and Representative Dell Kerbs. Kathryn’s past work history includes teaching in Mid-Del School system for 12 years; owning and operating the Edmond School of Gymnastics for 10 years and selling insurance for ten years, where she received many awards as a Million-Dollar Producer. Currently, she is working as a licensed cosmetologist. To satisfy her creative side, Kathryn has performed comedy at the Oklahoma City Joker’s Comedy Club where she opened for comedians, Mack & Jaimie, acted in many commercials and training videos, tap danced as a member of “A Class Act” at the 2017 fundraiser for the Ms. Oklahoma Senior America Pageant, the 2017 Senior Follies, the Veterans’ Center as well as at various nursing homes and assisted living centers. Kathryn is a member of Eastern Star where she donates her time to worthy causes. She has donated time to Project Gabriel in Shawnee, which helps pregnant girls with supplies for their babies as well as counseling. Kathryn currently attends Westminster Presbyterian Church. She is blessed with a daughter and a son who are successful as a Computer Engineer with Microsoft in Seattle and a Graphic Designer in Salt Lake City. She is proud, too, of her four grandsons and two granddaughters. She loves spending time with her family and friends.
Second Runner up Marilynn Blackmon is the mother of two children and has three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She worked as a secretary in her 20s, and later went into sales and started her own interior design business “Interior Reflections.” Some years later she changed focus and started a new business, “Pen & Pencil” office supply. As she turned 60, she went back to college, joined Toastmasters and reinvented herself. She became certified in Workforce Training and Development, and she was an Adjunct Instructor at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas, for three years. Then she moved back to her hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, in 2008 to completely restart her life where it began. Since that time, she has been Adjunct Instructor/Trainer at Pontotoc Technology Center in Ada for 12 years. Her goal is to help others learn to feel good about themselves and reach their full potential, which she does in every class she leads. She has a business called Fly without Baggage, and is a certified Master Coach in self-esteem elevation for children and adults. She is a public speaker whose theme is to enlighten and encourage others. She is a member of Toastmasters, Owls’ Book Club and National Speakers Association. Her other interests include computer technology, singing, reading, fishing, jigsaw puzzles and her friends from Ada High School Class of 1960. She volunteers as associate Sunday School teacher at her church.
Third Runner Up Judy Jackson says she is greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by God through Jesus Christ. She is a Christian, a loving wife and a great mother. She has two sons, one lives nearby and the other is in Heaven waiting for her. She is a wonderful grandmother, a fabulous friend and an excellent teacher (retired now, from Middle School), but she still loves to teach any age group who is willing to learn. Judy is devoted to God, family, community and her Country. She believes in loving, living, laughing and spreading kindness everywhere she can. She believes we all have a purpose in life and hers is to spread encouragement in every way she can. Judy says we all need to learn something new every day until we take our last breath. She says she is like a goose, she wakes up in a new world every day. Judy says learning is living, and living is exciting. Trying to be the best person she can be helps her to be better at all the things that are important to her. It is her goal to get people excited about life and what they can do. Judy says getting someone to feel good about helping themselves to feel good about who and what they can be is an all-time high. Judy works as a volunteer so she can help someone else to have a better life. She feels doing so gives her a better life. She believes if she can teach, encourage and lift someone’s day then she is doing the job God has planned for that day. With Random acts of kindness and giving a smile or a compliment to someone, she can brighten their whole day. According to Judy, we all just need a kind, encouraging word, or even just a quick prayer. It lets the world know that you care. Someone must care, so why can’t it be me. In her small way she likes to believe she makes a difference. Her small part starts with her being the best person she can be, just being there when someone needs a smile, a hug or just a kind word. She feels this is her small corner of the world, and it’s her job to make it the best world she can create for that day. Judy affirms she is a very blessed woman, and it is her treasure to pass a blessing or act of kindness on to someone else. That is who she is.
Other Oklahoma contestants
Betty Bradley, Duncan; Rita Engel, Ada; Pamela Holtzberger, Oklahoma City; Barbara Ann Krantz, Shady Point; Gayle Orf , Claremore; Shirley Shroff, Broken Arrow; and Winnie Stanberry, Tulsa.

The Oklahoma CattleWomen, Inc. (OCW) have recognized Ramona “Moni” Heinrich as the 2015 CattleWoman of the Year. The CattleWoman of the Year winner exhibits dedication to the organization and its programs throughout their history with the organization and throughout the previous year.
Heinrich has been a member of OCW for many years and lives in Ramona, Okla., with her husband Richard. She is a valuable recruiter for the organization and dedicated volunteer. Heinrich has been involved in her local CattleWomen chapter and OCW. In 2014, she became chair of the OCW volunteers for the Tulsa Beef Tent, a concession at the Tulsa State Fair where cattlemen and cattlewomen serve ribeye steak sandwiches.
In 2015, Heinrich volunteered to assist with a fundraiser, which supports the Oklahoma CattleWomen annual scholarships. She was also recently appointed secretary for OCW, a term which she will serve for the next two years.
Heinrich was recognized at the 63rd Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen/CattleWomen Convention on July 24, 2015 in Midwest City. Convention sponsors included American Farmers and Ranchers, Livingston Machinery, The Oklahoma Land Lady – Rachel Pickens, Davison and Son’s Cattle Co.
Oklahoma CattleWomen, Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes efficient production of beef, educates consumers on the nutritional values of beef, and communicates goodwill within the communities and state. For more information visit www.okcattlewomen.org.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Over the past few years my 57-year-old husband’s snoring has gotten much worse. It’s to the point that I have to either wear earplugs or move to a different room. Any suggestions?

Sleep Deprived Susan

Dear Susan,
Snoring is a very common problem that often gets worse with age. Around 37 million Americans snore on a regular basis according to the National Sleep Center.
Snoring occurs when the airway narrows or is partly blocked during sleep usually due to nasal congestion, floppy tissue, alcohol, or enlarged tonsils. But you and your husband also need to know that snoring can be much more than just an annoyance. It can also be a red flag for obstructive sleep apnea, a serious condition in which the snorer stops and starts breathing during sleep, increasing the risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and hypertension. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 34 percent of men and 19 percent of women who snore routinely have sleep apnea or are at risk for it.
Self-Help Remedies
Even if you are unsure whether your husband has a primary snoring problem or sleep apnea, sleep experts suggest you start with these steps.
Open a stuffy nose: If nasal congestion is causing your husband to snore, over-the-counter nasal strips such as Breathe Right may help. Or, if allergies are the cause, try saline nasal sprays.
Elevate his head: Buying a foam wedge to elevate his head a few inches can help reduce snoring, or buy him a contoured pillow to lift his chin and keep the tongue from blocking the back of his throat as he sleeps. Also check out Nora (smartnora.com), a wireless snoring device that slides under the pillow and gently moves the head to a different position when snoring is detected. This, they say, stimulates the relaxed throat muscles and opens the airway.
Sleep on side: To prevent back sleeping, which triggers snoring, place a pillow against your husbands back to keep him from rolling over or sew a tennis ball in the back of his pajama shirt. Or check out the Night Shift Sleep Positioner (nightshifttherapy.com), a device that’s worn around the neck that vibrates when you roll on your back.
Avoid alcohol before bed: Alcoholic beverages can relax the muscles in the throat, and constrict airflow. He should not consume alcohol three to four hours before bedtime.
Lose excess weight: Fat around the neck can compress the upper airway and impede airflow and is often associated with sleep apnea.
Quit smoking: Smoking causes inflammation in the upper airways that can make snoring worse.
Need More Help
If these lifestyle strategies don’t make a big difference, your husband should see his doctor, a sleep specialist, or an otolaryngologist who may recommend an overnight study to test him for apnea.
For primary snoring or mild to moderate sleep apnea, an oral appliance that fits into the mouth like a retainer may be prescribed. This shifts the lower jaw and tongue forward, keeping the airway open.
Some other options are Theravent snore therapy (theraventsnoring.com) and Provent sleep apnea therapy (proventtherapy.com), which are small nasal devices that attach over the nostrils to improve airflow.
But the gold standard for moderate to severe sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, device. This involves sleeping with a mask and is hooked up to a machine that gently blows air up your nose to keep the passages open.
If these don’t work or are intolerable, surgery is an option too. There are procedures available today that remove excess tissue in the nose, mouth, or throat. And a newer procedure called hypoglossal nerve stimulation that uses a small device implanted in the chest to help control the movement of the tongue when it blocks the airway.

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.

From stinging, blistering and swelling to more serious side effects like headache and nausea, even a run-of-the-mill sunburn can make you wish you’d applied your sunscreen before going out in the sun.
But as bad as the instant regret can be, the long-term effects pose the most substantial threat, said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation President Stephen Prescott, M.D.
“A number of issues can arise over time, including premature aging, deep wrinkles, eye damage and, most significantly, skin cancer,” he said. “Ultimately, the takeaway is: sunburns are bad news and can have serious consequences.”
Although most people are aware of the dangers burns can present, that doesn’t mean they’re taking the necessary precautions. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than one-third of adults and 70 percent of children have been sunburned within the past year.
Those numbers, particularly in children, strike Prescott as alarming.
“There is a clear link between sun exposure and certain types of skin cancer. This is particularly true when children and young adults get bad burns, because it gives problems a longer time to develop as they age,” said Prescott.
“It’s almost impossible to prove, but many experts think even one bad burn, particularly in childhood, can make the mutations in your DNA that will eventually lead to cancer,” he added.
It’s not the acute burn itself that proves to be dangerous, he said. The infrared rays that cause you to look red or pink when you come out of the sun can cause pain and blistering, but it’s rare that a sunburn is severe enough to require medical attention. It’s the other rays—ultraviolet rays—in sunlight that cause longer-term issues.
Ultraviolet rays are the leading factor in causing skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S. In fact, more people have suffered from skin cancer than all other cancers combined over the past three decades, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
And sunlight might not be your only enemy when it comes to UV rays. Prescott said even tanning beds can lead to many of the same skin issues and elevated cancer risks.
Thankfully, the solution is a simple one: if you’re going to be exposed to the sun, wear sunscreen. You can also cover up with hats, long-sleeves and pants.
It’s important to note that all sunblock is not created equal, Prescott said. Use something that blocks UV rays, and the higher the SPF the better. OMRF’s Prescott recommends using SPF 30 or higher to be safe.
“We all want to have fun outdoors in the summer at barbeques and lounging by the pool, but taking a few minutes to apply proper sun protection can make a word of difference in the long run,” he said.