by Corporal Kim Lopez, TRIAD Coordinator, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office

Are you armed with a plan? Do you have to tools to carry out that plan? Senior adults are target for many reasons. One line of thinking is “the older we get, the fatter the wallet”. Do you know a senior who carries way too much cash? Most seniors are not schooled on how career criminals target their victims. The Oklahoma County TRIAD covers each community with a one hour monthly meeting called SALT, namely Seniors And Law enforcement Together. We discuss crime prevention issues and face crime concerns head on. Many seniors think they will just scream, truth is, in a real 9-1-1 emergency, YOU CAN’T SCREAM.
Gone are the days of “Walk with confidence, and be aware of your surroundings” Todays seniors need a plan and the tools to carry out that plan. Seniors need to know the areas career criminals tell me they target potential victims. Seniors need to understand why, AND WHICH parking lots are more dangerous than others.
Gone are the days of, cross body purses, carrying cash, and talking on your phone while walking through parking lots.
Speaking specifically of personal attack, violent crime occurs every 22.8 seconds. ALL parking lots are dangerous, the parking lot you feel the most comfortable in is even more dangerous. When the home invasion is interrupted, when the drug deal goes bad, when the fight is on and police have been dispatched, CAREER CRIMINALS HEAD TO A PARKING LOT to get away from the police.
Which parking lots are dangerous? ALL PARKING LOTS ARE DANGERIOUS! Some more than others.
1.) The parking lot you feel comfortable in.
2.) 24 hour parking lots
3.) Hospital parking lots
Career Criminals want your car to get out of the area. If they commit a crime in a small town, they seek the big city, if they commit a crime in a big city, they seek a small town to get lost. They understand that crossing many jurisdictions in a wide variety of different vehicles makes it impossible for police to catch them. Driving only 20 minutes in any direction crosses many different jurisdictions. They change vehicles often and go from large bright color truck to small light color compact car to midsize SUV of some other color. Just walking to a white small car could make you a target. In TRIAD we tach senior adults to be prepared with a plan and tool them to carry out that plan. Simply carrying an extra set of old bait keys could save your life. For the most part, there are two demands: GIVE ME YOUR KEYS, GIVE ME YOUR GOODS! TRIAD seniors know to attach an extra set of keys to their good keys to show and throw, baiting the attacker away from them. Same goes for being ready when asked for GOODS, WALLET, or your WATCH OR PACKAGES. TRIAD Seniors know to be ready with two one dollar bills in a metal office binder or money clip, show it and throw it, is our motto!
When shopping, always get a shopping cart and never ever get your method of payment out at the register stall, get in the habit of going by the feminine products or underwear to get out your method of payment. Check yourself for any items you might get targeted for, turn jeweled rings around to look like a band, cover up watches with your sleeve, and never ever push your shopping cart into a register stall! You PULL YOUR SHOPPING CART TO ADD A 4 FOOT DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE PERSON BEHIND YOU. Many criminals mute their cell phone in order to get close enough to you to take rapid fire pictures of your method of payment. Cash sets you up for attack, writing checks lends account information as well a home address and name. Credit cards or debit cards ran as credit offer the best recourse. When entering a 4 digit pin number be careful not to WARM THE KEYS WITH YOUR FINGER. Use your car key or ink pen to depress the numbers. Using your warm finger leaves a heat signature to be detected by a heat sensitive camera up to two minutes after you walk away. If you must touch and warm the keys, simply use your first three fingers to warm all the keys before you walk away.
Way too many seniors are still carrying their check books, just the sound of ripping that check out of the checkbook acts as a beacon to call career criminals. TRAD seniors tear out 3 checks and keep them with their folding money! They also take their ID, credit card as well as cash and checks out of their purse and carry them on their person in a lanyard wallet. TRIAD men carry their wallet in their undershirt pocket.
Attach a whistle to your good keychain and carry your good car keys around your wrist with your bait keys in the other hand. Always have your cell phone ready to dial 9-1-1.
Practice range of motion in your neck and always watch for anyone approaching you!
Get a GEL pen if you insist on writing checks, this keeps criminals from WASHING your check and re-writing it for the amount you have in your account.
Change your direct deposit to deposit into your savings account and transfer to checking as you need it.
I stand ready to be of assistance,
Corporal Kim Lopez, TRIAD Coordinator, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office – 713-1920.
Come be a part of TRIAD by visiting a SALT Council meeting near you. Call 713-1950 and leave your name and address to get on our mailing list to receive a monthly reminder of the Seniors And Law enforcement Together meeting near your home.

Effective February 10, the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID)’s Oklahoma City Office will be relocated to our new facility: Oklahoma Insurance Department, 400 NE 50th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
As part of the moving process, email and network access will be limited from Wednesday, February 5 through Friday, February 7, 2020. The Oklahoma Insurance Department will resume normal operations on Monday, February 10, 2020 on its regular schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For immediate assistance during this time, you may call Communications Director Liz Heigle at 405-522-0683.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation during these few days as we transition to a more efficient and effective office environment.
If you have questions about other insurance issues, contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Although this is July, seniors trying to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions need to book now if they plan to use the two free entry days in our National Parks in August.
The National Park System is one option for outdoor experiences but booking early is critical because pent-up demand is creating a scarcity at premium destinations. Some parks accommodations may already be full.
One example is the lodges at Glacier National Park in Montana often must be booked a year in advance but there can sometimes be accommodations available outside the park.
Ranked fifteenth in size of all our parks and as close as the state next door, Big Bend National Park in far southwest Texas offers 801,163 acres of many things to do.
“I believe the best time of year to visit Big Bend is in the winter to avoid the heat, but it can be very warm even in winter and not too cold for camping under the stars. The spring and the two free dates in the fall are other options, but it can also be crowded then,” said Rob Walker, 66, retired Edmond kayaking and Jeeping enthusiast. “Some people will see free entry as tipping the scale toward going even in August. You should prepare for the heat for long hikes in the day.”
On two days in August, all National Park Service sites charging an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Seniors without the Lifetime Senior pass need to be mindful of these entrance fee–free dates: August 4th, the one-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act and August 25th, the National Park Service’s birthday.
“Remember Big Bend is a desert park with summer temps over most of the park reaching 100 degrees by late morning,” Walker said. “The heat is at dangerous levels until after sunset. Hikers should stay off the trails in the afternoon, while carrying and drinking plenty of water any time they hike any distance.”
Tourists might want to join the group of people sitting on a bench watching Old Faithful erupt in the cooler climate of Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in Wyoming.
For two days in August entry to the park is free, but the place will be packed. Tourists might want to scale back their demand to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions this August closer to home.
A ten-hour car trip from Oklahoma City, Big Bend is too big to see in a day. A one-day trip inside the huge park mostly in an air-conditioned car might include a trip down the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and a visit to the Chisos Basin.
The scenic drive gives visitors ample views of the Chihuahuan Desert landscape and leads the banks of the Rio Grande River. There are scenic overlooks and exhibits along the way for the history buffs. The drive offers short walks to Sam Nail Ranch, Homer Wilson Ranch and a visit to the Castolon Historic District which affords a glimpse into the area’s past.
At the end of the road is a highlight of the trip—a short walk into Santa Elena Canyon—one of Big Bend’s most scenic spots. It is an easy 1.4-mile round-trip hike.
Visitors may also visit the forested Chisos Mountains and walk the 0.3-mile Window View Trail to get a feel for the mountain scenery. If time allows, consider hiking the Window Trail or Lost Mine Trail for a closer look at Big Bend’s mountain landscapes.
The Chisos Mountain Lodge is operating at reduced capacity, while the Panther Junction Gas Station and Basin Store are open daily. The Mountain View Restaurant inside the lodge offers lunch. Guests there must be registered in the park, and it is probably already full. They are currently providing sack lunches to go or deliveries to registered guest.
The award-winning Fossil Discovery Exhibit eight miles north of Panther Junction is another park highlight visitors often fit into a one-day visit. If grandkids are along, they will enjoy it.
Abandoned since the 1940s, the Mariscal Mine is isolated by its remote location in the middle of the park. It takes much longer to drive the rough road in a normal car. It is the best-preserved mercury mining site in Texas. The area is a listed historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Best to avoid it if the day is windy and dusty, as it is a mercury contaminated site.
Black Gap Road is one of only two Jeep Badge of Honor Trails in Texas. The most remote un-maintained road in the park, Black Gap provides visitors scenic views of the Chisos Mountain Range as well as wide-open vistas of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Two more days in 2021 offer the same no-fee privilege, September 25, National Public Lands Day and November 11, Veterans Day.
After more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions and limited travel, surging attendance figures across US national parks show Americans are eager to get back on the road and explore.
Often described as America’s best idea, there are 432 National Park System parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days offer a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite. This is especially true if it is one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. There are only 10 national parks that charge no entry fees year round. The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
The surge to get outdoors after COVID-19 is why this article runs in July, as many seniors need to get busy planning if they are going to take advance of the August free days but do not be surprised if the parks have no available accommodations in the park and those outside the park may be filling fast.

Yellowstone hosted 483,159 recreation visits this May, an 11 percent increase from pre-COVID 19 May 2019 (434,385 recreation visits). This makes this May the park’s most visited May on record, according to a park news release. With the spreading of some of the new variants it is best to continue taking precautions.

Story and photo by Van Mitchell. Staff Writer

The Medicare enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, and with that comes to changes to some enrollment plans and options.
Ginny Curtis-Gillespie, Licensed Insurance Agent, and owner of Navigating Medicare, located at 2232 West Hefner Road, Suite A in Oklahoma City, said this year Medicare recipients will have broader plan options available to them.
“In the past, we have had two or three companies that have had really good plans, and this year all of the plans have beefed up and have really exciting benefits,” Curtis-Gillespie said. “It is almost difficult to pick a plan that is better than another one from this year.”
There are three options for coverage: Original Medicare (which is Part A and Part B) plus a prescription drug plan, Original Medicare plus a Supplement (Medigap plan) plus a prescription drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan which combines all three.
Medicare Part A and Part B is offered by the federal government. It provides basic inpatient and outpatient health coverage. Part A is for inpatient or hospitalization coverage and Part B is for outpatient or doctor visit coverage.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents living in the U.S. for at least 5 years who are age 65 or older qualify for Medicare Part A and Part B if they have paid taxes for 10 working years. Those under 65 might be eligible to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B if they have a qualifying disability.
Curtis-Gillespie said Navigating Medicare has offices in Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Ardmore and Shawnee.
She said so much of insurance these days is made to seem complex, difficult, and tricky. She said her agency is built on our family values which are a commitment to Honesty, Integrity, Togetherness, and Support.
She said they work to help clients understand all of their plan options.
“Our experienced team of agents are licensed and appointed with several insurance providers offering a variety of policies,” Curtis-Gillespie said. “This means our agents are here to work for you. We work to ensure that the plan you end up with is the one that fits your needs and not try to make you fit into a plan. What we do is we look at the client’s drugs and doctors, and then we select the top three plans we think will work the best. The biggest takeaway we are trying to get people to understand is, no matter what their plan is, they should be comparing their current plan with plans that are available from those (insurance) carriers for next year.”
Curtis-Gillespie said Medicare enrollment is also a time of scam phone calls and Medicare enrollment commercials.
“Most of those plans they are marketing, very few people qualify for them,” she said. “When you see the advertisement on TV, it is for the low-income, low subsidized.”
Curtis-Gillespie said her team of insurance agents don’t call to solicit business.
“With what we do, no one should be calling them (resident) directly,” she said. “Their phones are blowing up, and people are calling them 24/7. If they didn’t ask them to call, then they shouldn’t answer the call.”
Curtis-Gillespie said residents should also not give out their personal information when contacted about Medicare enrollment.
“When someone calls a client, they should not ask for their Social Security number, Medicare number,” she said.
Curtis-Gillespie said another Medicare enrollment change this year is that insurance agents are required to tell customers their conversation is being recorded.
“These plans change every year,” she said. “Everyone should be reviewing their plans every year regardless whether it is great for them or not. “It is our belief that if they understand Medicare, they will make a better decision when they pick their plan. We sit down with them and explain all the parts of Medicare, and we explain their options.”
Curtis-Gillespie said integrity is a core foundation of her business.
“We are not afraid to say that we love referrals,” she said. “Having integrity means sometimes telling you that your current insurance is better than anything we can offer or that we are not able to help you. We believe this builds the kind of relationships that will lead to people telling others about us. We are there to give you the support you need through the various seasons of life. Whether you need to change your plan, reacquaint yourself with your current benefits, or do a plan comparison, we are there to give you the support that you need.”
For more information about Medicare enrollment plans call Navigating Medicare at
(405) 842-0494 or visit: www.navigatingmedicare.com

Three Oklahoma hospital administrators were recently elected to the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA) board of directors for the 2023-2025 term.
Elected to at-large positions are Richard Lofgren, MD, chief executive officer, OU Health; Tim Pehrson, president and CEO, INTEGRIS Health; and Krista Roberts, chief executive officer, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Enid.
Tammy Powell, president, SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Oklahoma City, enters her second year as chair of the board. Others serving on the board’s executive committee are Denise Webber, chair-elect, president/CEO, Stillwater Medical Center; Jay Johnson, immediate past chair, president/CEO, DRH Health, Duncan; and Daryle Voss, at-large executive committee member and southeast region chair, president and CEO, Mercy Hospital Ardmore. (STORY CONTINUES BELOW)

Continuing their terms as regional chairs on the OHA board are Kandice Allen, northwest region chair, CEO, Share Medical Center, Alva; Jim Gebhart, Oklahoma City region chair, community president, Mercy; Jonas Rabel, northeast region chair, chief hospital executive, INTEGRIS Miami and Grove hospitals; Michael McBride, Tulsa region chair, regional president and chief operating officer, Ascension St. John Medical Center, Tulsa; and Brent Smith, southwest region chairman, Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton.
Continuing as at-large members are Charles Grim, secretary of health, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health, Ada; Richie Splitt, president and CEO, Norman Regional Health System; and Bennett Geister, CEO, Hillcrest Hospital South, Tulsa.
Corey Lively, CEO, Great Plains Regional Medical Center, serves as the American Hospital Association delegate to the OHA board; and Steven Crawford, MD, chair of the department of family and preventive medicine, OU College of Medicine, serves as the physician member.