The American Nurses Association (ANA), representing the interests of the nation’s 4.2 million registered nurses, supports health care employers mandating nurses and all health care personnel to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in alignment with current recommendations for immunization by public health officials.
Increasing circulation of new variants, lagging COVID-19 vaccination rates, and continued public skepticism calls for nurses to uphold their professional and ethical obligations to model the same prevention measures as their patients. For our nation to maintain the momentum of recovery efforts from this persistent pandemic, enough individuals and communities must get vaccinated to reduce the risk of further infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
“The scientific rigor to swiftly develop effective COVID-19 vaccines and the monumental efforts to ensure all Americans get vaccinated is nothing short of amazing. Vaccination is both a significant public health victory and a scientifically proven strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the loss of more American lives,” said ANA President Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN. “As the largest group of health care professionals, nurses are critical to all facets of COVID-19 response efforts and must strive to remain physically and psychologically safe to function optimally to care for themselves, their patients and their communities. Nurses must get vaccinated.”
ANA’s decision to support COVID-19 vaccine mandates for nurses aligns with its longstanding position on immunizations, which emphasizes that effective protection of the public health mandates that all individuals receive immunizations against vaccine-preventable diseases. ANA also believes that the safety profile of authorized COVID-19 vaccines is stable and has included the three COVID-19 vaccines being administered under the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization. ANA maintains its stance to not support philosophical or religious exemptions as reasons not to get vaccinated.
“A significant number of nurses working in a variety of health care settings across the nation have diligently fulfilled their ethical duty to protect themselves, their colleagues, patients and loved ones by getting a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Grant. “We would absolutely be remiss to not acknowledge these nurses and applaud them for leading the charge and setting an example for their patients.”
In a survey of over 22,000 nurses conducted by the American Nurses Foundation between January 19 and February 16, 70% of nurses said they had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Most recently, in a survey of over 4,500 nurses conducted by the COVID-19 Facts For Nurses Campaign between April 12 and May 4, 83% of nurses reported that they had received the recommended dose regimen of two COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Nurses might desire more understanding about the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines as they decide whether to get vaccinated and there are legitimate reasons that a nurse might decide not to take the COVID-19 vaccine, such as severe allergies, compromised immune systems, and other serious health conditions. ANA will continue to provide all nurses education and resources to guide their understanding and consideration of COVID-19 vaccines.

Beginning December 1, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will be beautifully transformed for the holiday season with festive decorations that will remain on public view during the entire month of December. Visitors can view the decorations for free during normal hours of operation.
One great opportunity to experience the holidays at Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum comes on Saturday, December 14, with the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association meeting and the Holiday Open House. The Pawnee Bill Ranch Association will hold its annual meeting in the Big Barn beginning at 11:30 a.m., with a noon meal for members following the short business meeting. For more information or to join the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association, please call 918-762-2513.
Immediately following the Pawnee Bill Ranch Association meeting on December 14, Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum will host its annual Holiday Open House for the public from 1 to 4 p.m. Holiday Open House activities will include surrey rides and camel rides outside (weather permitting), a children’s craft area inside the museum, a silent auction fundraiser and hot cocoa and cookies. Money raised from the silent auction will help to fund exhibits at the museum.
As a special treat later that Saturday, the ranch will host a Santas of the World Tour from 5 to 7 p.m. in the mansion. The tour is free and open to the public. Come to the ranch for a visit and photographs with these historic Santas. They are dressed authentically from their particular time period and country of origin. Some of the gift-bringers that may be featured are:
Black Peter (Holland, 1550); Grandfather Frost (Russia, 1900) and his granddaughter Babushka (Russia, 1800); Le Befana (Italy, 1800); Ophelia Noel (France, 1800); Civil War Santa (United States, 1861); Sinter Claus (The Netherlands, 1808) and his wife; Weihnachtsmann (Germany, 1800); Tundra Santa (United States, 1840); Tartan Santa (Nova Scotia, 1850s); and St. Nicholas (Turkey, 1100).
Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is located at 1141 Pawnee Bill Road in Pawnee. Hours of operation for the months of November through March are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. For more information about these events, please call 918-762-2513 or email pawneebill@okhistory.org.
Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

www.mcmmedicare.com

Story and photos by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Fifty years ago, John Carpenter, 67, was attending his last year of high school and most major rock’n’roll concerts available in Oklahoma as an immense fan of live performances, going on to attend more than 1,000.
From Midwest City High School, he went on to Oscar Rose Junior College on a wrestling scholarship. He continued attending many major concerts at the zenith of what many consider the most productive era of rock’n’roll music.
Soon arena shows and music videos changed the way young people were entertained, as live performances were enhanced with showmanship.
For Carpenter, it was about the music. Those five years, 1970-1975, were some of the most iconic in rock’n’roll history, including the release of the most famous song ever recorded in the rock’n’roll genre, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” selling 37 million copies since 1971.
In 1970 Carpenter bought his first copy of “Rolling Stone Magazine” as a MCHS sophomore. “It had articles about Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones that gave me a window to a world that I was missing, and I loved it,” Carpenter said. “I sent my money off for a year’s subscription, which cost $8, and I soon learned about all these new artists and groups, including one from California, the Grateful Dead.”
Not that he’s competitive about it, but local music historians could easily describe Carpenter’s status as one of the most dedicated rock’n’roll fans of the last 50 years. He has averaged 20 (yes, 20) concerts a year. Married in 1979, he and his wife Jo often attend shows together.
The list of the concerts he has witnessed is so long it is easier to list the four that got away. He missed seeing Jimi Hendrix in May of 1970 because he was 15 and could not find a ride to Norman that Friday night. He missed the first two Led Zeppelin concerts because of no car and no ride and says he is still puzzled about how he missed seeing Led Zeppelin in 1977.
And then there were Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Arena concerts that came with a bonus, like first seeing the Eagles in 1972 as an opening. “I recognized the song they were performing as a new hit on the radio, “Take It Easy!” The single had been out a little over a month,” Carpenter said in a recent interview. “I watched the “new group” in action. I think it was Don Henley who was wearing an OU football jersey. I was just over two weeks out of high school, but I could tell these guys were really good. Their 50-minute set ended way too fast for us before British sensation Jethro Tull took the stage.”
Carpenter can relive that special night through the magic of YouTube. “Someone in the crowd taped the Eagles’ portion of the concert that night and recently posted it on YouTube,” Carpenter said. “Listening to it 50 years later, it is like I am back at the beginning of all that major concert going.”
He made the trip to a Rolling Stones concert on June 24th in Ft. Worth, where he saw his favorite group on their Rolling Stones American Tour 1972, which also included Canada. He says he could get tickets only because that tour was so successful the Stones added a second show.
But in Oklahoma City, later in 1972, he became a diehard fan of his favorite all-time supergroup. “The Grateful Dead were to play at the Civic Center, probably the best acoustics in Oklahoma,” Carpenter said. “When a second concert was added for November 15th, we got outstanding tickets near the front of the concert hall.”
His third world-class concert of the year swept him away. “The Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia took the stage without fanfare, and we were off. They played two long sets that night, with the standout for me being the almost half-hour jam on their classic “Playing in the Band,” Carpenter said. “During that show, with such great acoustics, I became a Deadhead for life.”
Hundreds of concerts, hundreds of artists later, in 2022, Carpenter still thinks about the Grateful Dead, especially since he saw them play at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Arena again almost a year after that eventful night. “As the years went by, I continued to follow the Grateful Dead and watched them become an icon in American popular culture,” Carpenter said.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Oklahoma State University and became a distinguished Probation and Parole officer. He capped his 24-year career as the Sentencing Guideline Specialist for the Western District of Oklahoma. He has been retirement privileged since 2011 and has become a well-known yoga and spin teacher in the Oklahoma City area.
Today he will share with you all the complications of modern ticketing where you can think that you’re buying a ticket at one price only to find that the price is two or three times higher when it’s time to pay. Still, the genuinely dedicated will put up with that because, as Carpenter will tell you, nothing beats hearing the live performance version of talented artists’ songs.
When he thinks about what keepsake is his favorite from all those concerts, he thinks about Garcia. Never one to follow the band from city to city as some fans did, he says he is devoted. “Although he died in 1995 of a heart attack, their records and music continue to sell,” Carpenter said. “Jerry (Garcia) remains as popular as ever and is even revered by younger generations of music fans who never had the privilege as I did of seeing him in concert. I am grateful to rock’n’roll music to have experienced this phenomenon myself.”
Speaking with Carpenter about Oklahoma being the crossroads of America and touring musicians, he not only gives you answers but opens your eyes to more questions, more ideas, more perspectives and more wonder about Oklahoma’s place in rock’n’roll history. When you hear Carpenter speak with a high school friend his age, another strong concertgoer, Barbie Garrison, you realize his nearly encyclopedic knowledge of rock’n’roll history.
“My Facebook friends asked me about specific artists I have seen, so I wrote narratives about what was going on in my life when I went to specific concerts and what kind of performance it was,” Carpenter said. “This recent writing has sparked my realization of how profoundly concert going has affected my life.”
“Concert going helped me create a whole different circle of friends and provided at times a much-needed release from the stress of being a college athlete and on throughout my life working with offenders on parole or probation,” Carpenter said. “Being a fresh diversion each time, many concerts were so startlingly creative, with high-quality musicians and their voices and their harmonizing and the brilliance of their words and poems set to music. Rock and Roll music will never die.”

by Mike Lee,
Staff Writer

Statistically, one in six Oklahoma seniors is hungry in our state.
It’s a tragedy that can be avoided, according to Angie Doss, director of marketing and communications for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma,
“It’s a huge problem,” Doss says of hunger in Oklahoma. “A lot of seniors are on a very tight and limited income. They may receive $600 per month. By the time you take out housing, utilities and transportation there’s not a lot left for food or medicine.
“A lot of our senior clients have faced the choice whether to pay for medicine or food.”
Oklahoma continues to rank among the top 10 states in the nation for food insecurity among seniors.
This spring, Oklahomans can double the impact of their gifts to help feed even more seniors struggling with hunger.
Through April 30, the Charles and Cassandra Bowen Charitable Foundation and the Anderson Charitable Foundation have teamed up to match donations to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to fight senior hunger – up to $130,000.
Donations will help provide food for seniors in central and western Oklahoma.
“After a lifetime of work, many seniors are living on fixed incomes and may not have enough money to purchase food at the end of the month,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “About 700,000 seniors, age 60-plus, live in Oklahoma and one in six face hunger every day.”
In a recent study by Feeding America, 27 percent of seniors in the Regional Food Bank’s service area have had to choose between buying food and buying medicine. Limited mobility and dependence on outside assistance makes seniors particularly vulnerable to hunger. In Oklahoma, seniors are 25 percent more likely to be have inconsistent access to food than the national average.
Seniors facing hunger are also forced to choose between buying food and paying for utilities. Additionally, they are more likely to have lower intakes of food and major vitamins; be in poor to fair health; have limitations in activities of daily living and have increased risk of stroke.
“At the end of the month, most seniors are out of money and depend on the Regional Food Bank,” shared one senior client. “If they did not come, many seniors would be without food at the end of the month and it would affect them all. We’re just so awfully grateful for what we get.”
The Regional Food Bank serves seniors through food pantries, emergency shelters, soup kitchens, and senior nutrition programs. Additionally, the nonprofit’s Senior Feeding program fights senior hunger through Senior Mobile Pantries, Senior Home Delivery, and Senior Mobile Markets.
Through the Senior Mobile Pantry program, the Regional Food Bank provides food each month to seniors living in nine Oklahoma City Housing Authority sites and one Norman Housing Authority site. Approximately 850 senior residents receive a sack of nonperishable food items along with produce, refrigerated items, meat, and bread.
The mobile pantry is set up as a “client choice” program, where seniors choose which items they need.
The Senior Home Delivery Program is at 32 sites in the Regional Food Bank’s 53-county service area. Seniors who, receive home delivery sacks, receive a nutritional supplement at the end of the month. These sites serve an average of 1,000 seniors a month.
The Senior Mobile Markets provide a monthly distribution of food that is set up farmer’s market style, where participants select the food they want. A typical mobile market provides a bag of non-perishable foods like fruits and vegetables, cereal, shelf stable milk, and other easy to prepare foods. Items also include protein, fresh produce and bread.
The program currently has 18 locations in the Oklahoma City metro and serves over 1,100 seniors a month.
“Sadly, many older Oklahomans have outlived their families, outlived their income or have simply been forgotten,” said Charlie Bowen with the Charles and Cassandra Bowen Charitable Foundation. “That is why this match is so important.”
Traditionally, the Regional Food Bank provides five meals for every dollar donated; however, thanks to this generous match, a dollar donation will provide the equivalent of 10 meals to seniors facing hunger.
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is the state’s largest private hunger relief organization.  The nonprofit provides enough food to feed more than 110,000 hungry Oklahomans each week through a network of nearly 1,200 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 538 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry.
For more information you can contact the Regional Food Bank at 405-600-3136 or online at www.www.regionalfoodbank.org.

Dear Savvy Senior, My siblings and I don’t know much about our elderly parent’s financial situation or their wishes if and when something happens to them. They are both in their mid-eighties. What’s the best way to handle this and what all should we know? Apprehensive Daughter

Dear Apprehensive,
Many adult children don’t know much about their elderly parent’s financial situation or end-of-life plans, but they need to. Getting up to speed on their finances, insurance policies, long-term care plans and other information is important because some day you might have to help them handle their financial affairs or care, or execute their estate plan after they die. Without this information, your job becomes much more difficult. Here are some tips that can help.
Have the Conversation
If you’re uncomfortable talking to your parents about this, use this column as a prompt or see https://theconversationproject.org/, which offers free guides that can help you kick-start these discussions.
It’s also a good idea to get all your siblings involved too. This can help you head off any possible hard feelings, plus, with others involved, your parents will know everyone is concerned.
When you talk with your parents, you’ll need to collect some information, find out where they keep key documents and how they want certain things handled when they die or if they become incapacitated. Here’s a checklist of areas to focus on.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Contacts: Make a list of names and phone numbers of your parent’s doctors, lawyer, accountant, broker, tax preparer, insurance agent, etc. Medical information: Make a copy of their medical history and a list of medications they take. Personal documents: Find out where they keep their Social Security card, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc.
Secured places: Make a list of places they keep under lock and key such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. Digital assets: Make a list of their digital assets – everything from social media accounts to online banking. It should include usernames and passwords. Pets: If they have a pet, what are their instructions for the animal’s care? End of life: What are their wishes for organ or body donation, and their funeral instructions? If they’ve made pre-arrangements with a funeral home, get a copy of the agreement.
LEGAL DOCUMENTS: Will: Do they have an updated will or trust, and where is it located? Power of attorney: Do they have a power of attorney document that names someone to handle their financial matters if they become incapacitated? Advance directives: Do they have a living will and a medical power of attorney that spells out their wishes regarding their end-of-life medical treatment? If they don’t have these documents prepared, now’s the time to make them.
FINANCIAL RECORDS: Financial accounts: Make a list of their bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts, and any other financial assets they have. Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debts they have – mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. Company benefits: Make a list of any retirement plans, pensions or benefits from their former employers including the contact information of the benefits administrator. Insurance: Make a list of the insurance policies they have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents and phone numbers. Property: Make a list of the real estate, vehicles or other properties they own, rent or lease and where they keep the deeds, titles and loan or lease agreements. Taxes: Find out where they keep copies of past year’s tax returns.
You’re probably not going to get all this figured out in one gathering, so it’s important to keep the conversation going to ensure your parent’s wishes will be accurately executed.
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.

by Darl DeVault

Bicycling is experiencing a resurgence lately because it provides a fun, healthy way to spend time outdoors while riders keep a safe social distance from others. Seniors might consider the comfortable modern Fat Bikes that will bring back memories of bicycles in the 1960s.
Modern fat tire bikes, or Fat Bikes as they are called, are off-road bicycles providing seniors comfortable and smooth riding because of the oversized tires, no matter where they ride. The elderly appreciates these bicycles because they are designed so the rider maintains an upright position with no strain on their back. The handlebars are straight, again easing pressure on the back by not requiring a crouching position over the bike.
Seniors who cycle or want to start riding again might want to test ride a Trek Fat Bike. It is a cross between a light-weight racing bike, with its multi-speed gearing, and a balloon-tired “paperboy” bike of the 1950s.
Many seniors are riding more now because the activity can slow down the progression of aging, deterioration in muscle mass, and much more, according to many medical studies.
Remember your first balloon-tired bike? These new fat tires are almost three times bigger than those balloon tires, which expands regular 2-to- 2.25-inch mountain bike tires to a whopping, comfortable, cruising 4-5 inches. With all that squishy rubber under you, comfort rules the day.
These bikes have the best kind of frames for a senior, the step-through design. This enables the rider to get on and off the bicycle easily. It will perform well during your regular commute or a Sunday country ride. The choice of more gears is generally helpful. If you have a lot of climbing to do and prefer easy pedaling with more revolutions and less resistance for each pedal stroke, the gears provide that option.
With these big tires you achieve a floating sensation when riding along. Fat Bikes are a lot of fun and come with a built-in smile factor – you cannot help but grin to yourself if you like to bicycle.
These Fat Bikes have everything, as manufacturers are now putting real engineering and design technology into them. Racing-bicycle metallurgy, extremely light but strong, means the design allows the Fat tires to dampen road shock and provide stability over rough terrain.
Here is my recent off-road test. I took a Fat Bike off the pavement and up a nearby berm to test the fun.
The added buoyancy of plenty of air between the rim and the ground meant it was simply a matter of powering through the uneven terrain.
My first pass…. I started up the steeply sloping hillside only to discover about two-thirds of the way up that it was sandy soil. The loose soil quickly brought my speed down. When I noticed I was not making good progress I simply applied more power.
I continued my climb. What a feeling, I was on top of the world! I was in control and staying upright while climbing over difficult and uneven terrain.
It made all the difference in the world to my confidence to know that I had climbed the steepest area without using all the gearing available.
The length of the wheelbase, because of extra-size tires, alone adds a dimension of stability. Forget the huge contact patch with the ground; the longer wheelbase gives your ride a squish not available any other way. It seems to even some obstacles out without effort from the rider.
Senior riders can opt for significantly lower tire pressure. Think 15 or 10 psi, or even lower still. This gives the tire some significant squish, and that play translates to more rubber conforming to the trail for serious grip.
I rode back and forth on top of the berm several times, finding new routes, weaving in and out of the trees and around obstacles. I could cut back against the hill and accelerate to support my balance after going around bushes.
I was proud of being able to handle the bike in such tight quarters. I took on harder terrain, happy to come shooting out of the underbrush into the open unscathed.
So far, so good. Now it was time to ride down. I felt I was in control… that I could use the disc brakes and if necessary, the whole rear tire in slowing down. Coming down was a pleasure, the control of the bike suddenly became all mine again. Slaloming on the 4-inch fat tires was a breeze.
I felt I had more control over the bike descending than at any other time, especially with the longer wheelbase. I knew that if I kept my center of gravity low and the bike centered beneath me, those sturdy fat tires could take any punishment. This confidence allowed me to steer right where I wanted it to go.
While Fat Biking over changing terrain takes coordination, and quickness, it gives the cyclist the elation of triumphing over unpredictable conditions and challenges. Finally, it instills a “can-do” attitude that is as comfortable as a bicycle can get.
If you ride, please buy a helmet, and wear it. Today’s helmets are adjustable and comfortable to wear while the air flow through the vents keep your head cool.
Senior cyclists owning the new-generation Fat Bike can also try out what they term Gravel Rides, taking backcountry unpaved scenic routes on their new contraptions.
Imagine a bicycle with bigger than a paperboy balloon tires by two and a half times taking the tension off major joints, and you have the start of what you might find as the inspiration to cycle more.