By Marilyn Olson, Executive Director, VillagesOKC

During the 3,691 days that my mother lived with us, there were hundreds of really good days, a few bummers, two or three frightening days and a lot of just ordinary days. Sandwiched in between were some that stood out because they made us laugh until we cried. Today, we laugh all the more when the story is retold. It was one of those that made us say, “You can’t make this stuff up; you gotta laugh.”
It was near the year-end holidays. My friend had given me an “Alexa” for Christmas. (You know, that’s the electronic voice-activated gadget everyone was buying in 2009.) After opening, she was eager to tell me all of its amazing features. She wanted me to know all about how it helps her keep a grocery list, tells the weather for the day, and even orders on Amazon. She was so eager to set it up and show me that she asked my Amazon password and placed a “pretend” order, before submitting – or so I thought.
That next week a small Amazon Prime package arrived; it was a slender bottle of lotion. Although I do not use Avon, I decided to put it away because Mother always is looking for hand cream and it would make a good gift for Mother’s Day. And besides, I hate returning things.
Five months after my friend had made the erroneous Avon order, I presented Mother with the gift of hand cream. Since she already had bottles of lotion open, she put it aside waiting until fall to begin to use it in preparation for a doctor’s visit. It had a delightful fragrance. “I can always use another bottle of lotion,” she said.
The monthly appointment with the doctor was uneventful, and afterwards, we went to Braum’s as usual to celebrate having a good checkup. The doctor applauded that she was walking regularly outdoors even though the days were getting cooler. “Great for Vitamin D,” the doctor said.
We were very busy preparing for Thanksgiving when all the family would be there. Mother said, “I’m really concerned about what is happening to my hands, neck and face. I wonder if you’d call Dr. Craven and see if the nurse can work me in for an appointment.”
When I investigated, Mother was worried about her skin’s yellowish tinge on both hands. Looking more closely, the faint yellowish pallor was even more apparent in the daylight. Mother was a worrier and thought she was jaundiced. And even though I didn’t let her know, I had concerns too. (She stayed very aware of her healthcare lab reports and watched her kidney numbers meticulously.) But it didn’t make sense because there were NO other symptoms.
After two more days of “apparent jaundice” but no other symptoms, I began to seriously investigate yet trying not to worry her.
“Mother, what bottle of lotion have you been using?”
“That one,” she said as she pointed to the bottle on the nightstand.
I picked it up to read the fragrance. It was the Avon bottle I had presented on Mother’s Day. For the first time I read the label aloud, and we both burst out laughing.
“Oh, my goodness! Mother, this is tanning lotion, Avon’s Golden Tanning Lotion. You aren’t jaundiced, you just have a golden tan. Guess I’ll cancel that doctor’s appointment and buy a swimsuit fit for a 98-year-old instead.”
We couldn’t wait to tell the family. And we all laughed until the tears came.

Edmond Mobile Meals is proud to announce its 50th anniversary of serving the Edmond community this month.
Established in 1974, Edmond Mobile Meals delivered its first six meals on April 22. Seven local churches donated $25 each and provided volunteer support to help the program get started. Since that first day, the nonprofit organization has delivered over 1.2 million meals to the homebound elderly and disabled residents in Edmond. Today, Edmond Mobile Meals delivers an average of 275 meals each weekday, 120 weekend meals, and an average of 50 meals for the Edmond Senior Center’s congregate lunch. Over 400 dedicated volunteers assist in preparing and packaging meals each weekday and delivering meals across 100 square miles of Edmond. A program record of over 73,000 meals were delivered last year.
Edmond Mobile Meals is the only organization that provides daily nourishing meals and wellness checks to the homebound residents of the community. The organization provides these services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay for the service. Clients are accepted into the program based only on need.
“Our primary mission is to make sure that no senior in Edmond ever goes hungry or feels forgotten,” said Executive Director, Cristi Twenter. To prepare for the anticipated increase in need for home-delivered meals for seniors, the organization in partnership with the City of Edmond is in the midst of an infrastructure expansion that will result in triple the capacity of meals that can be prepared each day. Twenter continues, “The aging population is surging and will double in the next decade. We are determined to make sure Edmond Mobile Meals is ready to meet the needs of Edmond’s seniors now and in the future.”
“We provide more than just a meal,” Twenter says. “The friendly volunteers who deliver our meals may be the only human contact some clients have each day. We know that social isolation and loneliness are extremely detrimental for homebound individuals. Real friendships are developed between our volunteers and clients. These relationships have a dramatically positive impact on our clients’ health and allows them to remain living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.”
In honor of this milestone anniversary, Edmond Mobile Meals asks for support of their endowment fund held at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Any gift made to this campaign will receive permanent recognition on a Legacy Wall that will be featured in the organization’s renovated building. Twenter says, “When you donate to our endowment fund, you are giving a gift to our future. Your contribution today will give back to Edmond’s most vulnerable residents forever. It is a wonderful opportunity to honor loved ones, current or former clients, or volunteers.” To donate in celebration Edmond Mobile Meals 50th Anniversary, visit https://edmondmobilemeals.org/donate, or mail a check payable to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation with “fbo Edmond Mobile Meals” on the memo line. The address is 1000 N. Broadway Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102.

Planned gifts can also be made to the Edmond Mobile Meals endowment fund. Commonly, these are donated through a will or trust. For more information about planned giving to Edmond Mobile Meals, please contact Cristi Twenter at [email protected].

The 2024 Oklahoma Senior Follies is being reimagined this year! There will be lots of glitz and glamor as well as some new faces on stage. We will be opening with OKC Chorus (Sweet Adelines). Our variety show will also include Tarpley Tappers, Barbara DeMaio (opera star), our gorgeous beauties, and Mark and Patti Mellow as our Dynamic Duo! This year the beauties will not only be announced but will also participate by singing and dancing in the background in some of the numbers.
Gina Bramlett and Michael Pone are our Co-directors this year. Dr. Matthew Jones is our talented music director. They will be working their magic to make this a show to remember for the entire family!
The show will be at UCO Mitchell Hall on Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 9th at 3:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $30.00 each or $25.00 each for a group of ten or more. Tickets are available on our website at www.oklahomaseniorfollies.com by clicking on purchase tickets, or by calling the box office at 405-974-3375.

Iru Daugherty

(Right) 100 years old. Tulsa – Moved to Tulsa in 1987 to work at Victory Church, her son Pastor Billy Joe asked her to “love on people.” She has had an interesting life with wonderful people & is so grateful for good friends. Her words of wisdom to younger people: “Follow the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Listen to Him. Believe in Him!”

Mildred Cox

(Left) 100 years old. Broken Arrow – Mildred was born in Kentucky but is now a Golden Okie. Mildred was the cashier at Ted & Debbie’s Flower & Garden before retiring in 2017. She loves God and her Family.

Dewey Muirhead

(Right) 100 years old. Wewoka – Served in the Army Air Corps as Military Police (MP) and loved his motorcycle. He cooks himself a big breakfast everyday, enjoys old Western swing music and likes antique car shows. His life advice to others: “Work hard; have fun; love your family and make memories!”

Velma Oliver

(Right) 100 years old. Claremore – Her husband was military so they traveled all over the country & lived in Jurupa Valley, CA for several years. She was a farmer, homemaker, mother & housekeeper, so she never really retired. She enjoys Mexican food & gardening & volunteered at the Salvation Army.

Care Providers Oklahoma recently sounded the alarm on an impending crisis created by the Biden Administration’s approval of a new staffing mandate. The new mandate requires nursing homes to significantly increase the number of nurse aides and registered nurses at each facility, without addressing 1) the financial impact of that new requirement or 2) the reality of an ongoing workforce shortage that has already led multiple facilities in Oklahoma to close.
“For months, the White House has been signaling their plan is to mandate that nursing homes hire staffers that do not exist with money they do not have,” said Care Providers Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Buck. “This is an impossible proposition that has gone from a bad idea to a federal rule with the force of law. We are sounding the alarm that this policy will absolutely lead to closures, displaced residents, and the loss of quality care for elderly and vulnerable populations.”
Care Providers Oklahoma estimates the new rule requires the average facility to hire two to three new registered nurses at a cost approaching $17 per Medicaid resident per day. Total costs associated with new hires for Oklahoma’s nursing homes will be as much as $76 million annually.
Currently, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority already estimates that nursing homes are funded at $44 per Medicaid resident per day under the projected cost-of-care. The Biden staffing mandate expands that funding gap to upwards of $61 per Medicaid resident per day.
“Oklahoma homes have already been closing at a rapid clip because we are not funded at the cost-of-care,” said Buck. “That is going to increase at an even faster rate, especially in rural areas, unless we can get some help.”
See the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s list of recent closures here.
Buck said that Care Providers Oklahoma was taking the following steps to protect its residents:
1. Asking the Oklahoma Legislature to increase funding to a level equal to the OHCA’s projected cost-of-care;
2. Supporting the federal “Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act,” a bill that would block implementation of the new mandate;
3. Educating the public on the devastating impact that the Biden mandate would have on Oklahoma’s vulnerable seniors.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has already signed a letter, along with 14 other governors opposing the mandate.
Senator Lankford has also spoken out against the mandate and its impact on rural facilities.

The Metropolitan Library System is thrilled to announce the launch of its Strategic Plan Survey, inviting community members to shape the future of libraries across Oklahoma County.
“By participating in this survey, individuals have the opportunity to directly influence the evolution of their local libraries, ensuring they remain vibrant and responsive to the diverse communities they serve,” said Larry White, CEO of the Metropolitan Library System.
The Strategic Plan Survey aims to gather valuable insights from guests to better understand their preferences and needs regarding programs, services, materials, technology and future library locations.
“We hope to build four new libraries in the next decade, and we need to know where to put them,” said White. “We believe that involving our community in the planning process is crucial to building libraries that truly meet their needs.”
The survey, available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, is available at metrolibrary.org/survey. Participants who complete the survey are eligible for a prize drawing, with ten Amazon Fire tablets and ten insulated tumblers up for grabs. The survey is open until May 10.
The grand opening for the new Almonte Library, located at 2727 SW 59th, is scheduled for May 15 at 10 a.m.

By Nick Thomas

Born and raised in West Virginia, David Selby’s extensive film, television, and stage career included prominent roles in two very different TV shows in different generations: ABC’s gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows” in the 60s and the prime-time soap “Falcon Crest” on CBS in the 80s.
“My mother (Sarah) loved that I was an actor,” said Selby from Los Angeles, but she had no background in the entertainment world. Her upbringing in a coal mining town was a tough one, being responsible for raising her brothers and sisters.
“She managed to graduate from high school and met my father who was raised on a farm,” recalled Selby. “Mom continued to work hard at various jobs including the local Montgomery Wards, in a bakeshop, and her last job was as a bookkeeper in an office supply place. But she never liked to talk about herself – at all. Her focus was always on the family. She was also a meticulous housekeeper and did not like messes.”
Tidying, says Selby, is a trait he inherited and for which his family has always ribbed him for his constant dusting, washing, and sweeping. “Sarah is among us!” he says his wife, Chip, will lovingly announce.
To honor his late mother and her influence on his life, Selby wrote “They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing,” a short but compelling monologue he composed for Smartphone Theatre, a live stream digital performance platform presented via Zoom and created during the early pandemic months to showcase original productions. Selby’s reading streamed live in March 2022 and can be viewed on YouTube (https://youtu.be/cm7mFA_VF6c).
“I would act like my mother unconsciously,” he said. “The kids would say ‘grandma says that’ or my wife would say ‘you sound like your mother.’ So, I wrote ‘They Don’t Call Me Sarah for Nothing’ because it was cathartic for me to talk about her and realize, my God, how much she meant to me.”
Despite their loving relationship, young David found her constant working difficult to understand. Nevertheless, he recalled, “she always somehow managed to look like a million dollars! Even taking out the trash or going to the grocery store in our little community, she was always cautious about looking her best.”
As he grew older and with no initial interest in acting, Selby planned to enroll in West Virginia University but needed tuition funds. “So, I went to Atlantic City in the summer and worked at a restaurant, then returned with a pocket full of money to pay for my first half-year’s tuition. I lived at home so I could walk to class as a freshman, but didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
That’s when an adviser for students whose names started with an ‘S’ spotted Selby standing in the enrollment line for classes. “He said, ‘you look like you could be in theater’ and it turned out he was a theater instructor,” Selby remembered. “He talked me into it and, lo and behold, I began doing plays at the university right away.”
After completing his degree, Selby moved to Illinois where he completed a Ph.D. in the arts, but not before moving to the East Coast and accepting his first TV role.
“I didn’t finish my Ph.D. until after I was in New York doing ‘Dark Shadows’ – in fact, I copied my dissertation at the office where we shot the show,” he recalled. His wife even took a job as an editor and then as a college English teacher so David could pursue his acting career (see http://www.davidselby.com).
But what did his mom really think about his acting career?
“She watched every show I did, from the plays at university and summer stock to ‘Dark Shadows,’ ‘Falcon Crest’ and everything else,” he says. “Aside from my wife, my mother was my biggest fan. I loved her dearly.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org.

Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good resources to help me locate some quality doctors in my area? I’m looking for an orthopedic doctor for my 77-year-old mother and a new internist for me, since my doctor retired last year.
Searching Susan

Dear Susan,
Finding and researching doctors is a lot easier than it used to be. Today, there are variety of websites you can turn to that provide databases of U.S. doctors, their professional medical histories, and ratings and reviews from past patients on a number of criteria. Here are some good sites to help you get started, along with a few additional tips that can help you find the right doctors.
Searching Tips
To help you locate some good doctors in your area, a good first step is to get referrals from trusted friends, along with any doctors, nurses or other healthcare professionals you know.
You also need to check your insurance provider. Call your insurer for a list of approved doctors or ask whether the doctor you’re considering is in-network.
If your mother is enrolled in original Medicare, you can use the care compare tool at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “Doctors & Clinicians.” This will let you find doctors by name, medical specialty or by geographic location that accept original Medicare. If she’s enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, call or visit the plan website to get a list of approved candidates.
Once you find a few doctors, you need to call their office to verify that they still accept your insurance, and if they are accepting new patients.
You should also consider hospital affiliation. Your choice of doctor can determine which hospital you go to, if needed, so find out where the doctor has admitting privileges. Then use some hospital ratings services like https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare (click on “Hospitals”) to see how it compares with other hospitals in the area.
Researching Doctors
After you find a few doctors you’re interested in, there are various websites you can consult, to help you evaluate them. For example, the Federation of State Medical Boards offers a tool at DocInfo.org that will let you find out doctor’s board certifications, education, states with active licenses, and whether or not a physician has been disciplined by a state medical board.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Data) is also a good source for researching doctors. For example, it will help you find out how many times a doctor did a particular procedure and what they charge for it – go to https://data.cms.gov/tools and click on “Medicare Physician & Other Practitioner Look-up Tool.” And to learn about the financial relationship that doctors have with drug and medical device companies, visit https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov.
Some other good sites for finding and researching healthcare professionals include Healthgrades (https://www.healthgrades.com) and Vitals (https://www.vitals.com/).
Both sites provide substantial doctor’s information on education and training, hospital affiliations, board certification, awards and recognitions, professional misconduct, disciplinary action, office locations and accepted insurance plans.
They also offer 5-star ratings scales from past patients on issues such as communication and listening skills, wait time, time spent with the patient, office friendliness and more. But be aware that while physician rating websites can be helpful, they can also be misleading and unreliable.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit https://savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher celebrated its 60th anniversary on April 22. To celebrate this milestone, a new campaign dedicated to expanding and renovating the museum launched on May 1.
This project will allow the museum to rebrand as The Chisholm and refocus its mission to provide a more sustainable future while ensuring that Oklahoma’s farming and ranching history, from its early roots to contemporary issues, are shared. Farming and ranching have long played a role in shaping the lives of Oklahomans and our state. This campaign will allow the museum to combine the old with the new.
“At The Chisholm, we will strive to engage, educate, and enrich our community and those who explore it by making the unique stories of Oklahoma’s past relevant to today’s visitors,” reported Jason Harris, executive director of the museum. “We sit at the crossroads of Oklahoma’s wheat belt and along the Chisholm Trail. Our location makes us an ideal place to share exhibits on indigenous agriculture and herd management, the cattle drive era, agriculture mechanization and modernization, conservation efforts, ranch rodeo, agriculture and the environment, and more.”
The museum’s new exhibits will focus on the individuals, families, and industries that have shaped Oklahoma agribusiness through the decades.
More than $1.5 million has been allocated for The Chisholm out of $46 million in Legacy Capital Financing funds given to the Oklahoma Historical Society by the legislature to make improvements across the state to more than 20 sites. The museum plans to raise additional private funds through 2026, with work beginning at the complex this summer. This campaign will enable the museum to completely renovate the museum building and its mechanical systems, preserve historic structures in the heritage village, complete extensive preservation work on the territorial governor’s mansion, and allow for better visitor experiences and care of its collections. The design includes creating new educational and community meeting spaces, modernizing collections storage for artifact care, providing improved ADA accessibility, installing new exhibits throughout the museum complex, and more.
“It is about more than just our buildings,” Harris said. “It is about transforming the museum to appeal to many of our state’s citizens and visitors while helping the OHS meet its institutional goals. Our objective is to provide our community with an invaluable resource while stimulating tourism in the region.”
With more than three-quarters of the state as farmland, agribusiness is big business in Oklahoma. Today, Oklahoma is home to more than 77,000 farms and ranches, ranks second in the U.S. in cattle production, fourth in the number of farms, and shapes agribusiness across the nation through education training.
The Chisholm Trail Museum is located at 605 Zellers Ave. in Kingfisher. Call 405-375-5176 for more information or visit thechisholm.org.
The Chisholm is an affiliate of the Oklahoma Historical Society. For more information about the OHS, please visit https://www.okhistory.org/.

by Bobby Anderson, RN – staff writer

A new hospital is emerging on the Oklahoma City skyline.
The six-story Integris Health Heart Hospital is moving towards its June completion date and hiring is continuing.
The 209,000-square-foot building will include 64 ICU beds, multiple cardiac catheterization labs, cardiovascular operating rooms, hybrid operating rooms, electrophysiology heart labs, and convenient cardiac diagnostic testing areas. It sits on the campus of Integris Baptist.
An onsite coffee shop that features a full menu of breakfast, lunch and, craft coffee in partnership with locally owned Ends of the Earth (EOTE) Coffee Company will also be included.
“We have long been known as the only hospital in Oklahoma to offer a full spectrum of advanced cardiac care from diagnosis to heart transplantation, and the new heart hospital will allow us to continue to offer the best heart care available anywhere in the world,” says Jeffrey Sparling, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and president of Integris Health Cardiovascular Physicians. “This tower is proof of our commitment to improve the heart health of Oklahomans now and for many generations to come.”
Integris Health is actively recruiting for a variety of positions.
Kelsey Behm, BSN, RN, CCRN, MBA is the director of nursing for the Integris Heart Hospital.
She came to Integris in 2012 and worked as a nurse tech before starting her nursing career in the transplant ICU. ECMO and cardiothoracic ICU roles followed.
“This has been a long time coming. We are so excited,” she said. “We are very quickly approaching the opening date but this heart hospital and critical care tower will be part of Baptist Medical Center. What we are able to do is expand cardiac care and services that we offer.
“What’s really awesome is we will be moving all of our cardiac diagnostics, procedural and, surgery areas into this new state-of-the-art building as well as our cardiothoracic intensive care unit and have additional critical care beds and an abdominal transplant ICU.”
If it sounds like a lot of moving parts, there are.
Behm said more than a year of planning has gone into the move.
“So many different teams of people, departments, different disciplines,” Behm said. “It really is bringing a lot together. We have a team of people that on a weekly basis track progress and make sure the project is running on plan.”
Even though construction is ongoing, frontline caregivers were able to tour the facility in early February.
“They’ve been excited but to actually see it, feel it and walk through it they were all really proud and excited for the new building,” Behm said. “What we have now, the infrastructure has its challenges. Walking into this new (building) with big rooms and windows … they were just really excited. They have a lot of pride in it. It was really a great day.”
A larger facility means more staff positions. Behm said positions are available up and down the service line.
“We are actively recruiting to grow our team. Anything from pre-op, surgical admitting, PACU that’s all going to be dedicated to cardiac, we are building those teams from the ground up.”
Cath lab, CVOR, cardiothoracic ICU, abdominal transplant and, critical care teams are also being built.