by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Family, duty, and giving back are some of the hallmark virtues that Army veteran Clyde Houston has lived by.
Family and friends gathered on July 13 at the Montellano Event Center in Oklahoma City to celebrate his 104th birthday and paid homage to a man who made a positive impact on so many lives.
Houston was one of the Greatest Generation born in Porter, Oklahoma on July 17th, 1920.
Houston faced many challenges and according to his family, he never wavered on his duties as a soldier and a father. He served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1945 as a Quartermaster military occupational specialty and provided troops with supplies and logistical services.
Houston grew up during the Golden Age of American Sports and emphasized the value in good physical fitness and sporting activities. Throughout his lifetime, he continued to teach the importance of maintaining good health and physical fitness with his own athletic children and shared this love of sports with all the neighborhood kids.
To help teach kids the value of sporting activities and get kids involved with different athletics, he built a neighborhood basketball court to give his children and local kids an outlet to play sports, build teamwork skills and prepare these young men and women for life lessons that you can only learn from playing sports.
“My dad was kind of the caregiver for us and the neighborhood kids too,” said Deborah Lynn Furman, Houston’s daughter. “When my dad would cook, he would make sure the kids in the neighborhood, he provided them if they wanted to eat, they were welcome to it. He played basketball with the kids. That is how most of us learned how to play sports because my dad taught us. My dad was a hands-on dad. My dad got out there, played with the kids in the neighborhood, played with his kids. That’s the kind of man he is.”
Houston grew up in humble surroundings in Haskell, but later became a well-known high school athlete.
“My dad was a basketball star with his school, Haskell High School and played football and baseball,” Furman said. “He loved baseball and even played against (Negro League and Major League Hall of Famer) pitcher Satchel Paige (as adults). Back then my dad said they used to go to these little towns (across the country) and play and they would run them out of town because they did not allow Blacks.”
Throughout his military service and civilian career, Houston held several jobs and positions but none of those careers were as important as his role as husband to his late wife of 70 years Dolly Jewel Durham Houston and father to his eight children.
Houston has 22 grandchildren, 57 great-grandchildren, and 26 great-great grandchildren.
“My dad was the kind of man that we all would sit down at the dinner table and eat together. My parents did that daily,” Furman said. “He taught us how to honor the elderly. He taught us how to be respectful and mindful of people’s feelings and to be kind and giving.”
Furman said giving back was important to her father and his faith.
“My dad was a real giving person,” she said. “If it were something that a church member was lacking, like not having food in their house, my dad would take a sack of groceries to those people. My dad instilled in us that you had to have a good work ethic. You had to be honest, and you could not take anything that did not belong to you. You had to work for what you wanted because he did that. And my dad took care of us. We never wanted for anything, and with eight kids, that is a task in itself.”
Furman said her father was proud of his military service but added that his experience was shadowed with the way Black soldiers were treated.
“I will put it this way, my dad said they weren’t fair about certain things. It was certain jobs that the Black soldiers were assigned to,” Furman said. “And my dad was a Quartermaster. He took the supplies around to the different platoons.”
Furman said her father taught his children to not be prejudiced and treat people how you would want to be treated.
“My dad didn’t curse,” she said. “My parents didn’t use profanity. We weren’t subjected to that. We had loving parents. My dad is easy going. My dad was the kind of person, like at Christmastime, my dad, if you give him a pair of socks, he is happy. You give him anything. He didn’t want us to grow up being like that (angry) because he felt like eventually things would get better and eventually it did.”
After separating from the military, Houston worked for Spartan Aeronautics before moving from Haskell to Oklahoma City.
“My mother wanted to move to Oklahoma City where her mother was, so my dad got on at the post office downtown,” Furman said. “He later worked construction and hurt his back and retired.”
Furman said faith has been her father’s bedrock in life.
“My dad wakes up every morning praying to God, every morning,” she said. “Faith is very important to him. My dad was a member of Church of God in Christ, my mother was Methodist, so it was different from what my mother was accustomed to. But once my mother married my dad, she joined the Church of God in Christ and that is all I know. I know that faith, love, and being decent and honest is the main objective that my parents taught us. And to believe in God and always trust in Him because that is your source.”

Letha DeMoss

(Right) 100 years old. Letha (Salsbery) DeMoss of Edmond was born July 20, 1924, in Indiana. She has 2 daughters, 4 grandchildren & 5 great grandchildren. After graduating from HS, she worked as a beautician. She is a member of the Chrisian Church where she tutored children & Jesus Loves Me is her favorite hymn.

Jewell Hall

(Left) 100 years old. All smiles, Jewell Hall happily partied with her friends and family to celebrate her 100th birthday. She was the belle of the ball and a beautiful and worthy center of attention! Jewell met the love of her life, Bud, dancing at the famed Cain’s Ballroom in 1944. Notably, both Jewell and the Cain’s Ballroom are celebrating 100 years.

Mary Clark

(Right) 100 years old. Rosie the Riveter, Mary Etta Clark, celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends today. She worked at Douglas Aerospace during World War II as an engine rigger. Mary Etta once owned the very successful five-star restaurant, Pepies Italian Restaurant. Her words of wisdom for us today are: Get an Education, a Job which you enjoy, and go to church.

Willie Hallonquist

(Right) 101 years old. Willie B. “Brenda” Hallonquist of Edmond was born in Texas. She worked in the medical field & as a real estate agent, attended First Baptist churches, where she volunteered her time & received honors for her work. On her 100th birthday, she took her first limousine ride to Vast Restaurant in downtown OKC for a large family celebration. Brenda’s words of wisdom: “Be quick to listen. Be slow to speak. Be slow to anger. Love God with all your heart!”

By Marilyn Olson, VillagesOKC Executive Director

Many of the 370,000 people 50+ in the Oklahoma City metro know that having a good neighbor is the solution for borrowing sugar or the answer for a little help trimming a crepe myrtle or on a ladder replacing light bulbs. For others, it is getting a little assistance with an iPhone or Android device from someone who knows. Finding a trustworthy plumber, dog sitter, attorney or someone to go to the movies with is all a part of the connections available through VillagesOKC.
For the past six years, VillagesOKC has been serving the metro by developing programs and connection opportunities to empower local adults to age with vitality and purpose. With a variety of impactful initiatives, from educational workshops to veteran recognition events to caregiver support, VillagesOKC seeks to enhance the lives of older adults and their families.
Successful aging involves individuals taking personal responsibility to plan combined with community engagement. The GIFT, Gathering Information for Transitions, is another VillagesOKC program helping members learn about options, make decisions and write in a notebook for rapid access in a crisis. VillagesOKC is the one connection that unites both individual and community forces. This is important since the number of adults in Oklahoma will soon outnumber children under 18 for the first time.
The VillagesOKC mission of empowerment is founded on the transformative idea that the narrative around aging must be fundamentally redefined. Rather than viewing all seniors as dependents requiring constant support, VillagesOKC recognizes them as valuable leaders within the community. People 50 and older possess significant experience, wisdom and capabilities. This offers ongoing opportunities to lead, contribute and flourish. This shift in perspective not only enriches their lives but also strengthens the social fabric of our community.
Strategic partnerships with local organizations and businesses mean less duplication and more cooperation. VillagesOKC partnerships include Senior Living Truth Series, OKC Mature Moves, Buckelew Realty, NewView Oklahoma, Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, Force50 Foundation, YMCAs of Greater Oklahoma City and YMCA Healthy Living Center, Directors Life Assurance, Providence Home Care, Nerve Renewal Neuropathy Clinics, CompleteOK (Homecare, Palliative Care and Hospice), Pinnacle Behavioral Healthcare, Senior Care Referral Services, Concordia Life Plan Community, Mercer Adams Funeral Service, Navigating Medicare as well as DHS Community Adult Living and Adult Protective Services, and the State Council on Aging. For more information about VilagesOKC call 405-990-6637 or visit
https://villagesokc.org.

Nancy and Jack Nortz

First met during the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games. Built a pickleball court in their backyard in 1997.

Story by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Nancy and Jack Nortz are an active and competitive couple.
The Oklahoma City residents wanted to find a sport they could do together in their senior years that allowed them to stay physically active, and keep their competitive edge.
The answer was pickleball.
“We just love doing physical things, both of us,” said Nancy Nortz, 71. “We have both competed in many sports, but they are not lifelong sports. If pickleball hadn’t come along, we wouldn’t have a competitive thing that we did every morning. There’s not another sport like it that allows you to be really physical and very skilled. It’s responsible for a lot of our mental and physical health.”
The Nortz’s love pickleball so much that in 1997 they had a pickleball court installed in their backyard.
“I think my favorite thing about pickleball, it’s the only sport I know that we can compete with anyone,” Nortz said. “It’s a game of strategy. It’s not just a power game. You can play a soft game and beat people. We will get on a court with some 20-something kids that are really talented athletes but haven’t played pickleball very long and kick their butts.”
Jack Nortz added why he enjoys pickleball.
“It’s just fun,” he said.
The couple recently competed in a United States Senior Pickleball tournament qualifier for the indoor national championships
“As a mixed team we won some matches and lost some. We didn’t medal. I won a gold in women’s doubles,” she said.
Nortz said playing pickleball has allowed them to have an additional circle of friends.
“We’ve created a whole group of friends. Not that they’re the only friends we have, but they get to be some of our favorite people,” she said. “Pickleball is very much a social thing for people that do it because it’s addictive. You work your life around pickleball. People I know that are still working will come early in the morning and play before they go to work, or they’ll come play under the lights in the evening after they get off work. Because we’re retired, we’re able to play almost every day in the morning. We’ve got lots going on, but we’ll make time for pickleball. It gives us a chance to go hang out with our friends and do something social and physical.”
The Nortz’s are no stranger to athletics. They first met during the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games.
“In 1976, I had a gymnast that was a member of the U.S. Olympics team from here in Oklahoma,” she said. “Jack was coaching a girl that was from the Syracuse area, which is where he lived. Both of the girls made the Olympics training camp. They take the top 10 gymnasts in the nation, and they select the Olympic team. My gymnast made the team, and Jack’s gymnast was very young but very gifted. She didn’t make the team, but he was there (in Montreal) watching the gymnastics. We were running around together with a group of coaches and going out for meals in between sessions. We started talking and ended up dating long distance for two years.”
Nortz operated the Oklahoma City Gymnastics Center. Her business partner retired after the Summer Olympics, paving the way for Jack to join her in the business.
“My partner had just retired right after the Olympic Games, so I really needed his help down here,” she said. “He moved here in 1978, and then we got married in 1980 and had three kids.”
The couple operated the gymnastics business until 1987 before moving on to other business ventures.
“We were running a training center together and Jack was sculpting as a hobby,” she said. “After our third child was born, he told me, well, I’m really getting tired of coaching and I’d like to try and earn my living as a sculptor. I told him, well, if you’re not coaching anymore, that means that we’re done with this training center. So, we closed that and he became a sculptor. He is self-taught.”
Nortz said her husband had a successful sculpting career, creating a variety of pieces across the country including a sculpture of former OU quarterback Sam Bradford in the Heisman Park in Norman, and singer Vince Gill at Northwest Classen High School.
He also created sculptures of all the national champion coaches at the University of Alabama.
Nortz said Jack started his artistic career as a woodcarver in 1976 after meeting an amazing driftwood artist at an art show in Syracuse, New York.
When he moved to Oklahoma, he added sandstone carving to his ever-widening repertoire. He later started sculpting and carving for MTM Recognition, picking up clay sculpting for creating bronzes.
Nortz said Jack has been privileged enough to create hundreds of sculptures, but one stands out above the rest: the sculpture he created for the University of Oklahoma Gymnastics Center called “Equilibrium.” Just over 11-feet tall, the bronze piece features two graceful figures that appear to be made of intertwining ribbons.
According to a story from MTM Recognition in Oklahoma City, Jack, 74, came up with the idea for the piece by chance one day, noticing the beauty in a simple piece of cloth billowing in the wind.
He said he loves to approach each project with the eyes of a child- his favorite aspect of the creation process is the beginning, when he gets to gather information and envision the final design.
“It’s a high that is in me that is hard to explain. It is kind of like jumping off a cliff into a lake. It’s the anticipation that gets the heart-pounding when you’re looking over the edge, not the jump itself,” Jack Nortz said in the MTM article.
Jack also had the privilege to challenge himself with sculpting famous athletes, from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award to the Brett Hull statue outside St. Louis’ Scottrade Center.
Nortz said she is very proud of her husband’s sculpting skills.
“He’s done an amazing job,” she said.

By Marise Boehs

Explaining the Stretch Zone difference, owner Wendy Uvino said, “Stretch Zone takes all of the stretching away from an individual, so it is totally practitioner assisted.”

“We have a series of straps that mobilize people onto the table which allows them to relax and stretch properly,” she continued. “Our practitioners have over 70 different stretches that they learn. And they put them together in protocols in order to work on whatever your goals are in terms of your body. It is something basically anybody can benefit from.”  

Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles breaks up tissue glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. Improved posture, circulation, and range of motion can be achieved at the stretch studio.

Different from stretching at home, practitioner-assisted stretching is a personalized routine performed by trained practitioners. Using our patented strapping system and proprietary tables to position, stabilize, and isolate muscles, our certified staff delivers a life-changing stretch experience to help you move efficiently and effortlessly. Simply put, we do all the work, you get all the benefits.

Starting in our 30s we begin losing flexibility at an average rate of 1% a year. Strains and micro-stresses on muscles compounded over time can glue them together. This “glue,” or scar tissue, tightens the surrounding tissue and restrains how we are able to move. Over time, the snowballing loss of flexibility ages us. Stretch Zone’s isolation of individual muscles within a muscle group breaks up the glue, unwrapping the stranglehold on our posture and valuable energy. Proper stretching slows down the aging process. We can feel younger by improving posture, circulation, and increasing range of motion.

Due to sedentary lifestyles and overworked, stressed muscles, we develop residual tension in resting muscle, or “tonus.” When we flex a muscle, we create excessive tonus in the muscle. A certain amount of resting muscle tonus is necessary to keep form and posture. But when we have excessive resting tonus, it becomes harder to move. Many people walk around with stiff muscles, and it’s not from the gym. Working with an experienced practitioner at one of the Stretch Zone studios can reestablish a more ideal resting muscle tone, relieving stiffness and soreness through active stretching.

Call today to schedule a free demo. 

Edmond 

309 S. Bryant 

Chatenay Square

10600 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Suite 5

405-445-6700

North Penn 

5629 North Pennsylvania Ave, 

405-242-3428

Story by Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Perkins Mayor Carla Fuss-Cummings said becoming an educator was a family tradition.
“I had a grandmother, I had lots of aunts and uncles and cousins in the education field. I just felt from a young age in high school, I knew I wanted to be a coach and PE teacher,” she said. “It’s a passion. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a really good job.”
Fuss-Cummings, who is in her 28th year of education, said she enjoys working with students helping them reach their full potential.
“What keeps me going is I get to go to work and do something I truly love,” she said. I joke around with my students all the time. I’m like, dude, I was going to be an English teacher, but have you seen how they have to dress? And I get to wear athletic clothes every day. It’s hard to explain sometimes except for all I can say is it’s a calling from God. And He gave me a gift and I try to use it to the best of my ability. And I do wake up looking forward to going to work.”
Fuss-Cummings grew up in Pawnee where she graduated high school. Her collegiate journey would soon begin, and it took some twists and turns.
“My ex-husband was in the military and we moved around a lot, but I finished,” she said. “I got my associate’s degree from Murray State College in Tishomingo, and then got married. He was assigned to an Air Force base in Kansas, I went to Wichita State University for a year and a half, then got shipped off to England. My education was on pause for a while, and I moved to New Mexico and taught at a private Christian school and also went to New Mexico State in Las Cruces. After moving to Andrews AFB in Maryland, I finished up my education at the University of Maryland with a kinesiology degree, Summa Cum Laude”
Fuss-Cummings returned to Pawnee after her ex-husband was discharged from the military, then later got her job at Perkins-Tryon, where she serves as the PE teacher with the intermediate school with the third, fourth, and fifth graders. She also gives private softball lessons and umpires some school ball.
“Right now, we’re in cooperative days activities,” she said. “I do what we call a sports education curriculum, and I take each sport unit and I set it up as a mini-season. Each class will have three teams and two teams are playing and one team is actually being the official team. They’re doing the scoreboard. I mean, they get some real-life experiences.”
Fuss-Cummings said her students also make team posters and hang in the gym.
“We get the computers out and we draw, we make posters, it gives them a little bit of ownership and freedom,” she said.
Carla Fuss-Cummings said sportsmanship is a key component in teaching her students.
“We are currently in a cooperative activities unit,” she said. “There’s a lot of structure to it, but we have fun. I only see my students every three days on a three-day rotation. I try to make sure we’re getting a little bit of fitness. I want to help teach them how to treat each other right now, before we get into some competition activities, because I feel like, well, number one, kids learn through play more than what people think. They learn so many life skills through play.
We talk about how competition can bring out the good you or the negative you. If we’re playing a game, someone’s going to win and someone’s going to lose. And, we have to learn how to win with humility and lose with some dignity. And we don’t pout. We work to get better because it’s trying to find that balance between having fun and nobody wants to lose.”
Fuss-Cummings talks to her students about learning from failure.
“We talk about how success comes from failure,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of activities so far this year where I’m like, okay, gang, we’re probably going to fail today and then we’re going to succeed because we’re going to talk about it and then we’re going to find some strategies to make a change or make an adjustment to get better.”
Fuss-Cummings said she never thought about running for public office, but found it to be another calling for her.
“I had just got to that point where I was like I’m going to do this,” she said. “If I win, that’s your (God’s) blessing. If I lose, then that is You telling me this is not my job right now. This is not for me, and you have something else planned for me.”
Fuss-Cummings is about half-way through her first term as mayor.
“It’s been pretty positive,” she said. “I do my best to protect city staff. Our city staff works very, very hard and they don’t get much credit. I’ve had to be out in public than what maybe I would’ve wanted or thought I would have been. I’ve had to step outside of my box a little bit and make myself more available and I’m ok with that now.”
Fuss-Cummings said she likes to do her homework before every city commission meeting.
“I’ll take my city commission packet and I’ll take it to the gym and I’ll get on a treadmill and I’ll read over it, highlight and ask questions,” she said. “We have a good team. We have some Commissioners that truly, really care. I do my best in a meeting to never make a motion or anything before any and all Commissioners have had an opportunity to ask a question or make a statement. We make sure that we are transparent in any way possible.”
Fuss-Cummings was simply known as Coach Fuss for many in Perkins. She became Fuss-Cummings after marrying her husband, Dennis Cummings.
“We have a lot of fun and we joke around about my last name changes, we’ve been married about three and a half years,” she said. “Some people won’t know me unless you have that Fuss in there, whereas in the Commission room. It just says, Carla Cummings. My husband is so comfortable, he doesn’t get upset when somebody calls me Coach Fuss because that dates how old they are.”
Fuss-Cummings has two sons, Jacob and Caleb Hart, daughter-in-law Hannah Hart, four grandchildren, three adult step-children and three bonus grandchildren.
Faith plays a major part in who Fuss-Cummings is.
“I had a stepmom that drove me to church, my dad and stepmom saved my sister and I from a life that could have been a lot different,” she said. “My husband and I go to worship (at First Baptist Church in Perkins) the Lord on Sundays together, it’s just the best date ever.”

Last month, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 3089, the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Act, into law and kick-started the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) into organizing the program that will help Oklahomans fortify their homes and reduce homeowners insurance rates. The Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Program is set to begin early next year, so this month, I want to answer some key questions about the program’s timeline and criteria.
When will the application open?
The law will go into effect on November 1, 2024, and the application will open in early 2025. OID has already begun our implementation process, including creating consumer information materials, building the grant application and providing resources for evaluators and contractors. We will announce when the applications are open and continue to provide key updates to consumers.
What are the criteria for securing a grant?
The grants are open to homeowners who have their primary residence in any of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. Your home must be in good repair unless you have sustained damage from a tornado, windstorm, hail, or other catastrophic event. In addition, you must provide proof that you have an active homeowners insurance policy with wind coverage and an in-force flood insurance policy if your home is in a special flood hazard area. After completing the application, you will secure a home evaluator from our list of approved evaluators. Once the project is approved and work is completed, we will make payment to the roofing contractor directly.
What will the grant cover?
After evaluating your application and determining whether your home can be mitigated, the grant funds will be used to outfit your home to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) standards, specifically IBHS FORTIFIED Home – Roof™ – High Wind designation with the Hail Supplement. Mitigation under this standard includes enhanced roof deck attachment, sealed roof deck, locked down roof edges, impact-resistant shingles by IBHS, and wind and rain-resistant attic vents.
How will I save on my homeowners insurance?
Insurance companies offer discounts for Homes with a FORTIFIED Home™ Designation on the wind portion of their homeowner’s insurance premium. In making these enhancements to your home, you could qualify for discounts of up to 42%. You can find a list of some of the discounts on our website. Each company is different, and discounts vary. Check with your carrier to see which specific discounts would be available.
Which contractors can I use?
Contractors must become Certified FORTIFIED service providers to be chosen as part of the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Program. This certification requires specific training and an examination. Once contractors are certified, they will submit their information to OID for final review and approval to be added to the list of approved contractors. You can read more about the FORTIFIED Homes service provider certification process on the FORTIFIED Home website.
I’m looking forward to helping Oklahomans make their homes more resilient to disasters and bringing some relief amid rising prices through this pivotal new program launching next year. To receive more information about the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes program and to get the latest updates, visit https://www.oid.ok.gov/okready and follow OID on social media.

Bigfoot Habitats, Dragon Eggs & Cattle Trails: Unmissable Summer Events at Metro Libraries

Summer is here, and so is a jam-packed calendar of events at our 19 library locations! Whether you’re looking for activities for little ones, teens or adults, the Metropolitan Library System has something for everyone. Check out the highlights below and visit https://www.metrolibrary.org/events upcoming for full details.

Camp Downtown at the Downtown Library: Bigfoot Habitats for Kids – weekly crafts with new fun each week! Create and decorate miniature Bigfoot habitats. Let your imagination run wild as you build tiny homes for the elusive creature. • July 5 at 10 am • July 6 at 2 pm

Camp Downtown at the Downtown Library: Forest Wind Chimes – weekly crafts with new fun each week! Join us to make beautiful forest-themed wind chimes as a family. • July 12 at 10 am • July 13 at 2 pm • July 16 at 1 pm

Discovery Backpack Exploration with Oklahoma 4-H Explore eco and health literacy backpacks with fun activities led by Oklahoma 4-H. • Downtown Library: July 9 at 1 pm • Bethany Library: July 16 at 6 pm

Dragon Eggs Take and Make Craft Create and decorate fantasy dragon eggs with our take-and-make kits, perfect for ages 6-9.• Edmond Library: July 8-14, all day

Cotton: Sustainable Fabric from a Seed Learn about the cotton cycle and its diverse uses beyond fabric. Suitable for all ages. • Warr Acres Library: July 27 at 12:30 pm

Extreme Animals Discover an array of extreme animals with live presentations. No registration is required. • Edmond Library: July 29 at 2 pm

Snake Events • Herp and Invert Exhibit: Explore reptiles and invertebrates up close. • Midwest City Library: July 10 at Noon • Larry the Snake Guy: Encounter reptiles and enjoy fun crafts. • Choctaw Library: July 25 at 11 am • Snakes at the Library: Learn fascinating snake facts with Larry Daniel. • Almonte Library: July 29 at 6 pm

Special Museum Programs This summer, our collaboration with local museums brings exciting programs for all ages. For full details, visit
http://www.bit.ly/2024SummerReadingMuseumAdventures.

Oklahoma City Museum of Art • Edith Head: Hollywood’s Costume Design: Participate in art activities centered around costume design.

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum • Western Legends and Modern Legacies: Enjoy Western legends and a poetry session with the Society of Urban Poets. • The Reading Roundup: Storytelling sessions featuring a cowboy sharing Wild West tales. • Cattle Trails and Branding: Explore artifacts and read stories about the Wild West.

Contemporary Arts Center • Adventures in Needle-felting: Create wool sculptures. • Adventures in Embroidery: Learn basic embroidery stitches.
• Adventure Kites: Create and fly your own kites.

Unique Events for Adults

Swing and Foxtrot Dance Adventure Join Femeya Cole from Adelante Dance Studio for a fun-filled dance session featuring Swing and Foxtrot. • Edmond Library: July 29 at 2 pm

The Great Puzzle Race Compete in a timed jigsaw puzzle competition. Teams of up to four people will race to complete a 500-piece puzzle within 90 minutes. • Midwest City Library: July 6 at 1 pm

Neighborhood Arts Performances Enjoy diverse performances in music, dance, drama, and more through July 27. View the full schedule at https://www.metrolibrary.org/neighborhoodarts.

Weekly Performance Schedule: • Mondays: Northwest, Southern Oaks, Harrah Senior Center, Midwest City Libraries • Tuesdays: Ralph Ellison, Almonte, Downtown Libraries • Wednesdays: Bethany, Del City, Belle Isle, Choctaw Libraries • Thursdays: Edmond, Jones, Capitol Hill, The Village Libraries • Fridays: Nicoma Park, Rodeo Cinema, Warr Acres Libraries • Saturdays: Scissortail Park Farmers Market

Dear Savvy Senior, I need to hire a good in-home caregiver to help my elderly father who lives alone. What’s the best way to do this?
Searching Sarah

Dear Sarah,
Finding a good in-home caregiver for an elderly parent is not always easy. How can you find one that’s reliable and trustworthy, as well as someone your parent likes and is comfortable with? Here are some tips that can help.
Know His Needs
Before you start the task of looking for an in-home caregiver, your first step is to determine the level of care your dad needs.
For example, if he only needs help with daily living tasks like shopping, cooking, doing laundry, bathing or dressing, a “homemaker” or “personal care aide” will do. But if he needs health care services, there are “home health aides” that may do all the things a homemaker does, plus they also have training in administering medications, changing wound dressings and other medically related duties. Home health aides often work under a nurse’s supervision.
Once you settle on a level of care, you then need to decide how many hours of assistance he’ll need. For example, does your dad need someone to come in just a few mornings a week to cook, clean, run errands or perhaps help him with a bath? Or does he need more continuous care that requires daily visits?
After you determine his needs, there are two ways in which you can go about hiring someone. Either through an agency, or you can hire someone directly on your own.
Hiring Through an Agency
Hiring a personal care or home health aide through an agency is the safest and easiest option, but it’s more expensive. Costs typically run anywhere between $15 and $30 an hour depending on where you live and the qualification of the aide.
How it works is you pay the agency, and they handle everything including an assessment of your mom’s needs, assigning appropriately trained and pre-screened staff to care for her, and finding a fill-in on days her aide cannot come.
Some of the drawbacks, however, are that you may not have much input into the selection of the caregiver, and the caregivers may change or alternate, which can cause a disruption.
To find a home care agency in your dad’s area use search engines like Google or Bing and type in “home health care” or “non-medical home care” followed by the city and state your dad lives in. You can also use Medicare’s search tool at Medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “home health services.” Most home health agencies offer some form of non-medical home care services too.
You also need to know that original Medicare does not cover in-home caregiving services unless your dad is receiving doctor ordered skilled nursing or therapy services at home too. But, if your dad is in a certain Medicare Advantage plan, or is low-income and qualifies for Medicaid, he may be eligible for some coverage.
Hiring Directly
Hiring an independent caregiver on your own is the other option, and it’s less expensive. Costs typically range between $12 and $25 per hour. Hiring directly also gives you more control over who you hire so you can choose someone who you feel is right for your dad.
But be aware that if you do hire someone on your own, you become the employer so there’s no agency support to fall back on if a problem occurs or if the aide doesn’t show up. You’re also responsible for paying payroll taxes and any worker-related injuries that may happen. If you choose this option, make sure you check the aide’s references thoroughly and do a criminal background check at companies like eNannySource.com.
To find someone use an elder-care matching service like Care.com or CareLinx.com, which both provide basic background checks.
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.

By Nick Thomas

Mother’s Day may have passed, but moms continue to inspire and encourage. Even fictitious ones. Some of America’s favorite classic television and movie moms are raising awareness of the country’s homeless youth problem. Although their focus is one organization, Doors of Change in the San Diego area (with its summer benefit “Concert of Hope” this year to be held on July 27 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater, UCSD, and featuring KC and the Sunshine Band, see www.doorsofchange.org) their message should resonate in cities across America where homelessness continues to be a major social problem.
Doors of Change has helped thousands of homeless youth find safe housing and a sense of purpose with a unique arts-based approach. The organization’s team of trained professionals and volunteers search for at-risk youth, first offering them essentials such as water, socks, and sleeping bags. Once trust is gained, the organization offers music and art lessons as a non-threatening first step to turning their lives around. Individuals can then be connected with services that provide housing, employment, medical care, and addiction treatment.
Jane Kaczmarek, the mother in the 2000s sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” acknowledges this unique approach.
“The stress of being a teenager can be too overwhelming, too confusing, and too many find themselves on our streets trying to survive,” said Kaczmarek. “Doors of Change has discovered a unique way to connect with them, through music and art programs that have not only been saving lives but taken our young from hopeless to hopeful. They build self-esteem and respect for themselves and others.”
June Lockhart, the beloved TV mom from the 60s shows “Lassie” and “Lost in Space,” applauds the use of arts to connect with homeless youth. “At an early age, my parents instilled in me the importance of arts to inspire and enhance our lives,” she said, adding that the organization has been “successful at reaching the thousands of our young who have become lost.”
Support also comes from Dee Wallace, the movie mom from 1982’s “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial,” who applauds the group for “reinforcing positive attitudes and images towards oneself.” That, she says, “is exactly what our youth needs to face and replace the uncertainty and fear they may have of the future.”
Michael Learned won three Primetime Lead Actress Emmys for her role as Olivia Walton in the 70s historical drama “The Waltons” and notes “Every child, every teen, is our responsibility. We must keep them safe and the earth solid beneath their feet until they have found their place in this world.”
Until that place is discovered, the dangers of youth homelessness can often lead to additional social problems with which Karen Grassle is all too familiar.
“As one who has suffered from the disease of alcoholism, I know the loneliness and despair it can bring,” explains Grassle, who played the “Little House on the Prairie” mother. “As an artist, I know the healing that comes from self-expression and self-examination. For me, hope came as soon as I surrendered my addiction. Art is a great help and healer.”
“Mr. Belvedere” mom Ilene Graff also offers encouragement.
“You’re a runaway because home had become unbearable or you’ve been thrown out of the house,” says Graff, who played the mom in the popular 80s ABC sitcom. “If you’re lucky, Doors of Change will find you and help you get off the street and into hope, leading to safety, education, housing, music, art, friendship, (and) security.”
Since reaching homeless youth through music and art has proven to be a successful model, similar programs could be used to address the same problem around the country.
Nick Thomas writes about classic film, television, and music for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org.