story and photo by Traci Chapman

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs administrators say a lot has improved in the VA’s reboot, but there is a long way to go – for patients and employees alike.
“We are very much on a learning curve, working to make the VA experience the best we possibly can for our veterans and their families, while we make sure our employees are happy and fulfilled, because that’s the way to make sure they are dedicated to giving the best care possible to our patients,” Oklahoma City VA Medical Center Director Wade Vlosich said.
The director’s comments were made during a Sept. 21 Town Hall, attended by dozens of veterans and staff members. Aimed at addressing both patient and staff concerns, the meeting was part of an effort to help move beyond years of bad press involving long wait times for care, employee concerns about hospital leadership and more at VA centers across the country. And, while the Town Hall gave individuals a chance to air ongoing issues, it was also a sign of a change in philosophy at the center, staff said.
“We are all working to make sure we are an active part of what we’re calling the ‘New VA,’” said Darrell Long, hospital specialty clinic float nurse. “We all know there is a bad perception out there, and we’re working to change that.”
Vlosich is a big part of that change, staff said. Joining the Oklahoma City VA facility in May, Vlosich is the first “permanent” director named in more than four years. With staff having no stable leadership to look to or lean on, Vlosich said it was difficult to provide both the kind of atmosphere needed for happy and quality employees, as well as the best in patient care.
“You just can’t make it work without stable and dedicated long-term leadership,” Vlosich said. “The quality of care we do offer is a testament to our employees – but now we owe them more too.”
That staff cares for more than 61,000 veterans annually, this year that number jumping by more than 3,000 over the number of patients seen two years ago, Vlosich said. The center’s $460 million budget funds a 192-bed hospital and emergency room operations, as well as a myriad variety of specialty clinics, including extensive mental health facilities. The VA also administers community centered outpatient clinics in north Oklahoma City, Lawton, Ada, Wichita Falls, Blackwell, Ardmore, Altus, Enid and Stillwater.
Employees have worked hard to address issues with wait times in all areas of the facility, something that’s been a longtime problem, Vlosich said. But, while the director has his work cut out for him in his new position, the challenge isn’t anything new. Before coming to Oklahoma City, he served as director of Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, for more than two years – a facility that before his arrival had been under “significant” fire for serious patient care issues.
“It was certainly a challenge, but we made some real improvement, and I know we will do the same – and better – here,” Vlosich said.
Like the Missouri facility, Vlosich said Oklahoma City has a major asset, its employees, and they are the primary key in hastening the forward strides needed to improve service.
“We are very lucky to have people with amazing dedication and talent, people like our specialty clinic chief, Terri Sharp,” the director said. “She and her staff have elevated our nursing services and make a huge difference in the lives of their patients.”
Those efforts have made a difference, with primary care waits dropping from seven days to three days, mental health from three days to two days and specialty care decreasing from 12 days to 11 days, Vlosich said.
“Obviously, that’s an improvement, but we have lots of room for more advancement,” he said.
Another frustration has been aged facilities, including inadequate parking for both staff and patients. Crews are working on a first and second floor clinic expansion, which will add 8,000 square feet and renovate another 16,000 square feet. A major parking addition should add 300 spaces and ease a situation that causes headaches on a daily basis, Vlosich said. The clinic project is slated for completion March 2017, while the new parking spaces should be ready by May 2017.
“We are also working to improve our facilities, which are a direct patient benefit but also is positive for our staff,” Vlosich said. “That allows us to keep the excellent employees we have happy, while allowing us to appeal to quality staff because, of course, we are only as good as the quality of our nursing/medical and other staff.”
That is an area that has seen forward momentum, staff said.
“There is a lot of excitement, a lot of commitment to the VA family,” said Leann Denney, a chemotherapy nurse navigator. “We have the greatest patients, and we are so committed to them because there is that additional component that they have served, they’ve sacrificed for all of us.
“That’s always been there, but there is also a new feeling that we are more of a coordinated team, that we will be able to better work together for the good of our patients,” she said. “We are a family here, all of us – nurses and staff, patients and their families – and we’re looking for things to just get better and better.”

by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Nearly 20 years ago, Lynn Haynes remembers her phone ringing at the American Red Cross with a worried voice on the other end of the line.
A volunteer with Meals on Wheels Norman was calling the social worker saying their client wasn’t coming to the door to receive their daily meal.
There was noise inside and what sounded like the client’s voice, but no one came to the door.
Haynes drove over and found a window open on the side of the house and went in to investigate.
As she entered she stepped over the elderly woman who had fallen eight hours earlier and had broken her hip.
After calling 911 Haynes sat with the woman and noticed she didn’t seem too worried.
“What she said to me was ‘I knew I would be OK because I knew Meals on Wheels would get to me,’” Haynes recalled. “That was my first experience with them and that made me realize this was a really good thing.”
“Meals on Wheels kind of helps people to stay independent and make sure they have food,” Haynes said of the program’s core mission.
Meals on Wheels America estimates that some 15 to 20 percent of Oklahoma seniors struggle with hunger.
Nationally, one in six seniors face hunger while some 233,000 Oklahoma seniors live in or near poverty.
It’s estimated that one year’s worth of meals for a senior costs the same amount as one day of a hospital stay.
Meals on Wheels of Norman operates on an annual budget of $575,000 with food costs ranging between $15,000 and $20,000 each month.
Haynes said special grants and donations also fund a pet food program.
Haynes is proud that Meals on Wheels has some volunteers who have been around nearly 30 years.
She shudders to think about what might happen if Meals on Wheels Norman went away.
“I think it would be very hard for our community,” Haynes says. “I think you would see people, especially seniors placed more in nursing facilities.”
Haynes says clients pay for their meals based on a sliding scale based on income. Some clients receive their meals for free while others pay from 81 cents to $6.25 per meal.
Haynes knows better than most the program’s deliveries go beyond just providing nutrition.
The friendly volunteers develop relationships and look forward to visiting clients each day.
The feeling is mutual.
The visits insure the health of loved ones and to see that they are receiving a nutritious meal each day.
History
The agency began serving the Norman community January 21, 1972 as the Norman Mobile Meals Council, under the direction of the late Tedo Prickett, executive director and co-founder.
Meals on Wheels has maintained the same basic philosophy to improve nutrition by providing meal service to the ill, disabled, and senior residents within the Norman city limits. The organization strives to improve the mental health of isolated recipients by providing visitation and to improve the wellbeing of senior citizens in coordination with existing services in the Norman area.
Currently, Norman Regional Hospital prepares all meals. Licensed dietitians determine the necessary meals to accommodate a client’s specialized dietary needs with confirmation from the client’s doctor.
Norman Mobile Meals Council changed its name to Meals on Wheels of Norman, Inc. in 1986.
The group’s annual poinsettia fundraiser is coming up in late November.
Ordering just 5 plants will help provide meals to an ill, disabled, and elderly individual for one week.
Fall is when Haynes needs volunteers the most.
Meals on Wheels of Norman delivers some 300 meals each day. A minimum of 100 volunteers a week are needed to get the meals out.
To learn more about Norman’s Meals on Wheels program, to sign up or to volunteer you can call them at 321-7272

Dear Savvy Senior,

At age 76, my husband has become forgetful lately and is worried he may have Alzheimer’s. What resources can you recommend to help us get a grip on this?  Concerned Wife

Dear Concerned,
Many seniors worry about memory lapses as they get older fearing it may be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia. To get some insight on the seriousness of your husband’s problem, here are some resources you can turn to for help.
Warning Signs
As we grow older, some memory difficulties – such as forgetting names or misplacing items from time to time – are associated with normal aging. But the symptoms of dementia are much more than simple memory lapses.
While symptoms can vary greatly, people with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.
To help you and your husband recognize the difference between typical age-related memory loss and a more serious problem, the Alzheimer’s Association provides a list of 10 warning signs that you can assess at 10signs.org.
They also provide information including the signs and symptoms on the other conditions that can cause dementia like vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and others – see ALZ.org/dementia.
Memory Screening
Another good place to help you get a handle on your husband’s memory problems is through the National Memory Screening Program, which offers free memory screenings throughout National Memory Screening Month in November.
Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, this free service provides a confidential, face-to-face memory screening that takes about 10 minutes to complete and consists of questions and/or tasks to evaluate his memory status.
Screenings are given by doctors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers or other healthcare professionals in thousands of sites across the country. It’s also important to know that this screening is not a diagnosis. Instead, its goal is to detect problems and refer individuals with these problems for further evaluation.
To find a screening site in your area visit NationalMemoryScreening.org or call 866-232-8484. It’s best to check for a screening location at the end of October, because new sites are constantly being added.
See a Doctor
If you can’t find a screening site in your area, make an appointment with his primary care doctor to get a cognitive checkup. This is covered 100 percent by Medicare as part of their annual wellness visit. If his doctor suspects any problems, he may give him the Memory Impairment Screen, the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, or the Mini Cog. Each test can be given in less then five minutes.
Depending on his score, his doctor may order follow-up tests or simply keep it on file so he can see if there are any changes down the road. Or, he may then refer him to a geriatrician or neurologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease.
Keep in mind that even if your husband is experiencing some memory problems, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has dementia. Many memory problems are brought on by other factors like stress, depression, thyroid disease, side effects of medications, sleep disorders, vitamin deficiencies and other medical conditions. And by treating these conditions he can reduce or eliminate the problem.

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.

What advice would you give your younger self? Emerald Square Assisted Living

It would be to treat people the way God wanted, don’t be selfish and don’t let others take advantage of you. Mark Sloan

To be more honest and have a good relationship with God. Not ask but to listen to what God asks you do. Martha Sneed

Stay out of trouble and read more. William J. Warner

I’d be more careful about what I got myself into and involved in. Wanda Galpin

Holiday Grief Support
Free program offers help for those recovering from loss of loved ones
The holiday season is usually a wonderful time filled with happy memories. But you may find it more difficult when experiencing grief. INTEGRIS Hospice offers this program especially for those who may benefit from additional support during this time of year.
Normal grief responses include appetite loss, difficulty sleeping, feelings of guilt or regret, lack of concentration, mood changes, numbness or crying.
Date Tuesday, Nov. 8
Time 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.
Place Bethany First Church of the Nazarene
6789 NW 39th Expressway • Bethany, OK 73008

To enroll Call Marla Mercer-Cole, M.S., 405-603-1708
Program is free of charge; space is limited. Reservations are required.

The session is facilitated by Marla Mercer-Cole, M.S., licensed professional counselor certified in thanatology: death, dying and bereavement. As current vice president of Mercer Adams Funeral Service in Bethany, she directs the aftercare program for families they serve and oversees community relations. Mercer-Cole also conducts six-week grief support programs throughout the metro Oklahoma City area for INTEGRIS Hospice.

LYNN INSTITUTE OFFERS MEMORY SCREENING DAYS
The Lynn Health Science Institute, has scheduled two upcoming Memory Screening Days for
Oklahoma City and Norman:
Tuesday, September 20th from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Norman office located at
1139 36th Avenue NW, Suite 200
– and –
Wednesday, September 21st from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Oklahoma City office located at
3555 NW 58th Street, Suite 800
The Lynn Institute Memory Screenings are being offered FREE OF CHARGE. Upon completion of the MMSE Memory Screening test, participants will receive a packet that details their results, what they mean, and information.
For more information on the memory screenings, please call 405.447.8839.

Story and photo by Mike Lee, Staff Writer

For the past 57 seasons, Zee Howell has faithfully manned Section 9, Row 60 seats 23 and 24 at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The 94-year-old is one of the university’s oldest season ticket holders and he plans on starting his 58th OU football season when Louisiana-Monroe comes to town on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.
But Oklahoma football is only part of the story when it comes to this former Navy diver.
“OU has given a real good account of theirselves, they sure have,” Howell said sitting in his home that bears a Norman address but has a Goldsby water tower in the front yard.
Howell has seen it all during five decades as a season ticket holder.
He’s gotten a front-row seat to four of the team’s seven national championship runs. He’s seen teams coached by Barry, Bud, Bob and unfortunately Blake.
The Idabel native has written more than his fair share of checks to the university, each more than the last.
So why buy season tickets?
“You get lot better seats,” Howell said with a chuckle. “You come in on game day you may be sitting two blocks up the road.”
One row down and seven seats over sits Howell’s kids.
“He wanted a pair close enough for my brother and I so he could keep an eye on us but we were far enough away we couldn’t bug him,” daughter Valencia Howell says.
The only OU-Texas game Howell has missed was in 1957 when Valencia was born at the old Presbyterian Hospital.
“He still hasn’t forgotten about that. It’s not my fault,” Valencia said in her defense. “My brother was born nine years to the day within two hours of the exact same time. The doctor had gotten hold of (mom) in advance and told her ‘you can go, but don’t get too excited.’”
Game day in the Howell household consists of brewing a pot of strong coffee and reading the newspaper before heading to the stadium early to avoid the traffic. He’ll sit in the stadium well after the game for the same reason.
Now retired, Howell has time on his hands and he doesn’t mind that.
At age 18, Howell completed his Naval training in San Diego just before World War II.
“There was a ship sitting out in the bay and one chief said ‘that old ship is a good working ship that can go to sea and haul three million gallons of oil. Don’t worry about it. The Japanese aren’t worrying about our tankers they want our destroyers,’ Howell remembered a chief saying.
“Guess what? It was the first damn one that got sunk.”
Howell was on that ship – the U.S.S. Neches – in his bunk January 23, 1942 when a Japanese two-man sub followed it out of the Pearl Harbor bay around the defensive netting and kept pace for a few miles before unloading two torpedoes.
December 7, 1941 may have been a day that lived in infamy but it was January 23rd that Howell found himself bobbing in the ocean.
He was one of 56 sailors trapped inside a room in the belly of the ship and the only one who got out of that space.
The next day the U.S.S. Jarvis picked up the 182 survivors and took them back to Pearl Harbor.
After leaving the military Howell went to work at Tinker Field. He got in on the ground floor of the computerization of the base and eventually retired as a civilian second chief.
After that he had plenty of time to devote to his favorite passion – OU sports.
At softball games his seat right behind home plate puts him right in earshot of the umpire, who had better call it fair and square or else Howell lets him know about it.
Howell, also a huge softball fan, has his opinions on many of OU’s coaches.
On OU Softball Coach Patty Gasso, who just led her squad to a third national title:
“She’s earning her money,” he says.
On Bob Stoops: “The success he’s had kind of speaks for itself I guess,” Howell says.
On Athletic Director Joe Castiglione: “Well, he makes a lot of money,” Howell said with a chuckle.
Rain or shine you can expect to see Howell at Owen Field come the second weekend in September.
In his estimation, there’s no place he’d rather be.
And for 58 years now he’s had the best seats in the house.

story and photo by Traci Chapman

David Krukiel and Brandon Meszaros had a dream – an idea that could impact how the world saw memory care and change the lives of those people who needed that care.
That dream should become a reality in a few short weeks, when Iris Memory Care opens in Edmond.
After working together for many years, Krukiel and Meszaros decided to strike out on their own. The first step was research – a lot of it, market studies and long days formulating just how they wanted to move forward with their new project. The location actually came relatively easy to the partners.
“We saw that there was a strong need for memory care in Edmond, so we decided to start here,” Krukiel said.
As the partners worked on the physical concept for Iris Memory Care, the most important component would be the caregivers who provide residential care. That’s where Leslie Stone came in, someone Krukiel said he knew would be the key to making sure the foundation of Iris was not only maintained, but would flourish.
“What we always felt was lacking to a degree (in other facilities) was compassion, dignity and comfort, and we searched for someone with a like mind on those concepts,” Krukiel said. “The mission is impossible without the perfect staff.”
“The main thing we always want to remember is how our residents will be feeling, the challenges they face and how we can make every day better for them,” Stone said. “Their families also deserve to know that someone who truly cares for them is there for them every day.”
With Stone on board, the work began in earnest on the building itself, something that would be different than any other memory care facility the team had ever seen, Krukiel said.
“Most of the times you see these large buildings with lots of people, but we don’t believe that’s conducive to the best, the quality care, that people with these challenges face,” he said. “So, we decided – we knew that home is where people feel the most comfortable, and that’s what we did in building Iris.”
The two-building complex will therefore be home to 40 people, 20 in each home. Rooms are set back from the hall, so it doesn’t feel like a hospital or hotel, Krukiel said. The large main room, where residents will eat their meals, is also a gathering place and one set up for recreational activities and visits. A second, smaller day room will provide more of the same, as well as a salon-inspired area.
“Many of memory care residents don’t like to have their hair washed; we thought the idea of the salon could bring back good memories of when they saw their friends at the beauty parlor,” Stone said. “Everything we’re doing is a way to make them feel comfortable and so they want to come out and interact, which can be a challenge with memory care patients.”
Perhaps the main physical feature of the Iris philosophy is its kitchens, designed as an open space, much like in a home. Featuring a granite bar where residents can sit and watch meals prepared or sometimes interact in that preparation, the space is fundamental to the team’s concept.
“It all goes together – we don’t want the residents to feel like numbers, we want them to know they’re cared for, that this really is their home,” Krukiel said. “Staff members will take their meals with the residents, so they have that interaction, as well.”
“They (staff members) are caregivers first, but friends also,” Stone said.
While recreation will play an important part of Iris’ residents lives, so too will something not found at any other Oklahoma memory care facility. Its long name is “Snoezelen Multi-Sensory Environments.”
“Basically, Snoezelen is a term for a variety of relaxing spaces that can help reduce agitation and anxiety, but they are also something that can stimulate the user, encourage communication and help them to interact – with both the unit and with others,” Snoezelen consultant Carolyn Jackson said.
For Iris Memory Care residents, that can be particularly helpful, as those patients frequently encounter “sensory overload.” The soothing lights and colors of the Snoezelen unit can also be accompanied by music, aromatherapy and images, can be something that might make the difference in reaching a particular patient.
“We’ve been told no one else in Oklahoma has a Snoezelen; for the places that do, many of them have a dedicated room for it,” Krukiel said. “We decided to get a smaller unit, but one that would have the ability to be moved from room to room – that way our residents will have better access to it.”
“We just want them to always feel comfortable, always feel safe and loved,” Stone said. “This is just another great way for us to be able to accomplish that.”