by Judith Coker Center

If you live in Norman, you may want to join a new non-profit group for seniors called the 21st Century Norman Seniors Association. They are in the middle of a membership drive and seek active seniors and their family members who are interested in senior issues. There are no dues or age restrictions.
The association plans to advocate for Norman seniors on local issues and want to have a positive effect in building an inclusive community for Norman. They have no political, religious, or social affiliation. Currently they have over 200 members.
“We saw a need for this kind of group several months ago,” says Jim Jinkins, president of the association. “Working together seniors can create change that will benefit everyone. We welcome members of any age who are interested in improving life for seniors in Norman.”
At this point 21st Seniors has a temporary board and slate of officers, but with an enlarged membership, plan to hold elections in the fall. The original founders have been deeply interested in the Norman Forward plans for a new senior center and will continue to be involved in this as time goes on. However, long term the group wants to serve as a purposeful voice for seniors, networking with other groups for the larger good. They also want to promote Norman as an attractive retirement destination.
You may run into the 21st C. Norman Seniors Association at different locations in Norman this month as they look for new members. Stop and talk with them for more information. Also, the website, www.normanseniors.org, now under construction, has information about the group’s mission statement, temporary officers and board members, and other posts of interest to Norman seniors. There is a place on the website to join the group. You may also write to the group at PO Box 722082, Norman, OK 73072.
The Association plans to hold a meeting in June for members to socialize and discuss future plans. “You never know what good you can accomplish until you meet with like-minded people, set goals, and use your knowledge and influence to improve you own city,” said Jinkins. “Seniors have deep knowledge and rich experience, and are a resource Norman needs.” Join us and enrich your own life by working together and building new friendships through the 21st Century Norman Seniors Association.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Most people after 40 years in the same field think about winding things down, maybe taking a break and looking to relax.
For clinical social worker Ron Marlett, he’s running for public office.
“When you take into account our state legislature has made funding decisions that put over 250 of the 318 nursing homes in this state at risk of bankruptcy, when you look at cutting or denying Medicaid to working poor and you look at cutting food stamps to children it just can’t continue,” Marlett said of why he decided to run.
June 28 will be the democratic primary that Marlett is building towards.
“I want to increase funding for public education. I want to restore funding to long term care and make sure our seniors don’t have to choose between food and medicine,” Marlett said. “That’s a choice they should not have to be making. Along the way I’d like to see us make some major reforms in the criminal justice system. Prisons do not treat drug addiction and do not treat mental health issues.”
At this point, Marlett sees prison as the funnel for people with addiction and mental issues. He blames deals made with the private prison entities for contributing to the problem of overcrowding.
With Oklahoma currently facing a $1.3 billion shortfall, Marlett has been amazed at the bills showing up on the house and senate floor.
“We’ve got schools closing and the biggest concern they have is bathroom monitors?” Marlett said. “It’s the most misaligned set of priorities I’ve ever seen at the state capital. It’s been corporations first and then people if there are crumbs left.”
Marlett ran previously in 2008 against the polarizing Rep. Sally Kern. He gained 42 percent of the vote.
Kern terms out after this session.
“We have to look at at the proper role of government and the proper role is to help us do as a collective what we can’t do as individuals,” Marlett said. “I can’t build a road. That’s why we have governments, to put the infrastructure in place. It’s not the role of the government to monitor bathrooms. It is not the role of the government to insert itself into people’s bedrooms or in their private lives.”
This May Marlett celebrated 40 years in social work. All but two years have been spent in the field of mental health with the past 15 in geriatric care.
He works for Community Pathways Unlimited, a private mental health agency established in 1995 to serve the behavioral health needs of the citizens of Oklahoma.
He routinely visits four nursing homes in the metro area to provide counseling to seniors and disabled people.
Born in Binger, Marlett is a fourth generation Oklahoman, who is running for office because he wants to see an improvement in our political culture. He has seen the state he loves torn apart by people who would rather divide us into warring factions, instead of uniting us in the common struggle of ensuring a better day in Oklahoma.
“I’ve always worked hoping to make a difference in people’s lives,” Marlett said. “I love what I do. I think you’re really blessed when you can work at what you love.”
He grew up in the Union City Public school system and recognizes the value of a good education. After graduating from Union City High School, he attended El Reno Jr. College, and Oklahoma City University, where he earned a degree in Sociology, and the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
Having worked for four decades as a clinical social worker, mostly in the field of mental health, he understands the need to properly fund critical services in order to address our state’s most pressing issues.
He believes Oklahomans deserve a state government that functions well and works for the common interests of all.
He has been married to Liz Waring Marlett for 32 years. They have a daughter Chelsea, a son-in-law Chris, and a granddaughter named Cailey.
“The crisis we’re facing is not created by the oil and gas bust it was created by the decision to lower income taxes and give hundreds of millions (away),” Marlett said. “Out of $1.3 billion dollars in our deficit nearly three-quarters of a billion goes to corporate welfare.”
“If you want to solve the problem, end that. Right now we’re in a crisis.”

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

The birthday activities were just beginning Tuesday morning, May 3, 2016 at Brookdale Assisted Living as birthday balloons were scattered around. Two of the residents were celebrating birthdays today. Not just any birthday but their 100th and their 108th.
Resident Bertha Moore turned 100 years old. Born in Oklahoma, she lived here her whole life. She has three children and some great grandchildren. Living at Brookdale for 8 years, she has come accustomed to the everyday activities, etc. Bertha enjoys being around other people and likes the excellent care that she is given. She has seen such a change in the progression of automobiles and technology. She said that when she was young, she rode a horse and buggy to school. “Quite a change from those days.” I commented. Bertha remembers the days of working on the farm helping out in any way that she could. She has fond memories of her father working for Sinclair Oil and later on, getting a job herself, working for Sinclair Lease.
The other resident celebrating her 108th birthday is Leora Henderson. She has been a resident of Brookdale for 8 years now. She was born in Oklahoma, just 1 year after the state of Oklahoma was established. She remembers working in the soup kitchen during World War I and being a school secretary at the time of World War II. She can still recall when food had to be rationed. She also rode a horse and buggy to school and has some memories of the depression. In Leora’s opinion, history books don’t do women justice. She believes firsthand accounts are the most important.
Surrounded by family and friends, these two women celebrate their birthdays. Thanks to Rachel Kidd and Brookdale Assisted Living Facility for recognizing and honoring these two fine women. Happy birthday, Bertha and Leora!

“The fresh corn. My daddy would always bring it in.” Glennell Combs

“Not the tornadoes. I just like everything being fresh”. Ethel McKinney

“The flowers and everything growing. “Doris Wright

“I always loved planting the garden with my granddad.” Michael Burdick

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Heisman Trophy winner Jason White and the Braum Family farm are arguably Tuttle’s two biggest claims to fame.
But this city in Grady County with a population of barely 6,000 is a test site for a new care model that promises to revolutionize elder care.
Tuttle Care Center is one of four nursing homes in the state involved in a 12-week evidence-based fall prevention study organized by the Fran and Earl Ziegler OU College of Nursing.
The study, entitled It’s Not OK to Fall, is led by Diana L. Studevant, PhD, GCNS-BC, APRN and Teri Round, BSN, MS, RN, BC-NE.
“We were tickled about all the things that would help the elderly not fall,” Childree said.
It has been estimated that one in three women and one in 12 men will sustain a hip fracture in their lifetime.
It has been reported that 86% of hip fractures occur in individuals aged 65 years and older.
More than 25,000 deaths in older adults were attributed to unintentional fall injuries in 2013.
Childree said much research has been done in the state of Wisconsin on preventing falls.
Wisconsin has one of the highest rates of death from unintentional falls in the nation. In fact, the death rate due to unintentional falls in Wisconsin is twice the national average.
That’s when the state decided to do something.
The Four P’s
Childree said the program includes following the Four P’s which includes position, personal needs, pain and placement.
Proper positioning of the resident reduces the need for them to try to reposition themselves on their own.
Meeting personal needs refers to asking whether the resident needs to toilet. Again, having someone there to help the resident meet a need helps reduce the potential for the resident to get themselves in a compromising position that may cause a fall.
Keeping a resident’s pain under control also allows them to rest comfortably.
And, finally, placement of a resident’s call light, reading glasses, walker, tissues and other necessary items is important to prevent residents from having to have to hunt them down.
There is a school of thought that still thinks falls are inevitable.
“I disagree,” Childree said. “The philosophy of this group is ‘what are we doing to cause them to fall.’”
That’s why Childree’s team has adopted a CSI-type approach when investigating falls. Asking questions of the resident involved in a fall is a good first step but also trying to gain as much information as possible including several photos of the area where the fall happens helps.
“We cause them to fall for some reason,” Childree said. “We want them to take a picture of the surroundings before anything is moved that way we can look at it just like an investigator does at a crime scene.”
Childree has a fall team that meets regularly to review all incident reports and decide what actions can be taken.
Childree said sleep is also a major component in falls risk. The traditional method of checking a resident every two hours to see if they are dry might be doing more harm than good.
“They’re not getting into that deep REM sleep so they did a study and that’s like torture,” Childree said. “That’s why you see a lot of nursing home residents that sleep during the day.”
Tuttle Care residents are also taking part in Tai Chi.
Scientific studies show that the practice of Tai Chi improves, and prevents, almost all chronic conditions including arthritis, heart disease and diabetes. In addition, it improves balance, immunity, and reduces stress. In fact, Tai Chi improves practically every aspect of health.
Kelli Brummer teaches Tai Chi at the Care Center weekly and works for the Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative, a statewide program through the Department of Geriatric Medicine at the OU Health Sciences Center. In addition to Tuttle she works with residents at Spanish Cover in Yukon and Cedar Creek in Norman.
“It’s been good,” Brummer said. “We’re having a great time at Spanish Cove. They do Tai Chi in the independent part anyway and we’ve had residents come over. It’s fun.”

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

Meet Jerry Lee Tyner, a 78 year old who loves being around others. He is considered to be an Aficionado-True Tale Teller and Serendipity Songster. Tyner also volunteers as a tour guide at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, where he loves sharing bits of history and legends of the old west. “I started at the museum in the year 2007 and I enjoy what I do. The patrons are always eager to hear the stories,” he said. “Everything I do, whether it’s telling a story about the old west, or singing to a crowd, I like making people happy. I like being the one that puts a smile on their face. That’s what is important,” he added with a smile.
Tyner was born at home in a little house on the prairie in Washita County in Oklahoma. “It really was a little house on the prairie,” he laughed. He attended Port elementary school and attended high school in Elk City, OK, where he was Senior class president. Tyner is a very distinguished, pleasant individual that enjoys life and enjoys making others happy. His friendly disposition seems to have a way of drawing people to him.
Tyner has been singing and performing for others since January of 2000. “I was in a band with several others but we lost a few,” he said. “I was the lead and I really enjoyed that. We had a good thing going back then and it was a lot of fun. I did most of the vocals and played a little harmonica. Now all my music comes from a computer (Karaoke) which I admit is much easier to handle song requests than the way I did it before.”
Tyner is known to sing all kinds of vintage songs; Hank Williams, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Muddy Water, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, just to name a few. “I get quite a few requests for certain songs,” he said with a laugh. “I know most of the old songs so that makes it nice when I entertain in the assisted living facilities. Bob Wills’ songs are always a hit with the older folks. Those folks really like their music and some of them get up and dance to the tune. I love making these older folks happy. Seeing the people smile and enjoy my songs means a lot to me and that is why I do what I do.”
“What inspires you to get up and go to work every day?” I asked Tyner. Being the character he is, he replied, “I just feel lucky to wake up,” he laughed. Asking Tyner to describe himself in 3 words, he had an answer right away. “Oh, that’s easy. Good Ole Boy!” When I asked him what his greatest blessing was, he answered, “it is definitely my 4 children. They are all very successful and I am proud of each one of them,” he said. He loves spending time with his family and his 10 grandchildren; 5 granddaughters and his 5 grandsons. “My grandchildren call me Papa T. Oh, I just love being around them. They are really something,” he added.
Tyner has lived an interesting life. “One time, a friend of mine, Ken Selby and I walked from Oklahoma City, OK to Tulsa in 2009. We were just discussing it one day and thought, we can do that. We just wanted to see if we could do it. I was 71 and Ken was 73. We had a good time and we made it!” Tyner helped pass the law of no smoking in restaurants in Oklahoma. “One thing led to another on that issue. From a simple email to traveling to speak, I was a part of that. I guess you could say when I get something in my head, I am determined to finish it.” Being a storyteller comes natural to Tyner and he is in the process of writing a book about some of his early day adventures from the past.
It was 9 months before Tyner and his wife celebrated their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary, that she passed away due to health issues. Being the considerate person Tyner is, now he helps others celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary by providing his entertainment for FREE. Jerry Lee Tyner is available to entertain at nursing homes, assisted living and independent living facilities. If you are interested, please call Jerry at 405-850-4865 to schedule a date or email him at JLT7@cox.net
A big thank-you to Jerry for being one of those entertainers, storytellers, good ole boy that enjoys life but most of all, enjoys making others happy.