Dear Savvy Senior, I spend a lot of time online and love the convenience of paying bills, shopping, and keeping up with my grandkids on Facebook and Instagram. But last month my computer was infected with malware, and I just found out some cybercriminal opened up a credit card using my identity and went on a shopping spree. Do you have some simple tips to help me stay safe while online? Violated in OKC

Dear Violated,
Unfortunately, cybercrimes against seniors has become a huge problem in the U.S. According to FBI data, last year alone more than 1.8 billion was stolen from unsuspecting older Americans during the pandemic.
While anyone can be subject to cybercrimes, seniors are frequent targets because they tend to be more trusting and have more money than their younger counterparts. But there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from online fraud, hacking and scams. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Strengthen your passwords: A strong password should contain at least seven characters and include numbers and a special character, like an exclamation point or asterisk. Be sure to change up your password across different sites to ensure a hacker would not gain access to all accounts through one password. And keep a written list of all your passwords stored in a safe secure place.
On your smartphone or tablet, be sure to set up a four or six-digit PIN to protect your device.
Opt out of pop-ups: To protect yourself from computer viruses and other forms of malware, make it a habit to avoid any pop-up style message when you’re on the web. Sometimes hackers disguise their malware as pop-up advertisements or “special offers” when you’re shopping or reading online. Clicking on these pop-ups can lead to viruses or data breaches.
If you encounter a suspicious pop-up message, don’t click on anything in the window. Simply leave the site or close out of your web browser.
When in doubt, throw it out: Sometimes online hackers will send you an email or text message and pretend to be someone they’re not in order to convince you to share valuable information with them, such as your Social Security Number, address or credit card information. This is called phishing.
If you receive a message from an unknown sender, do not respond or click on any links or attachments. Instead, either ignore the message or delete it.

Share with care: There is such a thing as oversharing, and it definitely applies to online profiles. On social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, online hackers can easily gather information about you from what you post – like where you live.
Ensure that your privacy settings are up to date so that only people who follow you or are your Facebook friend can see your posts.
Verify websites: Before you shop or access your bank online, double check the validity of the website you’re using. A good rule of thumb is to check the beginning of the web address and look for an ‘s’ at the end of https: at the start of the address. The ‘s’ stands for secure, and if you don’t see it in the web address that you’re on, you should not trust that website with your passwords, payment or banking information.
Have some back-up: Practicing safe habits will protect you and your information, but you don’t have to rely on just yourself to stay safe. Anti-virus software works in the background to protect your computer from a variety of malware and helps to make it easier for you to avoid threats while surfing the web.
For more information on how to safeguard your personal technology devices, Cox Communications offers a variety of tips and solutions at Cox.com – search “security.”

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.

OKC Zoo’s giraffe matriarch, Ellie, welcomes a male calf, her sixth offspring to be born at the Zoo.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is thrilled to announce the arrival of an endangered giraffe calf, born to 20-year-old, Ellie. Ellie’s sixth offspring to be born at the Zoo, a male, was born on Thursday, June 3, 2021, at 12:01 p.m. at the Zoo’s giraffe habitat barn. The calf, who is yet to be named, is the first to be fathered by four-year-old, Demetri. The Zoo’s youngest giraffe is healthy and strong, and weighs approximately 157 lbs. and stands six-foot one. He will continue to spend time bonding with his mother and herd mates behind the scenes. Ellie’s daughter, Julu, 5, is also pregnant and expected to deliver her first calf soon. It’s been neck and neck between this mother-daughter giraffe duo to see who would give birth first, and Ellie delivered! To view the giraffe birth, click here.
“Witnessing Ellie and Julu experience pregnancy together has been the greatest joy and we’re thrilled to watch our herd grow with the addition of this little calf,” said OKC Zoo’s Curator of Hoofstock and Primates, Tracey Dolphin-Drees. “This birth is critical for the conservation of this endangered species and a true testament to the importance of the Zoo’s involvement in collaborative breeding efforts.”
Ellie arrived at the Zoo in 2008 from the Birmingham Zoo, in Birmingham, Alabama. The calf’s father, Demetri, arrived from the Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, Texas, in 2018, as part of a breeding recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Giraffe Species Survival PlanTM (SSP). SSPs are cooperative, long-term management programs designed to maintain genetically viable and geographically stable populations of specific species. The Zoo is also home to two-year-old female, Mashamba.
The gestation period for giraffes is approximately 15 months. The average weight for a newborn giraffe is about 150 pounds. Newborns stand within an hour of birth at a height of around six-feet tall. According to giraffe caretakers, Ellie’s water broke around 10:40 a.m. and she was in active labor until the calf’s birth at 12:01 p.m. By 1:13 p.m. the calf was standing and attempting to nurse.
Native to East and South Africa, giraffes are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. There are approximately 111,000 giraffes remaining in the wild, an almost 40% decline since the 1980s. This population decline is caused by illegal poaching and habitat destruction. The Zoo has contributed to giraffe conservation for decades by supporting the Northern Rangelands Trust and the Giraffe Conservation Fund, as well as becoming a member of AZA’s Giraffe Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) partner organization in 2018.
Weather depending, Ellie and her calf will have access to the giraffe habitat yard over the weekend. The Zoo’s giraffe feeding experience will be tentative for the time being. Follow the Zoo’s social channels for updates about our growing giraffe family.
Love these gentle giants as much as we do? Save the Date for the Zoo’s World Giraffe Day celebration on Monday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. presented locally by Bob Moore Subaru. Guests will enjoy information stations, biofacts, activities, photo opportunities and more.
The Oklahoma City Zoo is currently in its summer hours and open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Purchase advance tickets at www.okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District and an Adventure Road partner. Regular admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Zoo fans can support the OKC Zoo by becoming a ZOOfriends member. Starting at $45, memberships can be purchased at ZOOfriends.org and provide access to the OKC Zoo for an entire year plus, additional benefits and discounts. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.

Creighton Gilbert (1924-2011), a scholar and connoisseur of Italian Renaissance art donated his extensive collection to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in 2011. Opening Thursday, June 24, A Life in Looking: The Creighton Gilbert Collection explores the thematic elements that make up this exceptional collection.
This exhibition is also important for the university, as two art history professors from the OU School of Visual Arts, Allison Palmer and Erin Duncan-O’Neill, served as curators. “This exhibition showcases some of the most exquisite pieces from an important gift to the museum, artworks that were carefully collected over Dr. Gilbert’s long and storied art historical career,” said O’Neill. “It was an exciting project, leading us to new discoveries from X-radiographs in conservation reports and treasures unboxed from storage.”
The show is organized into five themes: religion, architecture, allegory, portraiture and humor. Gilbert took particular delight in discovering works by major artists, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Albrecht Durer, to name a few, hidden away in print shops. In 2005, then museum director Eric Lee, a former student of Gilbert’s, encouraged his mentor to leave his private collection to the museum. The bequest, totaling 272 objects, spans the 14th to 20th centuries with an emphasis on Old Master prints and drawings from the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods. “While Dr. Gilbert
was a specialist in the Italian Renaissance, his collection encompasses a wide range of European artworks from the 1400s-1900s, and he seemed to delight in researching issues of attribution and dating,” said Palmer
An academic prodigy, Gilbert entered college at age 14, became a professor at 21 and eventually completed a doctorate from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1955. He was also one of the foremost authorities on Michelangelo. He authored numerous books and articles on Caravaggio, realism in Renaissance art and the Northern Baroque, as well as two seminal works: Michelangelo: On and Off the Sistine Ceiling (1994) and Caravaggio and His Two Cardinals (1995).
“Gilbert curated many exhibitions at museums and universities, developing a breadth of interests on clear display in his collection,” said O’Neill. “From illuminated parchment to sketches made on a cabaret table, we see discoveries made by a passionate and well-trained eye in a range of subjects and time periods.”
A Life in Looking: The Creighton Gilbert Collection is on display June 24 through Dec. 31.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors. Information and accessibility accommodations are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting www.ou.edu/fjjma.

by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Yvonne Roeeiger is full of smiles knowing she made the right decision 18 months ago when choosing to live at The Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge She’s made several friends at the living center and said it’s a friendly place to be, she said.
“All the nurses and the staff are sweet and nice, and the people that are around are really good people and they treat them all the same,” Roeeiger said. “I have a fiancé here. He lives here.”
Almost every day Roeeiger can be seen going into the lush and green atrium that greets residents and visitors near the entrance of the center.
“It has turtles in it,” Roeeiger continued.
The Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge was inspired by Christian principals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on its campus in Harrah, said Felicia Jones, RN staffing coordinator.
Families can be confident that Wolfe Living Center has every service available that is expected from a skilled nursing and rehab center. The quaint setting is tucked in a wooded landscape surrounding the community with an independent living center. Many of the residents know each other from the past and remain attendees of the church.
Roeeiger was the first resident that Jones met when coming to work at the center.
“We bonded right away,” Jones said.
The Wolfe Living Center is very intimate and the best kept secret in long-term and rehab care, she said.
“It’s the atmosphere. It’s very pleasant and you can feel the Holy Spirit here because it’s very Christian oriented and I loved it from the moment I walked in,” Jones said.
She has had a number of roles as a nurse and before the pandemic brought her out of retirement to workout Wolfe Living Center. Jones is a former director of nurses at Belfair Memory Care, located in Shawnee. She began her nursing career 22 years ago at then-Oklahoma Christian home in Edmond.
“Everywhere I work I took a bit of skills with me and it grows,” she said.
Infection control nurse Adella Owen, RN, had never considered working in a nursing home, but when Wolfe Living Center opened, she was attracted to the family-like setting. Employees go over-and-beyond to make residents know they are being taken care of. It warms Owen’s heart that the residents recognize everyone on staff. Residents see how the nursing staff bonds in a joyful team effort to offer exceptional nursing care, she said.
“There’s nothing perfect, but this place is doing the best they can do to let these people know this is their home because they miss their home,” Owen said.
The women’s group of the church help by making cards for the residents and treat the staff like they are part of the church.
Administrator Valarie Smith-Hubbartt tries to make all in-services special, said Jones, adding that everyone there loves Hubbartt.
“We have devotions in our meetings every morning,” Jones said. “We discuss business, and she reads a devotional — we pray. That is so neat to have that.”
A major factor for the success of Wolfe Living Center is it’s in a rural setting with a mom-and-pop character for the home, Hubbartt explained.
The leadership and members of the church have bought into the community as reflected in Wolfe Living Center. The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s expectation is having a nursing home sharing their values, Hubbartt said.
“Not necessarily their same beliefs, but their same values,” she explained. “So, we try to bring residents in that have those same values, too, who want to be in a small, Christian, rural community.”
The facility was originally designed with the intent of having enough independent living to fill the building.
Twenty-five years ago, Wolfe Creek Living Center became Medicaid and Medicare certified and expanded into rehab care as part of its long-term skilled nursing practices.
“There’s more of a purpose here that just having a job. We are here to serve our residents,” Hubbartt said. “And we want them to have the most dignified life they can have at this time because this is their final home except the ones that are going to go home for rehab. For long-term care this is going to be their final home until they go to heaven.”
Hubbartt said the staff feels a sense of a bigger purpose by working in a Christian facility while having a personal connection with the Lord.
For more information visit: https://www.wolfelivingcenter.com/ or call (405) 454-1400.

As little as 130 calories per day could make a significant impact on your cardiovascular health.
That’s approximately how many calories are in about 2.5 cups of strawberries. And it’s the amount a new study led by Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D., found is needed to lessen our risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
“This is the ideal health finding,” said Scofield, a physician and medical researcher in OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. “Strawberries don’t require a prescription, and they’re available year-round.”
Previous work in Scofield’s lab showed that strawberries could have a positive impact on health. But in the new study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers were surprised to find that such a reasonable amount of the berries could make a difference.
Scofield found that in people with obesity, the daily consumption of 32 grams of freeze-dried strawberry powder mixed with water (the equivalent of about 14 oz. of fresh strawberries) lowered participants’ blood glucose, improved good lipids and reduced LDL cholesterol, all factors for heart attack and stroke. Study participants also showed improved insulin resistance, an underlying cause of Type 2 diabetes.
But like the omega-3 fatty acids in fish, the researchers found the natural compounds in strawberries to be most beneficial when consumed as part of a whole.
“We know that eating fish has more health benefits than taking fish oil pills. This appears to be the same for strawberries,” said Scofield, noting that freeze-dried, powdered berries retain the nutrients of fresh berries. “We aren’t certain why, but it supports the idea that eating real, whole foods is important.”
Scofield’s lab has previously shown that strawberries are an effective anti-inflammatory measure to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis, the leading cause of disability and joint replacements in adults in the U.S.
“The idea that strawberries have anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy compounds is not new, but applying the benefits directly to specific diseases is,” said Scofield. “The bottom line is to eat well. We’re supposed to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day. This is just one more indicator that the benefits of that are real.”
Scientists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas contributed to the work. The research was supported by National Institutes of Health grant Nos. U54GM104938 and 5P20GM109025 and institutional funds from OUHSC and UNLV.

* Focus, Rehabilitation and Tribal Facilities numbers are not assigned to a specific region as their patient populations reside across the state. Information provided through survey of Oklahoma hospitals as reported to HHS as of the time of this report. Response rate affects data. Facilities may update previously reported information as necessary. Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health. *As of 2021-06-24 at 7:00 a.m

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

For Oklahoma senior bicycle riders who became serious riders during COVID-19 the 40th Anniversary Hotter’N Hell 100 (HHH) the weekend of August 26-29 in Wichita Falls, Texas can be a post COVID celebration.
As the largest century ride in the nation, for the retirement privileged crowd the event can be likened to the crowded spectacle of Woodstock in the 1960s. Participants select from several distances to ride in the August heat at one of best supported bicycle rides attended by more than 10,000 riders. It has seen 14,000 some years.
The event is so big no article can describe everything on offer for attendees to do and see. There are more than 100 committee members who put on the event. It features more than one thousand volunteers during the weekend. The HHH website offers a 51-page downloadable Ride Guide at https://tinyurl.com/z7633umv
Besides being the best attended, it is the safest, best supported and most robust century ride including the largest bicycle consumer show available every year. The booths feature new bicycle innovations and major manufacturers starting Friday, running through Saturday.
“If you have time, it’s fun to explore the area. You can ride to Lake Wichita on trails or explore Lucy Park,” said Dixie Duff, a retired OKC nurse who has ridden HHH nine times. “The HHH is not a time to try new food or drink, especially if you are doing it the first time, but they do a great job of offering many choices.”
Duff also said to not let the 100 miles in the event name scare riders off. The ride offers lesser mile courses with huge rest stops with medical support and Support and Gear (SAG) support throughout the courses. Info is available at Hotter’N Hell (hh100.org).
All this just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from OKC. The distance is 140 miles using I 44 through Lawton.
Beginning Saturday at 7 a.m., cyclists of all ages are welcome to ride the classic HHH endurance ride with 10K, 25-mile distances for younger cyclists, 50 mile, 100K, 75 mile and the namesake100-mile route. Adjacent to the HHH ride finish the organizers stage USA Cycling criterium races Saturday and Sunday.
While more than 10,000 cyclists descend on Wichita Falls the event offers tent camping close in where thousands of people camp out in tents the night before. Shower facilities opening Friday night for the campers are open 24 hours till after the event so riders can shower near the start/finish area before they begin their trip home.
Bicycle clubs from surrounding states often rent buses and stay as far away as Lawton, Okla. or closer-in cities, filling up those accommodations. They get up early Saturday to take their bus into Wichita Falls to stage for the start.
One thing does live up to its name being in Texas in August—so most of the riders shy away from the 100-mile course. Cycling skills, training, and resolve will be tested. This is not an ordinary ride. Fuel for cycling is available at a huge spaghetti dinner and a pre-ride breakfast buffet.
The start for the ride is staged by those riding the longest distances at the front. For some people, the start itself is a party where they meet with friends beginning at 4 a.m. They are soon joined by 10,000+ other riders who have trained to complete their chosen distances.
For those people who are riding the middle distances the start is just as exciting. Again its anticipation is the specialness of having attended the Woodstock music festival.
All that pent up human energy is unleashed after the National Anthem, U.S. Air Force Fly Over and cannon blast. Many say to experience the excitement of a start of a major organized ride, the best place to see it is at the HHH.
Seniors new to the sport will want to attend the 2021 HHH Science of Cycling Symposium: From Lab to the Road featuring tips for cyclists riding the HHH. Area experts will present 30-to-45-minute presentations designed to be easy to understand. The free Symposium runs from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Friday in the MPEC amphitheater. No registration is required. A question-and-answer period will follow each talk.
The great routes; friendly, well-supplied rest stops; a staff of nearly 1,000 dedicated professional medical support; and a fleet of SAG wagons awaits. HHH provides riders with every chance to achieve their goals in the brutal North Texas heat and wind—while having a safe and memorable experience accomplishing them.
No matter how far seniors ride it is about the camaraderie of riding along with thousands of other bicyclists who are enjoying a lifelong sport providing a wonderful health benefit without the overuse injuries of many of the other endurance sports.

Story by Darl Devault, Contributing Editor

Although this is July, seniors trying to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions need to book now if they plan to use the two free entry days in our National Parks in August.
The National Park System is one option for outdoor experiences but booking early is critical because pent-up demand is creating a scarcity at premium destinations. Some parks accommodations may already be full.
One example is the lodges at Glacier National Park in Montana often must be booked a year in advance but there can sometimes be accommodations available outside the park.
Ranked fifteenth in size of all our parks and as close as the state next door, Big Bend National Park in far southwest Texas offers 801,163 acres of many things to do.
“I believe the best time of year to visit Big Bend is in the winter to avoid the heat, but it can be very warm even in winter and not too cold for camping under the stars. The spring and the two free dates in the fall are other options, but it can also be crowded then,” said Rob Walker, 66, retired Edmond kayaking and Jeeping enthusiast. “Some people will see free entry as tipping the scale toward going even in August. You should prepare for the heat for long hikes in the day.”
On two days in August, all National Park Service sites charging an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Seniors without the Lifetime Senior pass need to be mindful of these entrance fee–free dates: August 4th, the one-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act and August 25th, the National Park Service’s birthday.
“Remember Big Bend is a desert park with summer temps over most of the park reaching 100 degrees by late morning,” Walker said. “The heat is at dangerous levels until after sunset. Hikers should stay off the trails in the afternoon, while carrying and drinking plenty of water any time they hike any distance.”
Tourists might want to join the group of people sitting on a bench watching Old Faithful erupt in the cooler climate of Yellowstone National Park, located primarily in Wyoming.
For two days in August entry to the park is free, but the place will be packed. Tourists might want to scale back their demand to make a decisive quality of life recovery from pandemic restrictions this August closer to home.
A ten-hour car trip from Oklahoma City, Big Bend is too big to see in a day. A one-day trip inside the huge park mostly in an air-conditioned car might include a trip down the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and a visit to the Chisos Basin.
The scenic drive gives visitors ample views of the Chihuahuan Desert landscape and leads the banks of the Rio Grande River. There are scenic overlooks and exhibits along the way for the history buffs. The drive offers short walks to Sam Nail Ranch, Homer Wilson Ranch and a visit to the Castolon Historic District which affords a glimpse into the area’s past.
At the end of the road is a highlight of the trip—a short walk into Santa Elena Canyon—one of Big Bend’s most scenic spots. It is an easy 1.4-mile round-trip hike.
Visitors may also visit the forested Chisos Mountains and walk the 0.3-mile Window View Trail to get a feel for the mountain scenery. If time allows, consider hiking the Window Trail or Lost Mine Trail for a closer look at Big Bend’s mountain landscapes.
The Chisos Mountain Lodge is operating at reduced capacity, while the Panther Junction Gas Station and Basin Store are open daily. The Mountain View Restaurant inside the lodge offers lunch. Guests there must be registered in the park, and it is probably already full. They are currently providing sack lunches to go or deliveries to registered guest.
The award-winning Fossil Discovery Exhibit eight miles north of Panther Junction is another park highlight visitors often fit into a one-day visit. If grandkids are along, they will enjoy it.
Abandoned since the 1940s, the Mariscal Mine is isolated by its remote location in the middle of the park. It takes much longer to drive the rough road in a normal car. It is the best-preserved mercury mining site in Texas. The area is a listed historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. Best to avoid it if the day is windy and dusty, as it is a mercury contaminated site.
Black Gap Road is one of only two Jeep Badge of Honor Trails in Texas. The most remote un-maintained road in the park, Black Gap provides visitors scenic views of the Chisos Mountain Range as well as wide-open vistas of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Two more days in 2021 offer the same no-fee privilege, September 25, National Public Lands Day and November 11, Veterans Day.
After more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions and limited travel, surging attendance figures across US national parks show Americans are eager to get back on the road and explore.
Often described as America’s best idea, there are 432 National Park System parks available to everyone, every day. The fee-free days offer a great opportunity to visit a new place or an old favorite. This is especially true if it is one of the national parks that normally charge an entrance fee. There are only 10 national parks that charge no entry fees year round. The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover amenity or user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
The surge to get outdoors after COVID-19 is why this article runs in July, as many seniors need to get busy planning if they are going to take advance of the August free days but do not be surprised if the parks have no available accommodations in the park and those outside the park may be filling fast.

Yellowstone hosted 483,159 recreation visits this May, an 11 percent increase from pre-COVID 19 May 2019 (434,385 recreation visits). This makes this May the park’s most visited May on record, according to a park news release. With the spreading of some of the new variants it is best to continue taking precautions.

The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) is seeking performers and vendors for its upcoming Folklife Festival to be held October 16, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This community-wide event will celebrate and recognize what the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has called “the everyday and intimate creativity that all of us share and pass on to the next generation.” The “creativity” mentioned will come in the form of dancing, singing, crafts, food and much more. The Folklife Festival will be open to the public and held predominantly outdoors at the OHC, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
Already scheduled to participate are: Oklahoma Farm Bureau; Angels Modeling and Dance Studio; Eterna Primavera Folklore Guatemalteco; Southwest Dairy; “Traditional Music of the Open Prairie” with Wayne Cantwell; 3J Farms; 145th Army Band; and Thick Descriptions. Also, the Oklahoma Pork Council will be giving away a new roaster/smoker.
If you are interested in participating in the OHC’s Folklife Festival as a performance act or vendor, please complete the application form found at www.okhistory.org/historycenter/folklifesignup.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

Mary Ann Pawless, like millions of Americans, wonders how Katie Thurston’s journey will end this season on “The Bachelorette.”
The dating show is one of several shows the Lawton woman looks forward to watching each week, but that hobby was at risk because of her struggles with macular degeneration, a common eye disorder among people over age 50 that causes blurred or reduced central vision.
Pawless sought help with her vision issues from the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services’ Older Blind Independent Living Program. The staff teach independent living skills, adaptive aids and alternate techniques. Areas of support include help with reading tasks, time telling, name signing, orientation and mobility for clients in their home and community. Clients are also taught money identification and management, recreation and leisure activities and multiple independent living skills.
Pawless demonstrated how she uses a handheld magnifier with a light to read an adjustable magnifying glasses that enable her to watch her favorite TV shows including the ABC reality series. Each week she follows along as the men wait to see who will not receive the final rose and are sent home.
“For a while there it was, poor me,” Pawless said. “I didn’t have the desire to try to do too much. I just kind of scooted around, but now it’s kind of like a whole new world they’ve opened up for me. I used to get kind of depressed, but that’s very rare now because I stay busy at home and doing the yard.”
DRS also helped in other areas of her life. Pawless has black tabs on her stove and microwave that help her identify numbers and has a pair of elbow length oven mitts to prevent accidentally burning her arm while using the oven. She also listens to audiobooks from the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, a program associated with Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired that provides audio books and audio equipment.
The Oklahoma Older Blind Independent Program provides one-on-one teaching for Oklahomans ages 55 and older who are struggling with vision loss and blindness. A large percentage of the staff are blind or have low vision and are located in offices throughout the state to help individuals regain their independence in a safe and efficient way at no cost to the client.
Pawless’ rehabilitation teacher Pam Holloway is also blind. Holloway helped Pawless to be creative around her house, such as using a rubber band to identify her shampoo and conditioner. Pawless’ orientation and mobility specialist Liz Scheffe taught her how to navigate outside and use her white cane. With her newfound independence, Pawless is now able to live life to the fullest again and has recovered from the depression that came with losing most of her vision.
Pawless, her husband and dog, Biscuit, live in a cabin with a beautiful garden across from Mount Scott. Her hobbies include listening to audiobooks, cooking and working in her garden. She enjoys spending time with her grandson and neighbors.
“The Older Blind program means that our staff can give something to older blind individuals that they might not get anywhere else, and that is their independence to perform tasks for themselves,” Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired Field Services Coordinator Teresa McDermott said. “There is nothing more joyous than to hear a client say they never thought they would be able to read a piece of mail or a medicine label again, or cook a meal on the stove, but they can now, as a result of services from our staff.”
For more information about DRS services, call 800-845-8476 during business hours to be transferred to the nearest office or visit:
https://oklahoma.gov/okdrs/independence/blind/older-blind.html.
The Older Blind Independent Living Program is part of the Service for the Blind and Visually impaired division of DRS, a state agency that assists Oklahomans with disabilities through vocational rehabilitation, education, employment, independent living programs and the determination of medical eligibility for disability benefits. Last year, DRS served more than 76,000 Oklahomans.