by Bryan Painter

Jill DeRusha wears her hands-on love for agriculture with pride.
Before the sun has snuck a peek at the new day in southwestern Oklahoma, the 60-year-old who lives northwest of Mangum in the Jester/Willow Community, is out at the barn feeding. Depending on the day, she’s checking to see if heifers are calving. She’s checking water on the places with no ponds. She’s running after parts for the machinery. She’s making sure everyone has lunch and that the paperwork is filled out for the Farm Service Agency office. She’s checking on markets for cattle and crops, and selling crops “when appropriate.” She’s feeding hay to cattle and, when time permits, she’s mowing the yard.
So by the end of the day, DeRusha is always wearing her love for ag not only in her heart, but on her button down shirt and blue jeans.
“On any given day, I can have manure, hay, dirt and grease on me somewhere,” DeRusha said.
Paying attention
She and husband Randy raise cattle, cotton, wheat, alfalfa and some milo. They’ve had roughly 2,000 acres of cotton in recent years. They also have 350 mama cows. They own some acres and lease the rest.
DeRusha said, “We have a sign that says, ‘Jill Ranches, DeRusha Farms.’ That sums up our roles around the place. I can operate most of the machinery, but Randy is who keeps it running and in good shape. I take care of the cattle and he helps with them when needed.”
When DeRusha says she checks on her cattle, that doesn’t mean she’s simply counting them. She knows her mama cows – and the reason for that dates back more than 50 years.
“My granddad would take me everywhere with him,” she said. “He taught me to tell one cow from another. He would say, ‘Just look at their faces or look at them closely. That’s ole curly face, that’s short tail.’ To this day, I don’t tell my 350 mama cows by an ear tag. They all look different or have different personalities.”
DeRusha firmly believes agriculture has shaped her entire life.
“I think the way of life on the farm or ranch teaches a person to deal with everyday living in a positive way,” said DeRusha who’s quick to point out that their ag operation is four generations deep. “One learns there are many different paths to reach a goal or complete a task.”
The well-known drought in the 1950s ended the year Jill DeRusha was born, 1957. However, Jill and Randy found themselves right in the middle of the historic drought that sank its teeth into Oklahoma less than a decade ago.
“One of worst times we have faced was the drought of 2010-2011,” she said. “We had to decide whether or not to hold on to our cattle. We kept all but the 50 head and sold those. We fed hay. We hauled water. Every other day, I hauled a little over 3,000 gallons of water. It paid off, because when it rained and the grass came back we didn’t have to buy all the cattle back that we needed.”
It was a lesson of life, of carrying on, to pass along to family, regardless of their professions. Between them, they have five children. Her daughter Jaclyn and son-in-law Trey Christensen live in Oklahoma City, daughter Kelsey and son-in-law Kelby Merz live in Elk City, and son Kolby Miller and daughter-in-law McKenzie live in Oklahoma City. TaShina DeRusha lives in Somerville, Tenn., and Jared DeRusha lives in Dallas.
Jill and Randy have six grandchildren.
“I’m thrilled that the fifth generation loves coming to visit us at the farm,” DeRusha said. “I am so proud of our family.”
Always a part of her life
DeRusha’s parents, Jimmy and the late Joyce (Wheeler) Heatly, were partners in the family farming and ranching operation which included a cow-calf operation, cotton, wheat and hay.
The first tractor DeRusha drove was a Massey Ferguson 65. She was in second grade.
“I could jump across the width of the plow, so you didn’t seem to get much accomplished in a day’s time,” she said. “I loved the cattle part of the family business the most and my brother Jack would rather be on some piece of machinery, so it worked well. We learned teamwork was always the best way to get things done and that hard work usually pays off.”
Through 4-H and FFA their family traveled near and far showing cattle.
“It taught us more about hard work and responsibility for our animals, as well as sportsmanship and competition,” DeRusha said. “Through 4-H I grew to love Oklahoma State University. While there I was the Agriculture Queen, and even won the wild cow milking contest.”
She finished in the top 10 in the “Ag college.” That college experience only deepened her love for agriculture and she went on to work in the OSU Extension Service at the county level as an Ag Agent. She was a pacesetter in that regard.
She uses that knowledge and experience daily in their ag operation.
Knowing a little about a lot
Paul Harvey’s “So God Made a Farmer” includes a heartfelt description of just some of what is required of a farmer and rancher.
“I love Paul Harvey’s poem, ‘So God Made a Farmer,’ and it is on our wall,” DeRusha said.
Why does she love it? Because she believes that in agriculture you not only have to be determined, you have to be flexible.
“I think farmers and ranchers wear many different hats and I have worn a lot of them,” she said. “I love the spring or fall when the weather is cool. We calve both spring and fall and I love seeing the calves running around their mothers. I love the smell of fresh cut alfalfa hay and the sound of rain on the roof is music to my ears.”
So whether it’s mud, manure or grease that she has on her shirt and jeans at the end of the day, DeRusha will be found wearing every bit of it with pride.

Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City is expanding neurology services with the creation of the Herman Meinders Center for Movement Disorders at Mercy NeuroScience Institute (NSI), adding an expert physician and cutting-edge new treatment.
Dr. Cherian Karunapuzha, a neurologist specially trained in treating movement disorders, has joined Mercy NeuroScience Institute. A movement disorder is a neurological disease that impairs a person’s ability to move naturally. The most common types include Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor and dystonia.
“At Mercy, we have developed a comprehensive multidisciplinary program which serves as a one-stop shop for care for all aspects of movement disorders,” Dr. Karunapuzha said. “This first of a kind center for Oklahoma will provide patients and referring physicians access to advanced care without having to travel out of state.”
As part of the comprehensive approach to care, Mercy will now offer deep brain stimulation (DBS) for patients living with movement disorders. Dr. Eric Friedman, an experienced neurosurgeon, will perform the new procedure at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City.
Deep brain stimulation involves implanting electrodes in the brain to help regulate abnormal body movements using electrical impulses.
“DBS essentially acts like a pacemaker for the brain,” said Dr. Richard Vertrees Smith, medical director of Mercy NeuroScience Institute. “Movement disorders may progress very slowly, often over decades, and some patients reach a point where medications no longer work. We are proud to be able to offer this exciting new technology that can dramatically improve the quality of life of our patients.”
The creation of the new comprehensive movement disorder clinic was made possible through a $1.7 million donation from local philanthropist Herman Meinders.
In 1970, Meinders founded American Floral Services Inc. (AFS), an international flowers-by-wire service based in Oklahoma City. AFS grew to be ranked as one of the largest floral wire services in the world. Meinders sold AFS in 1994, and it merged with Teleflora in 2000. He remains chairman emeritus of Teleflora.
Herman and his wife were longtime supporters of Parkinson’s research and treatment before he was diagnosed in 2014.
“When I became a patient of Dr. Karunapuzha, I realized what a great doctor he is and when I learned he was considering joining Mercy, I wanted to do whatever I could to make that happen,” said Meinders. “The fact my donation provided the funding necessary to create a comprehensive center for movement disorders and also allowed Mercy to add the best Parkinson’s doctor in Oklahoma to its outstanding staff made this an easy decision for me.”
At the Herman Meinders Center for Movement Disorders, patients will also have access to the most up-to-date imaging services, group exercise classes and a specially trained team of nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists.
“We couldn’t be more grateful for Herman Meinders and his extreme generosity,” said Jim Gebhart, president of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City and regional strategy officer. “This donation will have a profound impact on our patients and families for years to come.”
Dr. Karunapuzha will begin seeing patients May 21 at Mercy NeuroScience Institute Suite 218. To schedule an appointment, please call the movement disorder center at 405-302-2661 or the administrative office at 405-749-7000.

Sagora Senior Living proudly announces that two of its associates working in Tulsa, Okla., have been named 2018 “Caregiver of the Year” by the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association (OKALA). Bellarose Maintenance Director Joe Canaan was named Maintenance Caregiver of the Year and Aberdeen Heights Certified Nursing Assistant Brenda Cox was named Direct Care Caregiver of the Year.
OKALA, which is dedicated to excellence in care for Assisted Living residents, conducted a state-wide search to recognize associates that have positive & inspiring attitudes and go above and beyond to improve quality of life for their residents.
Canaan has provided excellent service at Bellarose for more than two years. “Joe goes out of his comfort zone to help residents and families to ensure we are well taken care of, wherever and whenever he is needed,” one Bellarose resident noted. “With his great personality, Joe is a go-to person for just about anything I need in my apartment,” wrote another.
Cox has delivered exceptional care to residents and families for more than eight years at Aberdeen Heights Assisted Living. “Brenda is reliable, dependable, patient and Johnny-on-the-spot—she isn’t pushy, and she doesn’t rush me,” wrote one Aberdeen Heights resident that nominated Cox. “She stands out! Brenda jokes with me and goes out of her way to care for me,” wrote another.
“We are extremely proud of our associates for receiving these prestigious accolades,” said Sagora Senior Living President Bryan McCaleb. “Brenda and Joe emulate the Sagora philosophy of ‘resident first’ every day, and we are so glad their hard work and dedication is being recognized in the senior living industry.”
Bellarose Senior Living offers a true continuum of care through independent living, assisted living and memory care in a dynamic environment where residents receive the appropriate level of compassionate care specific to their needs. Located at 18001 East 51st Street, the pet-friendly community has 135 comfortable apartments.
Aberdeen Heights Assisted Living at 7220 South Yale Avenue, boasts 80 apartments in a caring, pet friendly environment that offers privacy and independence with the benefit of 24-hour support and access to care.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com

Sometimes you just have to grab an important birthday denotation by the horns and plan a celebration yourself. Sound egotistical? Not really. When a landmark birthday approaches, particularly ending in a year with a zero, you reflect on your life, you discover your longtime friends and family were the joys along the way. To insure your landmark in the highway of life is not neglected you can organize your own celebration for not just for your life, but for the people along the way that have shared it with you and supported you through the decades.
This is what I did six months ago as I was surprised that a multiple decade birthday would be here next June. I started making a hand-written list of the people that I thought might like to attend and could attend taking in to consideration that some are almost a continent away, and some may not be in good enough health for an extended event. Then I thought to myself what I would like to do in a long weekend of events that I would enjoy, and as importantly could afford?
I came up with a Friday night come and go cocktail party in my garden and home, a Saturday brunch, and Saturday evening entertainment and a Sunday morning brunch, knowing some guests might need to catch a plane or get back home early.
I tempered this idea with my meager budget and decided to let the guests pay their own way at dinner events. This ala cart method is not unheard of and gives the guest the opportunity to choose the food they would most enjoy, what their budget allowed, and in a way was their gift to me. I included this information in a multiple page hard copy invitation, four to six weeks before the weekend, to enable them to “save the date” and to reply with their intention, the names of their guests and what events they would be attending, in a deadline announced RSVP SASE reply sheet.
In this day of email, I was afraid that many would not use the hard copy reply sheet to let me know their intentions, but ninety percent did just that. This gave me a written page account I could tally and record. I even asked their adult beverage preference so I could have it on hand for the garden cocktail party.
The Friday night garden party would take the most planning and preparations but was happy to share the enjoyment of my garden and my collectible cluttered house with those congenial friends I had not seen in years. I would serve all in crystal glass ware.. No red solo cups – this was not a college style bacchanal. As the weather predicted record breaking temps for my 7 pm event I purchased a number of fans for air circulation[T1] [T2] in the house and out on the deck. These seemed to do the trick, as I was the only one affected by the heat. Months before I had also purchase a mosquito killing machine that cut down on those pesky party poopers. To insure the safety of my evening guests in my “transitional neighborhood” I hired an off-duty policeman to patrol the parking lot. After all one must foresee what might mar the guest’s party remembrance. No drinks without food, so I offered a homemade spinach and avocado hot dip, a favorite spice cake, strawberries and grapes, a variety of cheeses and dips along with a tray of vegies and good ole Southern pimento cheese spread.
For my Celebratory Saturday Bruch I chose Oklahoma City’s newest contemporary hotel, 21c Hotel, (https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/oklahomacity/) as well as for my host hotel for out of town visitors. The event managers are a joy to work with especially when you have special requests for a memory video screen, music, table arrangements, and preparation for my gift bags and table top party favors of an original small canvas abstract painting I did. Free valet parking for my guests was a boon and with an ideal installment plan to reserve the private dining room, all was ideal. The gathering was greeted with a fluted orange juice or bubbly which was offered next to the 21c hotels’ static penguin mascots.
For the evening entertainment I chose the Remington Park Casino and Race Track (https://www.remingtonpark.com/dining/silks-restaurant/) for their end of season running of the quarter horse races. By reserving 6 weeks in advance I was able to secure tables at the finish line in the glass enclosed Silks restaurant with their large delicious entrees, one would not expect at a race track. By following the advice of the jumbo screen MC I placed a 2 dollar bet and won to the amount of $14. I quit while ahead.
The casual yet elegant Sunday brunch was at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art Cafe, (https://www.opentable.com/museum-cafe?page=1) which always delivers the best of food and beverages. The upscale atmosphere was under samplings of the Dale Chihuly art glass, which is exhibited in more quantity in the museum permanent collection. It’s always a joy to tour the Museum, as I and some of my guests experienced.
You may not be able to host in your house, but perhaps a community center or condo common place can be reserved for an evening cocktail party. Also you need not wait for a decade birthday, as the Holidays are approaching, or just a celebration gathering of your long time friends, showing them and they showing you their love.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zin

It would be 65 degrees and we’d be traveling.

David Duke

It would be a perfect day and I’d be working outside planting flowers and gardening.

Mindy Duke

Running or working in the garden.

Greta Pigg

Out on the golf course with it 75 or 80 degrees.

Keith Pigg

Dear Savvy Senior, What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s disease and dementia? My aunt has dementia, but they don’t know if she has Alzheimer’s disease, which is very confusing to me.   Trying To Understand

Dear Trying,
Many people use the words “Alzheimer’s disease” and “dementia” interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. In fact, you can have a form of dementia that is completely unrelated to Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s what you should know.
Dementia versus Alzheimer’s
Dementia is a general term for a set of symptoms that includes memory loss, impaired communication skills, a decline in reasoning and changes in behavior. It most commonly strikes elderly people and used to be referred to as senility.
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific illness that is the most common cause of dementia. Though many diseases can cause dementia, Alzheimer’s – which affects 5.7 million Americans today – accounts for 60 percent to 80 percent of dementia cases, which is why you often hear the terms used interchangeably.
But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia like vascular dementia, which is the second most common cause, accounting for about 10 percent of dementia cases. Vascular dementia is caused by a stroke or poor blood flow to the brain.
Other degenerative disorders that can cause dementia include Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), Huntington’s disease and Korsakoff Syndrome. Some patients may also have more than one form of dementia known as mixed dementia.
Dementia is caused by damage to brain cells, but the symptoms can vary depending on the cause. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, protein fragments or plaques that accumulate in the space between nerve cells and twisted tangles of another protein that build up inside cells cause the damage.
In Alzheimer’s disease, dementia gets progressively worse to the point where patients cannot carry out daily activities and cannot speak, respond to their environment, swallow or walk. Although some treatments may temporarily ease symptoms, the downward progression of disease continues and it is not curable.
But some forms of dementia are reversible, which is why it’s important to be evaluated by a physician early on. Vitamin deficiencies, thyroid problems, brain tumors, depression, excessive alcohol use, medication side effects and certain infectious diseases can cause reversible forms of dementia.
Another treatable form of dementia is a condition known as normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is caused by a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain that can be relieved by surgically implanting a shunt to drain off excess fluid. This type of dementia is often preceded or accompanied by difficulty walking and incontinence.
To learn more about the different types of dementia, including the symptoms, risks, causes and treatments visit the Alzheimer’s Association at ALZ.org/dementia.

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.

It is summer and Oklahoma families are spending more time at lakes and state parks. With that, the possibility of contact with one of Oklahoma’s many venomous snakes becomes a reality. A new local exhibit offers the opportunity to see these creatures up close and personal in a safe setting to help identify them in the wild.
OKC Rattlesnake Museum will open daily beginning July 5th at 1501 S. Agnew, in Oklahoma City’s Stockyards District. The museum includes 26 exhibits featuring all of the rattlesnakes native to Oklahoma, as well as Oklahoma’s other dangerous snakes — copperheads and cottonmouths. Other rattlesnakes from around the U.S., and a Gila Monster (large venomous lizard) are also on exhibit. Carl Sandefer, museum curator, is available for any questions visitors might have during their tour of the museum.
One of the rattlesnakes on display is an Eastern Diamondback named “Big Girl.” She is over five feet long and weighs 22 pounds. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes are the largest of any rattlesnake species, as well as the heaviest venomous snakes in North America. This particular rattlesnake is found in the southeastern United States.
OKC Rattlesnake Museum will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/snakemuseumokc/ or call (405) 850-5905.