Senate Bill 142
Authored by Sen. Stephanie Bice, the bill prohibits the use of antipsychotic drugs unless a patient was previously diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, with some exceptions.
Bice said according to research from the Centers of Medicaid and Medicare Services, Oklahoma is the worst state in the nation when it comes to the use of antipsychotic drugs for nursing home patients who have received no psychiatric diagnosis to warrant the use of such medications. Bice said it happens to one in five nursing home residents in Oklahoma.
“It’s pretty shocking, really. Nursing homes are basically prescribing these drugs as a pharmaceutical restraint to make it easier to handle the patients, but it’s extremely dangerous. It can result in illness, injuries, cognitive decline and even death,” Bice said. “Until this legislation, there’s been nothing that requires the patient, their family or other caregivers to be informed about the use of these powerful drugs. Senate Bill 142 is about requiring informed consent and a proper diagnosis.”
Under the provisions of SB 142, a nursing home patient would have to be examined by the prescribing clinician and diagnosed with a psychiatric condition before an antipsychotic drug could be given. Further, the clinician would have to confirm with the nursing facility that they had received informed consent from the resident or their representative.
In May, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law effective Nov. 1.
“AARP Oklahoma applauds Gov. Stitt and the legislature for taking action to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotics and chemical restraints on nursing home residents,” said Sean Voskuhl, AARP Oklahoma state director. “With the passage of Senate Bill 142, Oklahoma’s most frail and vulnerable will now be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Senate Bill 888
Oklahoma is second in the nation for nursing home residents with low care needs who could be better served in home and community-based settings. Authored by Sen. Kim David, this bill provides seniors and their families options that best suit the individual’s long-term healthcare needs while saving the state money.
“Oklahoma spends 70 percent of its long-term care dollars on nursing homes, and only 30 percent on less costly alternatives. Oklahoma’s senior citizen population is expected to increase by nearly 100,000 in the next 30 years – a trend we won’t be able to afford unless we start using more affordable options,” said David, R-Porter. “By using a variety of home and community-based services, other states like Texas, Alaska and Colorado have obtained a 50/50 mix or better in long-term care spending, achieving significant cost savings while allowing senior to choose care in their preferred setting. This bill will provide Oklahoma’s elderly with more options while providing significant savings to the state that can be used on other important services.”
SB 888 allows seniors to take advantage of options counseling to ensure they are fully informed of their options prior to admission to a long-term care program, including less costly choices like home health and adult day services.
The bill was also authored by Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa.
One option provided under SB 888 is the PACE program, which is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps meet people’s health care needs in their homes, community or local PACE center rather than going to nursing homes or other care facilities. PACE provides all the services and care covered by Medicare and Medicaid if authorized by the individual’s health care team. Services include, among others, adult day primary care (including doctor and recreation therapy nursing services), dentistry, emergency services, home and hospital care, meals, physical therapy, social services and transportation.
In May, Gov. Stitt signed the bill into law effective Nov. 1.

Free program offers help for those recovering from loss of loved ones

If you have experienced the death of a loved one, grief is the normal and natural response to loss. INTEGRIS Hospice provides on-going grief support.
Conducted by certified grief specialist, Marla Mercer Cole, MS, LPC, the six-week free evening program provides a step-by-step approach for those who wish to resolve their loss issues and move beyond their grief toward a richer quality of life.
Program Dates: June 17 – July 22 (Monday evenings) from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at INTEGRIS Cancer Institute, 5911 W. Memorial Road in Oklahoma City in Conference rooms D and E, southwest entrance.
To enroll for the session: Call 405-603-1708. Programs are free of charge; space is limited.
Marla Cole is a licensed professional counselor specializing in the field of grief and loss. As current vice president of Mercer Adams Funeral Service in Bethany, she also directs the aftercare program for families they serve and oversees community relations.
Normal grief responses include appetite loss, difficulty sleeping, feelings of guilt or regret, lack of concentration, mood changes, numbness or crying.

Anybody else think of the 90’s space jam theme song when you read the subject line? … no? Just me? OOOkkkaaay 🙂
Anywhoo— I came to remind you that Whodunit is a PERFECT reason to gather up a group of guys & gals from work, church, hobbies, sports or… research?
(what?!–I was trying to rhyme with Church! plus.. I mean, people research sooo still fits.) LOL
YO HO HO- check it out below!!
Who is YOUR group? Car club? Sunday school sistaaas? good ole Frat House bro’s? Bridesmaids? It’s been too long. Get. Them. Together! Send a group text, facebook thread or… do it the old fashioned way- call them! Better yet- show up unannounced and knock on their door (GASP Nobody does THAT anymore!) Get your people, your tribe and bring them to the show!…Yo!
Get your tickets at whodunit.net or by calling 405-420-3222
Cattlemen’s Steakhouse – FRIDAY, June 21st, July 19th, August 16th
Teds Escondido – FRIDAY, June 28th, July 26th
whodunit.net 405-420-3222
FAQ- When we have a group coming to Whodunit-how do we make sure we sit together?
Whodunit- easy peasy! No need to show up early to ‘save seats’. Whodunit’s host team ensures that your group sits together. Just be sure to include your group name when you purchase your tickets! We prompt you with the question “If you’d like to be seated with another party, please enter the group name here” Badda-bing! badda boom- put your group name in the box and you are ready to rock!
Ask about our private corporate events & house parties, book us for your church or school fundraiser.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault

Retired and just now decompressing from a 39-year career teaching high school art in the Greater Tulsa area, Osage Nation member Clancy Gray says creating his own Native American art is truly rewarding at age 70.
Making that transition to full-time fine art modern master translated into more sales of his jewelry, paintings and sculptures the first weekend in June at the 33rd Red Earth Festival.
At the three-day event in downtown Oklahoma City at the Cox Convention Center Gray sold several of his important works and had his best show ever. Gray said the extra attention lavished upon his art by the board of directors of Red Earth naming him 2019 ‘Red Earth Honored One’ sparked a successful sales weekend.
“Being the Honored One this year afforded me so many privileges that it just seemed natural that more people wanted to buy my work,” Gray said. “We set it up with the t, who is also an Osage Nation member, mayor to stop by the booth after he and his family were a part of the parade Saturday morning. I showed his family around the booth and we talked for about 10 minutes. I was excited when he came back by my booth after looking around for an hour and bought a painting of a bison his son really liked.”
That Honored One status, after Gray has exhibited at the Festival for 32 of its 33 years, put his art out front, in an expanded double-size booth nearest to the entrance to the juried art show.
Gray said that even though he was halfway across the state from his Broken Arrow home, his two sons, his brother and sister and many friends coming by or helping made him feel more at home than ever at Red Earth. The Honored One recognition is for a Native master visual artist whose support of Indian art has been substantial throughout his life.
Gray entered four items in the juried art portion of the show and collected two ribbons for top three placings. And again, in the truly rewarding vein, one of his first-place sculptures from three Red Earths back sold on Saturday.
Owners of one of Oklahoma City’s prominent CPA firms, T.C. Burgin, stopped by the booth and purchased Scout, a heroic size bronze horned toad, for the new office building they will open in the fall.
Osage Nation member and bronze casting legend John Free Jr. cast several of the horned toads at his Bronze Horse Foundry in Pawhuska, Okla. Free is famous for capturing the artist’s real goal in their work by applying some of the most skilled patinas in the crucible industry.
Gray said Free’s ability to create a life-like patina to the bronze sculpture brings his horned toad Scout to life. He explains Scout’s name in that the horned toad represents what Native Americans would often use to help locate their game while hunting. During a hunt, if they were not finding their prey, they would pick up a horned toad and say a prayer. When the hunter put the horned toad down, and it scurried off, that was the direction they would start in to continue their hunt.
“It is a privilege to get to work with John Free and his group at the Bronze Horse Foundry.” Gray said. “I always say that sculpting success is a two-part process, the artist who first creates it in clay and the foundry master who duplicates it in bronze for them.”
Gray’s traditional and contemporary influenced jewelry reflects Gray’s fondness for vivid color, texture, and asymmetrical design. The silver jewelry is often the most collected of his work, and leads to the most commissions. This nationally collected master silversmith has won many awards in exhibitions and museum shows.
Gray’s paintings sold well at Red Earth as well. His building up depth from the canvas in the impasto style has elevated his status in the Native American art world. He uses a palette knife to apply vivid acrylics, giving the paintings intensity that allows light to animate the focus of his work. This signature style allows Gray to create a modern ruggedness. He says he works to celebrate the light’s colorful and reflective sparkle built up in focused areas.
By creating a ceramic glaze depth with skillful repetitious palette strokes of the water-based acrylic paint, his paintings are dynamic and unique. Those high-gloss highlights have a richness of color that captures the eye, whether portrait or figures, still life, or landscape.
In retirement Gray says he now has more time to reflect on the achievements of his art students. He taught in Tulsa at McLain High School for 17 years and East Central High School for 18 years. He finished his teaching career at Edison High School after three years.
The insightful artist and teacher insisted his students master the basics of composition and design. He then encouraged them to create original works, rather than just copying ideas or pictures they saw. Gray has guided the beginnings of many art careers. More than 5,000 students graduated from his 39-year influence at those three schools.

“I tried to model strong basic skills, so as they learned those skills it would take them anywhere they wanted to go as artists.” Gray said. “Our schools supported them so the best and brightest could go on to win many art competitions in the state and nationally.”
Gray also made the students’ academic progress an important part of their art educations. The result was a highly productive teacher who helped many students receive college scholarships and awards
“We had student artists earn important scholarships, and become award-winners in art competitions and students whose work is now shown in galleries,” Gray said. “We had high expectations, we really wanted them to grow as much as possible as artists along the way.”
Gray says his passion for teaching and creating a nurturing educational setting for all his students was a given. After his double major in art and physical education, Gray went on to earn a master’s degree in education at the University of Central Oklahoma.
During his long career he also coached boys and girls soccer, boys baseball, girls softball, boys and girls cross-country and boys and girls swimming.
Gray says that one of the best features of retirement is the satisfaction of seeing how his many students’ talents evolve. He enjoys following his former students’ progress as they adapt to create great art in their growing careers.
He says that spark of excellence often stimulates him to keep up with his own art career. No longer constrained to a teacher’s schedule, he has found that requests to put on exhibits have come more often now.
“Being named 2019 Honored One at Red Earth has been one of the highlights of my recent retirement,” Gray said. “I had not danced in 35 years and was proud to dance in step as part of the procession at the beginning of the dance contests in my role as this year’s Honored One.”

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

Dodge City has long been on this Okie’s bucket list. It took this long to get there as its really not on the way to anywhere, which is good because Dodge City has modern conveniences yet has still preserved and promoted its popular western romance of the 1870’s.
Dodge City has developed its own catch phrase: “Get Into Dodge.”
Of course that is an ironic take on the wild west phrase of a lawman to an outlaw of, “Get Out Of Dodge.” I say, referring to one of the City’s heroes, “Wyatt Earp Never Had It So Good.” This popped into my brain during my trip’s final dining experience at Prime on the Nine restaurant, while reflecting on the good experiences had in Dodge.
Overlooking a golf course, the Prime on the Nine restaurant, offers the highest of service and food to informed tourists and locals. www.primeonthenine.com
If you have followed my articles for some time, you know I like the traditional dining experience of Martini, and perfectly cooked tender local steak to medium plus. The Prime Rib, risotto, tasty goat cheese starter and the five star tiramiso, were a real treats. This elegant venue with a window table, filled my requirements to perfection and the perfect closing meal to my 3 day visit to Dodge City. Truly Wyatt Earp in his short stay in Dodge, “Never Had It So Good.”
Another outstanding dining experience is the Central Station Bar & Grill, www.centralstationdc.net where you have the option of dining in an authentic 1950 railway car. With a salute to the rails that opened up Dodge City to the cattle markets, its only proper to order a steak as well. I devoured a rib eye steak, side salad, sweet potato fries with onion rings. With four kinds of steaks to be mesquite grilled or with other choices including chicken varieties there is something to satisfy your western appetite. Despite being there on a very popular night, the service and quality of my meal did not suffer. To top off the entree the hot apple cobbler delight dripping with caramel and ice cream was an exquisite and unexpected finale. This venue also offers a dance floor and sports bar amenities as well as guest entertainers.
For a quick casual fix, the homemade pizza while you wait is offered at Dodge City Brewing, www.dodgecitybrewing.com, but closed on Monday and Tuesdays. To hear how vodka and gin is distilled, visit the Boot Hill Distillery, www.boothilldistillery.com with tours and tastings available. More interesting than the process is the building’s history and location on top of Boot Hill cemetery. The Vodka is mild and mixes well while the Gin is heavy on botanicals sold at a premium price.
You must save time to tour the Boot Hill Museum, www.boothill.org/, where a large new museum building is in progress. http://www.boothill.org/construction-update The Museum hosts an extensive gift shop with artifacts and memorabilia upstairs. The best part of admission is being able to walk into a replicate of the Old Dodge City wooden store fronts, including the Long Branch Saloon, complete with bar and piano. Other stores offer remembrance of shops that might have been in old Dodge City on front street. Walking back and forth on the wooden board walk you might feel a moment in old west time.
A walking tour of the town takes you by many of the bronze statues remembering many celebrities made famous by the Myth of Dodge city. Of course there is Wyatt Earp and even Matt Dillon.
I drove up from Oklahoma City on what is casually called the Northwest passage on state highway 270 and 183. While the online map suggested a drive time of 4 and 1/2 hours its more like about 6 hours,but worth it for the destination and a chance to see the unspoiled landscape of western Oklahoma, accented by a few wind farms. A mirage when first approaching Dodge City you see a large hill covered in black. At first you wonder what vegetation or mineral causes the blackness, and soon you see it is a massive panorama of black cattle, the prime resource of Dodge. All of this can be explained if you take the trolley tour, which also goes through the remaining inhabited buildings of Fort Dodge. Also you can learn about the founding of Dodge, the Santa Fe Trail, the cattle industry and the impact of the railroad.
I happily stayed and the conveniently located Best Western North Edge Inn, where my first story room had an exit just feet away from my parked car. Of course they offer all the amenities you expect from a Best Western including the free morning breakfast to start your sight seeing off right.
And you too may come away from Dodge never having had it so good.
So much to see and do in Dodge City so please check out more at: http://www.visitdodgecity.org

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

Dear Savvy Senior,

I need to locate a good in-home caregiver for my 83-year-old mother. What’s the best way to find and hire one? Looking for Care

Dear Looking,
Finding a good in-home caregiver for an elderly parent can be challenging. How can you find one that’s reliable and trustworthy, as well as someone your parent likes and is comfortable with? Here are some tips that can help.
Know Your Needs
Before you start the task of looking for an in-home caregiver, your first step is to determine the level of care your mom needs. This can pinpoint the type of help she’ll need. For example, if she only needs help with daily living tasks like shopping, cooking, doing laundry, bathing or dressing, a “homemaker” or “personal care aide” will do.
But, if she needs health care services, there are “home health aides” that may do all the things a homemaker does, plus they also have training in administering medications, changing wound dressings and other medically related duties. Home health aides often work under a nurse’s supervision.
Once you settle on a level of care, you then need to decide how many hours of assistance she’ll need. For example, does your mom need someone to come in just a few mornings a week to help her cook, clean, run errands or perhaps bathe? Or does she need more continuous care that requires daily visits or a full-time aide?
After you determine her needs, there are two ways in which you can go about hiring someone. Either through an agency, or you can hire someone directly on your own.
Hiring Through an Agency
Hiring a personal care or home health aide through an agency is the safest and easiest option, but it’s more expensive. Costs typically run anywhere between $14 and $25 an hour depending on where you live and the qualification of the aide.
How it works is you pay the agency, and they handle everything including an assessment of your mom’s needs, assigning appropriately trained and pre-screened staff to care for her, and finding a fill-in on days her aide cannot come.
Some of the drawbacks, however, are that you may not have much input into the selection of the caregiver, and the caregivers may change or alternate, which can cause a disruption.
To find a home-care agency in your mom’s area ask for referrals through friends, family or doctor’s offices, or use the Area Agency on Aging’s home-care locator service at PayingForSeniorCare.com – click on “Find Quality, Affordable Care.” In addition, Medicare offers a home health compare tool at Medicare.gov/HomeHealthCompare to help you find and compare home health care agencies.
You also need to be aware that original Medicare does not cover in-home caregiving services unless your mom is receiving doctor’s ordered skilled nursing or therapy services at home too. But, if your mom is in a certain Medicare Advantage plan, or is low-income and qualifies for Medicaid, she may be eligible for some coverage.
Hiring Directly
Hiring an independent caregiver on your own is the other option, and it’s less expensive. Costs typically range between $12 and $20 per hour. Hiring directly also gives you more control over who you hire so you can choose someone who you feel is right for your mom.
But, be aware that if you do hire someone on your own, you become the employer so there’s no agency support to fall back on if a problem occurs or if the aide doesn’t show up. You’re also responsible for paying payroll taxes and any worker-related injuries that may happen. If you choose this option make sure you check the aide’s references thoroughly, and do a criminal background check, which you can do sites like eNannySource.com.
To find someone, ask for referrals or try eldercare-matching services like Care.com or CareLinx.com. Or, for a fee, an aging life care expert (see AgingLifeCare.org) can help you find someone.
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.

Kathy Shaw of Oklahoma City was less than six months out from treatment for breast cancer when she learned that she had nodule on a lobe of her lungs that was cancerous.
It was more than she could bear to think about. She had just undergone a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, and the idea of undergoing another major surgery was disheartening. She was told that lung cancer surgery would involve a large incision, the spreading of her ribs to access the lungs and a lengthy hospital stay and recovery.
“I went ahead and made the appointment for the surgery, but in my heart, I didn’t feel like I would go through with it,” she said.
Instead, she began looking for another option. That search led her to J. Matthew Reinersman, M.D., a thoracic surgeon at Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medicine. Reinersman and his colleague Subrato J. Deb, M.D., are the only two surgeons in Oklahoma who specialize in a minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer called VATS – Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery. The surgery, which requires only three small incisions, removes the cancer while giving patients a much shorter hospital stay, less risk for complications and faster recovery.
“I had the VATS surgery, and I went home after two days,” Shaw said. “I think I took one or two pain pills, but I didn’t experience what I would call real pain. Because of the procedure and Dr. Reinersman, my recovery has been pretty remarkable.”
Reinersman has been performing VATS for patients with lung cancer since he arrived at Stephenson Cancer Center four years ago. Studies have shown VATS to result in outcomes that are just as good as those in a traditional, open surgery, but with all the benefits of a minimally invasive procedure.
In the traditional procedure for removing cancers of the lung, surgeons make a large incision on the patient’s side and push apart the ribs to reach the lungs. This results in significant pain for the patient and a hospital stay of at least five to seven days, which then leads to greater risk of pneumonia, blood clots and infections.
During VATS, Reinersman makes three small incisions to insert a tiny camera and his surgical instruments. The camera transmits images of the lungs onto a video screen to guide the surgery. Depending on the location of the cancer, he may remove a small part of the lobe, the entire lobe or more of the lung. Nearby lymph nodes also are dissected to ensure the cancer has not spread.
“The advantage is that we can get patients out of the hospital as soon as one to three days after the procedure,” Reinersman said. “They have less pain, fewer side effects and can return to their normal activities faster.”
The reduction of pain is a significant advantage of VATS. Patients having open surgery for lung cancer usually receive an epidural catheter in their backs for pain control. Pain must be managed because patients need to be able to take deep breaths and cough to lower their risk of getting pneumonia – something they won’t do as well if they are hurting. Because VATS is minimally invasive, no epidural catheter is needed and pain is greatly minimized. Surgeons also use nerve blocks to provide long-acting pain control in the nerves that run along the ribs.
“When I see my patients back in the clinic a couple of weeks after surgery, they’re usually taking little to no pain medicine and they’ve resumed doing most of the things they want to do. It’s really gratifying,” Reinersman said.
Reinersman considers VATS for any patient with lung cancer, but the best candidates are those with Stage 1 or 2 cancer, he said. VATS is also preferable for patients who have borderline lung function because the procedure is easier for them to tolerate than an open surgery.
In Shaw’s case, she has never been a smoker. About 20 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers, Reinersman said.
“That shows the importance of lung cancer screening and early diagnosis and treatment,” he said. “It’s not a death sentence. If we can catch it early, we can get them through it. We’ve done hundreds of VATS surgeries here.”
Many surgeons will use VATS for simple surgical procedures in the chest, but Reinersman and Deb are experts in its use for removing lung cancer, a more technically complicated surgery. The surgeons also are unique because they focus solely on surgeries of the chest and esophagus, whereas many cardiothoracic surgeons focus mostly on the heart.
OU Medicine is also the only institution in Oklahoma that submits its lung cancer surgery data to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database, where it can be viewed by the public. OU Medicine’s two-star rating is equivalent to that of larger institutions like Mayo Clinic and M.D. Anderson.

Kenneth Wyatt just celebrated his 80th birthday on June 4. What makes this milestone even more special is knowing he underwent a lung transplant on
Jan. 10, 2019, at the age of 79.
The staff at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center held a surprise party for Wyatt and hope to have more of these celebrations in the future.
“People should not see age as a deterrent to seeking an organ transplant,” says Mark Rolfe, M.D., co-medical director of lung transplantation and advanced pulmonary disease management at the INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute in Oklahoma City. “We look at physiologic age, not chronologic age. The old way of thinking was you can only transplant people 65 and younger, but there’s a lot of 75-year-olds who are otherwise healthy and still young at heart.”
About a year and a half ago, Wyatt suddenly started to experience shortness of breath. “It came on really quickly,” remembers Wyatt. “I just couldn’t get enough air. I felt claustrophobic, like I constantly needed more oxygen.”
He was diagnosed at another facility with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was told his condition was terminal and he was simply too old for a transplant. Thankfully, Wyatt persisted and found another physician who immediately referred him to the INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute.
“I was anxious to meet Mr. Wyatt,” says Alan Betensley, M.D., co-medical director of lung transplantation and advanced pulmonary disease management at INTEGRIS Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute. “We ran some tests and concluded he was healthy despite his pulmonary fibrosis, so we felt he would be an ideal candidate for transplant, regardless of his age.”
Wyatt was placed on the lung transplant list Nov. 15, 2018. “I hear some people wait years for a transplant, so I was surprised to get ‘the call’ less than two months later,” admits Wyatt. “I woke up in the Intensive Care Unit and everyone told me I did great. I was out of the hospital within a week.”
“Kenneth did remarkably well through the entire process. His oxygen level is back up to 98 percent and he is currently undergoing rehabilitation to regain his strength and endurance,” Betensley says. “I have no doubt he will make a full recovery. He is proof positive that age is relative.”
Wyatt says the experience has given him a new outlook on life and a brand-new purpose for living. “The way I figure it, is God gave me this condition for a reason. And maybe that reason is to help raise the age limit for transplant consideration. INTEGRIS took a chance on me when most other institutions wouldn’t, and I will be forever grateful for that.”
“I could still have 20 years ahead of me,” Wyatt predicts. “My mom is still living at 104 and my grand-dad lived to be 101 … so there’s a lot of life left in me.”