Aquires The Linden at Stonehaven, Name Changes to Stonehaven

Legend Senior Living, a Wichita-based, privately owned senior living operator, announced today that it had completed the purchase of The Linden at Stonehaven Square Assisted Living and Memory Care in a joint venture with an institutional investor. The residence is located at 10802 East 81st Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was immediately renamed The Stonehaven.
The Stonehaven is the 5th Legend Senior Living residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following its recent acquisition of Prairie House Assisted Living & Memory Care in Broken Arrow in June.
The residence opened in 2017 and boasts 134 apartments, 79 of which are assisted living and 55 memory care, ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, and offers thousands of square feet of indoor-outdoor amenities, including a sprawling outdoor patio, front porch with fireplace, salon, 2nd story game room and theater, fitness center, and lively bistro. The Stonehaven is located approximately 20 minutes outside downtown Tulsa and is near major highways, hospitals, and recreation.
“We are excited to welcome the residents, their families, and associates to the Legend Senior Living family,” said Legend’s Executive Vice President, Matt Buchanan. “The Stonehaven is a great fit for us as we expand our mission in Tulsa and across Oklahoma. The team at The Stonehaven is top-notch, and we are excited to serve area seniors alongside them.”
The company will bring its innovative programs and therapies to the community, including its wellness-focused life enrichment, uncompromising care delivered consistently with dignity, the Best Friends® Approach in memory care and award-winning biofeedback therapy also for memory care, and its signature Gold Leaf dining program for an exquisite culinary experience.
Wichita, Kansas-based Legend Senior Living is a privately held senior housing and services company and one of the nation’s leading senior living providers. The company owns or operates 49 senior living residences across six states – in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Legend residences are recognized as Great Places to Work®, have ranked among the Top 25 Best Senior Living communities in the country by Fortune Magazine, and appear on U.S. News & World Report’s Best of Senior Living.

For more information about Legend Senior Living residences, visit:
https://legendseniorliving.com/

Story and photos by Darl DeVault,
contributing editor

Lyndale Edmond Senior Living Sales and Marketing Director Amber Compton welcomed 58 Senior Business Solution (SBS) colleagues to their networking luncheon on July 20 at Lyndale Edmond. Emphasizing how shifting demographics and reshaping complexes built for older Americans address a variety of rates and services, she explained they have recently added another nurse to the one already available in their assisted living option.
She explained that Lyndale features nine cottages on their remodeled senior living property as well as 115 independent living and 48 assisted living apartments for a total now of 173 units.
Lyndale is setting up a caregiver support group where attendees meet for lunch monthly beginning in the Fall. Topics will vary monthly and cover various issues and challenges caregivers face. Guest speakers will provide insight and resources available in the area. The support group will be held in the Lyndale Clubhouse on the second Thursday of each month at noon beginning in September. Seating is limited, so RSVP is required at 405-340-5311.
The hosts shared their premium meeting space, their clubhouse adjacent to their pool, for the monthly gathering of senior healthcare marketers and senior-focused company workers.
Regional Director of Sales & Marketing Cameron Gruenberg was on hand to observe from his office in Tulsa.
“Lyndale Edmond is a beautiful senior living community offering independent and assisted living with a resident-first philosophy, caring associates, great lifestyle programs and delicious meals,” Compton said after the luncheon. “By hosting this event, we showcase to attendees what life is like at Lyndale Edmond.”
The networking group was treated to one of the host’s amenities when Lyndale Culinary Director Bryan Newton offered a well-received lunch of chicken piccata, parmesan mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus.
The luncheon continued with each invitee giving a few minutes of background on their employer and how they saw their role in helping seniors with their needs in the community. A few people outlined special events their venues were planning in the near future, inviting others to attend.
Vicki Escajeda solicited more raffle prizes and interaction to support the booths available at the upcoming Senior Day on September 20 at the Oklahoma State Fair. She also talked about how independent living, assisted living, and long-term care communities could submit a one-minute video by August 20 of their residents “In Motion.” The entries will be judged, and the top 10 will be shown at the Fair, where the public will select the winner.
Joe Forrest with Re/Max FIRST gave his customary real estate market update explaining that home prices are up five percent in the market for those seniors seeking to sell their homes to move to senior centers. Forrest has worked in home healthcare services, independent and assisted living, rehabilitation, and as a Realtor for the past 20 years.
The guests were reminded of the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association Annual Trade Show as the association celebrates its 26th anniversary on August 22-24 at the Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City.
The meeting was a more personalized version of a monthly networking newsletter with information, announcements, and networking within the retirement industry.
Erin Stevens outlined that “The Edmond Way” is offering local hometown journalism to Edmond as it publishes online as a free weekly newsletter now and seeks to start printing editions in the Fall. Readers can find the publication at The Edmond Way.
Several speakers highlighted how to get involved in Oklahoma’s many Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s, with the main ones being September 16 in Tulsa and October 28 in OKC.
Some providers reported real-time availability for their care and housing options, home care, and hospice providers.
Later, Compton explained that the spacious, fully-featured clubhouse the meeting was in is available to clients for special events and for rent to outside groups. She offered the facility or to co-host any of the three upcoming SBS events in August, October and December that have yet to be planned.
The guests were also reminded that Lyndale hosts a monthly “Happy Hour” late afternoon for further networking. The event features the use of the pool, weather permitting, with food, drinks, and networking.
Conversations before and after the more formal portion allowed attendees to stay connected with their senior industry peers while building possible referral networks.
Sagora Senior Living operates the Lyndale property. Oklahoma is home to five more of their communities: Aberdeen Heights, Aberdeen Memory Care of Tulsa, Bellarose, Elison Independent Living of Statesman Club, and The Veraden. Sagora is one of America’s top 50 privately-owned senior housing operators with communities throughout Texas, Alabama, Florida, California, Illinois, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, West Virginia, Mississippi and Nebraska.

For more information about Lyndale Edmond Senior Living https://www.lyndaleedmond.com/.

By Nick Thomas

Currently traveling the U.S. on the 2023 “Happy Together Tour” with classic pop acts such as The Turtles, The Cowsills, and Little Anthony, (see https://happytogethertour.com/), Gary Puckett never tires of performing the songs made famous with his Union Gap bandmates.
The hugely popular 5-man pop-rock group, remembered for their string of late 60s hits including “Woman, Woman,” “Lady Willpower,” and “This Girl is a Woman Now,” now features all new members but retains one of the most distinctive musical sounds of the era with Puckett delivering his characteristic soaring vocals infused with emotion and perfect pitch.
Famous for often performing in Civil War Union Army costumes and named after a town near where Puckett once lived in Washington state, the original Union Gap disbanded in 1971 but Puckett says the current group creates a sound as close as possible to the classic songs.
“The original recordings featured string and horn sections, but there’s just four of us in the group now so our keyboard player is tasked with recreating those sounds,” said Puckett while traveling to New York from his home in Florida. “I think we’ll give fans what they want to hear.”
Turning 80 last year, Puckett says he was around 8 or 9 when his family realized he could carry a tune.
“My folks would get a tape recorder and we would sing songs and record Christmas messages to my grandparents,” he recalled. “Then they would make a little record of it. My voice was way, way ‘up in the sky’ back then, and I remember my mother telling me at one point she just thought all little boys could sing like that!”
Young Gary’s mother wasn’t alone in appreciation of her son’s vocal talents. While later attending college in San Diego, Puckett and the group toured the West Coast playing small clubs and were visited by Columbia Records producer Jerry Fuller.
He came down to see us in San Diego,” Puckett remembered. “He liked my voice and the idea of wearing the outfits and walked up to the stage at midnight and said let’s go make a record.”
That record became their first hit, “Woman, Woman,” one of several Fuller would produce for the band.
“When he first played it to me it was written as a country song,” recalled Puckett. “So he added a 30-piece string, horn, and rhythm section and turned it into the pop record that established me as a singer in the music world.”
The band amassed six gold records in the space of about 3 years during the late 1960s. But musical tastes were changing as the 70s began closing in and for a decade there was little interest in the group’s music.
“Then in the early 1980s, radio stations began proliferating throughout the United States and featuring 60s music once again,” said Puckett. “I started getting calls from disc jockeys who were playing our songs and promoters who wanted us back on the road giving concerts.”
Puckett has continued to tour either solo or with the band ever since, releasing another nine solo albums over the years (see www.garypuckettmusic.com). Interacting with audiences remains a joy for the singer who is usually available at concerts to meet with fans to sign items they may bring along.
“I love to get out with the fans, it’s always great to see them smiling and enjoying the music we created way back when,” he says. “They are still appreciative of it all and the fact that they are there just honors me and the music.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See https://www.getnickt.org/.

The Oklahoma Historical Society, in partnership with the Oklahoma Conference of Black Mayors, will host the Oklahoma All-Black Towns State Conference on Saturday, August 12, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center. The conference is designed to encourage a network of state agencies to join with the mayors of some of Oklahoma’s historic All-Black towns to share resources and discuss ideas.
In the early 20th century, Oklahoma was home to more than 50 All-Black towns and communities. Segregation and Jim Crow laws led many Black people to leave the state. The Great Depression caused more families to migrate to urban areas or other states. These events devastated many small Oklahoma towns, including the All-Black towns.
From 10 a.m.-noon, mayors from more than a dozen historic All-Black towns will present their unique history, discuss future projects, and more. Starting at noon, attendees can eat lunch and listen to the keynote presentation by Earthea A. Nance, who has a doctorate in environmental engineering from Stanford University. She is an associate professor in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. Nance holds joint faculty appointments in the Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy and the Department of Political Science. At 1 p.m., several state agencies will share resources that enable towns to collect, preserve and share their histories, including the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, and the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Registration is required. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees can pre-purchase a lunch box from Florence’s Restaurant when registering for the conference. Lunch orders must be placed by Monday, August 7, at 11:59 p.m.
The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City.

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

Oklahomans are ensuring their fellow military veterans can register for the new Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. Hundreds of Veterans Administration employees are ensuring this is possible at well-attended monthly outreach VA Veterans Festival (VET Fest) and PACT Act Resource Fairs around the state.
The most recent event was held by Oklahoma City VA employees on July 22, in west Oklahoma City, where 30 VA employees assisted veterans at the 7725 CONNECT building. The multi-tenant business campus in the old Western Electric Plant at Reno and Council saw 70 veterans lined up at the 9 a.m. opening, and 150 were assisted throughout the day.
The event was designed to provide services for veterans, spouses, caregivers, veteran’s widows, survivors and active-duty personnel. This outreach allows the VA to provide expanded healthcare and benefits to generations of veterans and their survivors.
The Warriors for Freedom Foundation co-hosted the event from their office in the 7725 Connect building. The nonprofit volunteers assisted the Oklahoma City, VA staff in spreading the word that more veterans and their survivors are eligible for benefits and VA health care under the PACT Act.
Signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022, the “Honoring our PACT Act of 2022” (in its short title version) initiates the most extensive health care and benefits expansion in VA history. This sweeping federal law comprehensively addresses all the service-connected toxic exposure issues of the last six decades.
The act expands VA care eligibility for veterans who experienced exposure to toxic substances during service in Vietnam, the Gulf War and post-9/11 eras. Some veterans’ surviving family members may also be eligible for specific benefits.
The line kept moving, with 30 people who had arrived around 11:30 a.m. waiting in line at noon. The event ran until 4 p.m.
The veterans were helped to register for PACT Act services and check the status of their PACT Act claims, while some were assisted with getting a My HealtheVet Premium account which allows them to sign in to VA online tools.
“The process was timely, very helpful and friendly,” said Staff Sergeant Sarah Scott, who served at Tarin Kwot, Afghanistan, from 2010-2011. The Noble resident, now on active duty with the Oklahoma National Guard, said that once she was registered, she could go right to the people who provided her with the information she needed.
To be eligible for benefits under the PACT Act, a veteran’s disability must connect to their military service. The VA now automatically assumes that a veteran’s service caused some conditions. These are known as “presumptive conditions.” The PACT Act added more than 20 categories of presumptive conditions from exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances.
“We are all excited to roll out the PACT Act to OKC veterans because this is one of the largest program expansions in veteran healthcare we have ever seen,” said Carmen Daugherty, OKC VA public affairs officer.
The veterans who attended the PACT Act presumptive claims event asked VA eligibility and service officers questions about their exposure and claim eligibility. They were able to receive toxic exposure screenings from medical staff. Some filed a claim and, in some cases, received a same-day decision from the four VA doctors on hand.
“Being a veteran, I am thrilled to help veterans get their VA health care and benefits fixed,” Daugherty said. “Some of these veterans have waited for 20 plus years to finally get answers to their exposure questions and get claims filed.”
The act also requires the VA to provide toxic exposure screenings to every veteran enrolled in VA care. Many veterans enrolled in VA care for the first time at the event and were helped to secure appointments at the downtown VA Hospital.
Those enrolling in VA care for the first time started the process of having their ID cards mailed out to them.
Some 20 Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) staffers also worked many stations to provide information about benefits and services to veterans and their families. Many other services were provided, including four State of Oklahoma staffers providing information about state veteran services and Oklahoma Tax Commission privileges extended to veterans with 100 percent disability.
An underlying emphasis of PACT Act outreach is to fully inform veteran’s widows of their access to benefits around the state in what has already been 10 VET Fest or PACT Act Resource Fairs, including several cohosted by tribal nations.
“The PACT Act makes it easier for survivors and widows to receive monthly VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC),” Daugherty said. “They qualify if they are a surviving spouse, dependent child, or parent of a veteran who died from a service-connected disability.”
The VA also provides survivors previously denied DIC benefits the opportunity to be re-evaluated to see if they are now eligible under PACT Act provisions. The VA asks widows to come to one of the PACT Act events or the main Oklahoma City VA Health Care System to determine if they qualify.
“Our experts will re-evaluate each case and answer benefits questions for you and your family,” Daugherty said. “Some benefits include burial allowance, education and training, monthly payments, home loans and health care. At these outreach events, we are bringing the experts to investigate each case and figure out exactly what benefits veteran’s widows are entitled to register for as a surviving family member.”
Another benefit explored at these events is that a surviving spouse, dependent child, or dependent parent of a veteran may receive a one-time accrued benefits payment if the veteran was owed unpaid benefits at the time of their death. The VA also informs everyone who qualifies for a Survivors Pension as a surviving spouse or child of a veteran with wartime service.
For more information about this VA benefits outreach campaign, click The PACT Act And Your VA Benefits | Veterans Affairs.

Story and photo by
Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Ross Pruitt spent most of his life tending to the needs of the church family. But even in retirement, the former minister is still helping people find their way.
Pruitt is a retired Baptist minister who – after 35 years ministering in churches from Oklahoma to California – was more than ready for the golf course.
But he still felt a pull.
“I retired after those years, I guess, with still a lot of energy left,” he said. “I didn’t want to stop helping people. I got my real estate license and that’s exactly what I get to do now.
“I’m not beating the bushes to put in 50 hours a week like I used to but I do get to help people and that’s important to me.”
Licensed in 2014, Pruitt has continued serving others as a Realtor and certified senior real estate specialist through Metro Brokers of Oklahoma.
It puts him in a unique niche, helping families decide what to do with property that’s no longer needed or being used, but still has sentimental value.
As a certified senior real estate specialist, Pruitt is often called upon by families who have to take on the task of what to do with a parent’s estate either after a death or a move into a new living arrangement.
“That is what’s stressful for them,” Pruitt said. “Every time I’ve done it I’ve been glad I had the experience I had working with people intimately because emotions sometimes run high.
“After all those years I pretty much know when to hold hands and when to stand back.”
Homes and property take on a new meaning when they’re no longer needed. Oftentimes, family members will be torn or even at odds on what to do next.
And there are legal ramifications and processes that most are unfamiliar with.
“What I enjoy the best is helping people. Sometimes the paperwork and all that will bog you down,” Pruitt said. “If it helps people I’m all about it. At the end of the day if I was any assistance to them during one of the biggest decisions of their life, then that’s good.
“Most of the time most stress isn’t about the property and the value of the property, most of the time it’s on the family.”
Pruitt said he will often get clients who will come to him after they’ve tried to tackle the task on their own. Trying to sell a home without guidance can be daunting at best, and financially disastrous at worst.
“About 90 percent of people underestimate all that goes into it,” Pruitt said. “It’s stressful.”
Pruitt realizes that family members will often bring emotion into the situation. He knows when to interject and when not.
Whether it’s 20 acres or fine china, at the end of the day it’s always about the people for Pruitt and helping them make the best decision possible for their situation.
“Usually it’s an adult son or neighbor or family member they trust and that person is really just trying to get by day-by-day to help the family get all the possessions sold and all the paperwork,” Pruitt said. “I’m trained in this and I can take a lot of the load off their shoulders. It’s really a blessing for them to be able to rely on someone they can trust and someone who has the skills and knowledge to do it.”
Call Ross at 405-593-0134 or send him an email at [email protected].

by Greg Schwem

The luggage carrier perched atop the SUV in front of me on a Chicago interstate one recent July afternoon reminded me of two facts:
1. Never get behind a vehicle with a luggage carrier if you are trying to read upcoming road signs.
2. Summer vacation season is upon us.
As I peer into cars on our nation’s highways and see everything from bare feet pressed against backseat windows to dogs with facial expressions I interpret to mean, “Is my owner EVER gonna stop for a bathroom break?”, I can’t help but rekindle fond memories of car trips encompassing my youth. I could relate to the feet, but not the dog. We were cat owners, and cats do not accompany their masters on family vacations; nor do they have the desire. When we returned from excursions, no matter the length, our cat always seemed disappointed.
Today my sister and I reminisce about those trips with a combination of nostalgia and horror. How, we wonder, are we still walking Earth’s face when our car was piloted by parents who began each vacation day with cigarettes and had devoured at least one pack each by the time we pulled into a roadside motel with neon signs proclaiming VACANCY and POOL?
Our lone break from the haze, and the harmful chemicals contained therein, came when Dad found a shaded rest stop at the 250-mile marker, also known as “halfway” on Schwem trips, and we commenced a picnic lunch. Often the fare was greasy fast food purchased just before the stop; on day one Mom probably packed sandwiches and threw in other items from the refrigerator that, if left unattended during our trip, would be a fine hue of green when we returned.
Although our vacations included plenty of heart healthy activities — tennis, golf and the occasional hike come to mind — it’s a wonder we had the lung capacity to engage in any of those pursuits once we arrived at our destination. “Healthy vacation” was an oxymoron in my family.
However, in today’s health-conscious world, that phrase is now chock-full of truth, right down to road trip snacks. While cheese balls, M&M’s and oil-soaked potato chips may always have places in minivans, now you can also expect to see healthy alternatives vying for space, including homemade trail mix, yogurt in tubes and beef jerky.
Wait, what? Jerky? A food item that contains a silica gel packet? Absolutely, according to Kristyn Ristaino, managing director of Avalon Communications and PR director of Old Trapper beef jerky since 2019. The company recently celebrated its fourth consecutive year of double digit growth.
“Moms like it because it’s not candy or chips,” said Ristaino, who cites mom bloggers as her source. She added that moms feel confident in the snack not only because of its portability but also due to its clear packaging.
“You can see what you’re actually getting,” she said.
Jerky has also become a favorite snack among dudes, specifically those who leave the kids behind on annual hunting and fishing trips. While men gravitate (naturally) toward the hot and spicy variety, traditional beef jerky remains the company’s biggest seller.
“(Jerky) is keto-friendly,” adds Ristaino.
I chuckled at the idea of my father, in between puffs of Kent cigarettes, vowing to indulge only in ketogenic-friendly foods at rest stops. Although, who knows how many extra miles we may have been able to cover had he been familiar with the term “meal replacement”? Another favorable quality of jerky, Ristaino said.
While rising gas prices have caused travelers to pump the brakes on car trips in 2023, those who do hit the highways will take their hunger pangs with them. Will those cars contain the sweet aroma of teriyaki or peppered beef jerky?
If the alternative is smelling bare feet from Ohio to Texas, I think I know the answer.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at https://www.amazon.com/. Visit Greg on the web at https://www.gregschwem.com/.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at https://www.gregschwem.com/)