LPN Returns to her Beloved Field

by Jason Chandler
Staff Writer

Caren Graham was a CNA for Golden Age Nursing Center in 2001. Graham is now a licensed practical charge nurse at the Guthrie nursing center. She works with a myriad of patients from skilled nursing to long-term care.
She is grateful that Golden Age paid for her scholarship to attend nursing school at Metro Tech in 2002 in Oklahoma City.
Graham loved school and signed a two-year contract with Golden Age stating that she would come back to work there. Before returning to Golden Age, Graham went into the field of home health when she graduated.
“The reason being is that I wanted it to be a slower pace so that I could get more familiar with patients and their diagnosis,” she said. “So I did that for a year and then I came back here and did my two years.”
The one year of home health did her a world of good, she said of being a seasoned nurse.
Graham then went to work with pediatric patients for eight years. She said being a pediatric nurse is good or bad with no in-between.
“I taught a 7-year-old how to smile but then again I had to say goodbye to some really young kids,” she said. “So for eight years I did that and was really happy, but just needed a break. So I came back to Golden Age.”
Golden Age provides a professional and efficient environment for nursing care, she said. That is what she likes about it.
“You know I don’t have to worry about my license being at risk,” Graham said. “I have been in some facilities where it’s everybody flies by the seat of their pants. We don’t do that here. It’s just very professional.”
She always wanted to be a nurse, she said. At age 16 she was a CNA living in Nevada. That was when nurses wore all white attire in a different era.
“My youngest son had passed away when I was 28,” Graham said. “And he was just an infant and it was very upsetting. I didn’t deal with that very well so I got out of nursing. As a matter of fact, I was a 21 blackjack dealer for quite a while in Vegas.”
There was some healing that had to happen within her spirit, Graham said. Then 20 years ago, she returned to Oklahoma to continue her journey as a nurse.
“The spirit knew where I was supposed to be,” she said.
She worked at a daycare in Guthrie for several years and met a nurse who worked at Golden Age. The conversation led her to work at Golden Age as a CNA. Everything fell into place for Graham.
“It’s my bliss. It’s what I was always meant to do,” Graham said. “I’m sure of that.”
Golden Age sets a high standard with their employees, she said.
Her second time at Golden Age is different than it was when she first worked here in a world of paper, she said. Learning the digital age of computers applied to nursing was intimidating at first for Graham, she said.
“You had to drag me into the technology era,” said Graham, 51. “I’m from the old school. So I worked with the young nurses. I have some experience they pull from and I pulled from their experience on the computers. So that’s working out great.”
Nurses in any field want to help someone who can’t help themselves, she said. So geriatric care is very gratifying for Graham. Helping the residents is more than giving them medicine. It’s determining what works for them by knowing their nuances, Graham said.
“I enjoy that. I enjoy a continuity of care when I can see people over and over. I learn their nuances, so I can see if their diet is working for them, so it’s the little, tiny nuances that I pick-up on when I have that continuity of care. And that’s a big thing here,” she said. “You don’t get switched around a lot. You’re not with somebody new the first day trying to figure out something that is chronic.”
She can put her head down at night and feel satisfied, Graham said. That is also the time she thinks of some of the best interventions for her residents.
“When I’m thinking about my day it’s like, ‘That’s it. That will help,’” Graham said. “When it’s quiet and all your tasks are done for the day, you can just lay there and reflect.”
During her leisure time, she and her husband like to travel. Their children are grown now. Graham enjoys listening to music and her husband plays golf.
“I have a granddaughter that just moved in with me so I’m kind of getting back into that role,” she said.

Home Instead helping families keep seniors safe

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

It’s at the core of what Harold and Lucy Mahoney provide every day as owners of Home Instead Senior Care in Norman.
So it’s just natural for the husband and wife to throw their support behind an upcoming fundraiser designed to help families quickly find their loved ones in the event of an emergency.
A Stroll Down Main Street on September 1 in Norman will feature an antique car show, discounts, giveaways and a Jail and Bail event. Several downtown executives and community officials have already volunteered to be “arrested” for the fundraiser.
The money will go to help the Norman Police Department and Sunbeam Family Services offer reduced-cost technology that can save a person’s life.
“The reason Home Instead is passionate to get funding for the Care Trak device is that it is a strong resource for families, Police and Fire Departments,” said Home Instead Community Relations Director CJ Judd.
Care Trak is a program that issues bracelets which emit a radio frequency to help Norman Police officers electronically locate at-risk people who have wandered off or gone missing. Care Trak has been used nationally since 1986, and with it thousands of missing persons have been located.
Care Trak bracelets look similar to a watch, can be worn on a wrist or ankle and are meant to be worn 24 hours a day. They are waterproof and include a thick band which can only be removed by a caregiver.
In the event your loved one goes missing, you can call the Norman Police Department to report the missing person and tell the dispatcher that he or she is wearing a Care Trak Bracelet.
In 1986 Care Trak created telemetry tracking of high-risk people with Alzheimer disease and special needs kids primarily with Autism. Since starting more than 24 years ago the company has earned a 100 percent rescue rate and has become the oldest, most respected name in Telemetry based people locating worldwide.
Hundreds of Sheriffs, Police, Fire Departments, SAR Teams and more use Care Trak to quickly locate at risk individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and special needs kids primarily with Autism and Down syndrome.
Thousands of lost individuals were rescued by trained emergency responders in an average of less than 30 minutes. Everyone reported missing who was wearing a Care Trak wrist transmitter was located.
The assurance that a loved one will be brought to safety was the appeal to Harold and Lucy Mahoney.
Lifelong Arkansas residents, family has always been important to the Mahoneys, who raised two boys before settling down in Norman.
Harold grew up working with his five brothers in the family body shop and wrecker service their father started.
A quarter century before the Mahoneys ever thought of owning a personal care service they took care of Lucy’s grandmother.
From meals to medicine to baths, the Mahoneys took care of every need.
“We loved it and we loved caring for her,” Lucy said with a smile remembering the care that ranged from meals to baths to trips to the doctor. “We made her wish come true to be able to stay at home.”
After her grandmother passed Lucy entered the medical profession for 25 years.
“It’s just a passion that I have to take care of people,” Lucy said. “I was with a client the other day and she made me think of my grandmother. She was lonely and she needed someone to talk to. It was wonderful to know that I had made her smile and she was happy to have me there and that’s why Home Instead is so personal to me.”
Keeping the integrity of a client’s life is what it’s all about, Lucy says.
“I was with a client yesterday and she said ‘I just want to be able to stay in my home,’” Lucy recalled. “She was happy in her home, even though her life had changed. I told her we were there to help her and take her where she needs to go.”
Professional in-home care allows your family members to age in place. They can continue to live safely and independently in the home they’ve known for much of their lives. In-home caregiving offers peace of mind – and it does so very affordably.
Unlike the high, fixed costs associated with assisted living facilities or nursing homes, the price of in-home care stays flexible to meet your needs. You can keep control of your budget by scheduling as few or as many hours of care as you need.
Proceeds raised during the Downtown Norman event will help Sunbeam Family Services offer Care Trak on a sliding scale based on income.
Scholarship applications and payment plans are available and there are no membership fees associated with Care Trak.
For more information about the event you can call Home Instead at 405-310-2756.
It’s peace of mind the Mahoneys think is well worth their time and energy.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) has announced the results of its annual inspection of tobacco outlets to measure compliance with laws restricting underage tobacco sales. This year’s non-compliance rate of 14.1 percent is more than twice the 6.8 percent recorded only four years ago, which was the lowest ever for the state.
Oklahoma retail outlets such as convenience and grocery stores are monitored to ensure they follow all laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors. Each year, hundreds of random checks are completed across the state through the agency’s partnership with the state Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. States must maintain a non-compliance rate below 20 percent regarding sale of tobacco products to minors or risk losing federal funding for substance abuse prevention and treatment efforts. ODMHSAS Commissioner Terri White said she is concerned that non-compliance is increasing and that some retailers seem unconcerned about illegally selling tobacco products to minors.
“Store owners who ignore compliance requirements are putting their own profits ahead of our children’s health,” she said. “Fortunately, the vast majority of retailers are abiding by the law and aren’t the ones putting tobacco into the hands of our youth. The fact that so many retailers didn’t sell these products to minors suggests there is no excuse for the others to continue breaking the law.”
The 2013 Oklahoma Youth Tobacco Survey notes that nine out of 10 smokers tried their first cigarette before age 18, and that 22.7 percent of Oklahoma high school students are current tobacco users. Tobacco use prematurely kills thousands of Oklahomans every year, yet it remains a leading preventable cause of death. “The most effective way to stop future problems caused by tobacco use is to prevent it from ever occurring in the first place,” White added.
In addition to health risks faced by tobacco users, White said the potential loss of federal substance abuse treatment funding would seriously impact already limited addiction treatment services. “Significant budget cuts have severely limited the services we can provide,” she said. “Already, only about 20 percent of those needing substance abuse services receive the help they need.”
Community-based education is available to business owners and clerks regarding youth access to tobacco. Additional information related to Synar compliance is available on the ODMHSAS website at http://ok.gov/odmhsas/Prevention_/Prevention_Initiatives/Synar_Compliance/.

What’s one of your favorite summer memories? Easter Seals Adult Day Center

Fishing for striper at Lake Texoma.  Jean Wells

Going fishing at a private lake with groups of friends.  Gerald Cunningham

One of my greatest summertime activities, working with the children.  Earnestine McClellan

Going to Dallas and then Waco to the new eye clinic and traveling with a nurse. Robert Henry Rucker

Story and photo by Mike Lee, Staff Writer

Depending on the day you come, you may find Mike Six behind a broom at the Midwest City Senior Center.
You might also see him behind the wheel driving seniors where they need to go or simply pulling up and cooling off their car on a hot day.
Then again he might be calling out bingo numbers or laying a spinner down during a daily game of dominoes.
But whatever he’s doing you’ll find the 27-year Midwest City Police Department veteran with a smile on his face
“This is the best job I’ve ever had,” said Six the center’s assistant coordinator under Fredia Cox.
After 27 years on the force, Six retired and decided to try a few things. He spent a year teaching before kicking around some different jobs.
He came back on with the city and shortly the job at the senior center opened up.
“I snagged it up quick as I could,” he said. “These are great people. I tell people all the time it’s the best job I’ve ever had. It’s not a six-figure job for sure but it’s not the money what I like, it’s the people.”
Cox estimates nearly 6,000 seniors each month are served at the Midwest City facility.
All of them know Mike, or just Six.
“He’s vital,” Cox said simply of her assistant, who also handles all the building’s maintenance.
It’s the time he spends at the facility that Six counts as his most important contribution.
“I guess in general you want to be available for them,” Six said. “That’s what I do. The senior center is part of the city of Midwest City. It’s a facility we’ve made that really belongs to the seniors. What we try to do is give them a destination, a place to come a reason to get up in the morning.”
A lot of counseling goes on within these walls, but there’s no couches or co-pays involved. The kind of counseling Six and Cox deliver is a smile, a cup of coffee and a willingness to listen.
“We visit with them. It’s really a quality of life issue for them,” Six said.
The center schedules three dances a week for the seniors plus many other activities.
Six and Cox both serve as resources for seniors. If someone is having a problem in an area of life their combined 70 years of experience in the community is there to help.
The Midwest City Senior Center offers programs, classes, events and activities for citizens, age 55 and older, who have a common interest in fellowships, leisure pursuits and mutual respect for one another.
The center is managed by Cox under the direction of the Midwest City Parks and Recreation Department. All programs and activities offered at the center are supervised by Cox and Six.
The center encourages ideas, input and involvement from senior citizens. It keep them going and it keeps Six going.
“Kind of like with the police department it does make you feel good when someone comes to you and identifies you as someone who might be able to help them,” Six said. “When you do help them it really does make you feel good.”
Six’s roots run deep in Midwest City after spending his career policing the streets. He was part of the department’s various community policing projects which focused on community relations as well as tackling the city’s gang problems.
“We were real visible and we made sure (the criminals) were real visible,” Six said. “People were living like prisoners in their homes. We cleaned up the neighborhoods and had people barbecuing in their front yards. We made a big difference.”
Funny, but nearly three decades later he still is. “You can’t be there to supervise. You can’t be there just to monitor,” Six said. “You have to be involved.”
The Midwest City Senior Center offers several weekly classes and activities including:
-Bible Study
Bible study class is Wednesdays from 10 – 11 a.m. in the Mistletoe Room.
-Gospel Music
Gospel music is Fridays from 10 – 11:15 a.m. in the Grand Room.
– Oil Painting Classes
Oil painting classes are offered Wednesdays and Fridays from noon – 4 p.m. in the Mistletoe Room. Participants are responsible for providing their supplies for the class. Please call 405-737-7611 for a list of supplies.
-Quilting
Quilters meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Dogwood Room.
-Woodcarving
Woodcarving classes are offered every Tuesday from 1 – 4 p.m. in the Mistletoe Room. Participants are responsible for bringing supplies for class. Please call for a list of supplies.
“The main thing at the senior center, plain and simple, it addresses quality of life,” Six said. “That’s the only way I know how to put it. I’ve adopted some of them and I think they’ve adopted me.”

Easter Seals Oklahoma Occupational Therapists are utilizing the popular phone app game Pokemon Go with patients to help with hand-eye coordination when looking for and catching Pokemon. It also helps with spatial awareness, visual perception skills, following directions and instructional cues, fine motor skills, impulse control and social skills in taking turns with peers.
Easter Seals Oklahoma invites Pokemon Go players to consider scheduling a tour of its facility while playing the game. Easter Seals Oklahoma is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m.
For more than 90 years, Easter Seals Oklahoma has provided services to children and adults with disabilities and other special needs and support to their families. Services include an early learning and inclusion academy, adult day health center, therapy services, screenings and financial assistance. For more information, please visit www.eastersealsoklahoma.org.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

What do eight-year-old kids and 80-year-old seniors have in common?
Turns out quite a lot.
Thanks to a unique Easter Seals program that combines adult day health participants with children both groups are having brighter days.
“It benefits both of them,” says Tony Lippe, Easter Seal’s assistant program director of adult day health. “It helps the children grow up not to be be afraid of older people and those who have a walker or a wheelchair. Children just lighten (the seniors) up.”
The Adult Day Health Center provides special care for adults who are unable to care for themselves for extended periods of time in a protective group setting enabling them to maintain or improve their ability to remain independent. The program utilizes music therapy, horticulture, arts and crafts, current events and other programs to help clients maintain a high level of functioning.
With Easter Seals, you are not alone caring for your family member or friend with frail health or disability. Services are medically-based and offer various levels of care based on the individual needs. A medical professional on staff meets with you to determine the level of care required.
Easter Seals Adult Day Center meets your loved one’s physical, social and emotional needs in a safe, home-like setting.
The program uses individual plans of care to provide a variety of health, social, recreational and therapeutic activities. In addition, the center provides supervision, support services and, in some cases, personal care. The program is open to eligible applicants ages 18 and up.
Attached to the day health center is a children’s center.
Brittney Ellis serves as the assistant director of programs for the Easter Seals Early Learning and Inclusion Academy.
She says the program is one of only two in the state.
“Everything for a kid is routine so the more we brought them over the more comfortable they became,” Ellis said. “They would start to get really excited about seeing them. We started out just coming over and doing morning exercise but we wanted to delve deeper.”
Soon the groups started joining together for art activities. Just recently there was an intergenerational talent show.
“Everything we do we do it together now,” Ellis said. “The (seniors) are very helpful. Over the last few months we really kind of rely on each other to get things done.”
Connie Henderson serves as the activity coordinator for the Adult Day Center and says the relationship is one that seems to work for everybody.
For the seniors, activities are planned with their individual needs in mind.
“I believe it’s my purpose, it’s what I tell my department,” Henderson said. “It’s a purpose because every individual is unique. I believe when you create a program you have to create it to that individual. What I like about Easter Seals is we offer small groups every day and they select where they want to go to.”
And seeing the children becomes a highlight of the day.
“I know for a lot of participants it does a lot for their conditions to just be around the children,” Ellis said. “Our overall goal is to be the leading organization for intergenerational (services). We want to lead the charge. There is so much research about the positives for (the seniors) and (for the children.)”
Easter Seals Oklahoma Adult Day Health Center is designated as a “Center of Excellence.”
It’s a distinction not easily earned.
The role of a Center of Excellence is often one of mentor, according to Jed Johnson, Assistant Vice President Adult & Senior Services, Easter Seals America.
“These centers serve as resources for fellow Easter Seals affiliates who are involved in the start-up of a new adult day services site, in the acquisition of a center, or in the performance improvement of an existing program,” Johnson said.
Adult Day Health Center Hours of Operation are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. You can call (405) 239-2525 for more information.
Private pay or financial Assistance is available through the Department of Human Services,Veterans Administration and Medicaid Advantage Waiver Program.
“What we’re trying to do is keep them in their homes and that’s what adult days does,” Lippe said. “It’s a home-like setting. When the kids come in, it’s like when their grandchild came to visit them at home. It’s the same.”
Together the groups participated in a food drive benefitting the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma where donations were collected and dropped off at the charity.
“From my (perspective) it’s just automatic joy once they come into the room,” Ellis said. “I think they get a sense of the simplicity of being a child again and the laughter. Some of the participants physically can not participate but to just hear the children play brings joy all over them.”
Ellis doesn’t believe either group is really all that different from the other. Each require some attention, structure and an opportunity to flourish.