What’s your favorite summertime memory? Village on the Park
I’ve got a lot but it would be the day I got married when I was 18. Kathy Ream
Going fishing about anywhere. I fished Texhoma and Eufaula when they were coming in. Raymond Leetrammell
I rode my horse every afternoon around our ranch. Evelyn Wilcoxson
Visiting my grandfather in Chandler. We would hitch the horse to the wagon and he would give us a quarter for a movie, popcorn, and a coke in town. Helen LaFevers
Article provided by: Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Southwestern Regional Medical Center.
Tulsa, OK
As seniors draw closer to retirement, being strong and as healthy as possible to enjoy their new “free time” becomes ever more important.
According to Dr. Sagun Shrestha, a medical oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa, you are never too old make a few lifestyle changes to improve your daily health and help reduce the risks of future illness, including cancer. She recommends: Lather up.
From gardening to shopping, use 30 SPF or higher sunscreens. Broad spectrum lotions protect you from the sun’s harmful UVB rays. 1
Load up on fruits & veggies.
Eating brightly colored vegetables, berries and fruits is helpful in maintaining a healthy weight and contributes to lowering your risk of some cancers by as much as 30 percent2! So fill your grocery basket with fresh fruits, seek out seasonal berries, and order a side of veggies with your next lunch or dinner.
Keep moving.
Did you know that up to one-third of cancers may be prevented by just staying fit? That doesn’t mean you have to sign up for a marathon (unless you want to), but you should get moving for at least 30 minutes a day3. Find something you enjoy, grab a friend and get moving.
Drink up.
Staying hydrated benefits every organ of your body and has also been known to help you stay more trim. According to scientific reports from the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund International, drinking coffee in moderation may help to lower the risk for two cancers, endometrial and liver4. Follow that during the day with several glasses of water and your body will thank you.
Make a date…with your health care provider.
Just as important as planning a family birthday or holiday get-together, you should make a date with your health care provider for regular check-ups. Routine medical exams increase your chances for early detection of cancer or other health problems and provide a good time for updated information on prevention steps and screenings.
Ready, set, go!
Dr. Shrestha encourages her patients to take “baby steps” when implementing a new, healthy change. “Set a reasonable goal and stick to it,” she adds. “And, if it’s too much of a challenge, revise your plan with a smaller step. The most important thing is to at least start making healthier options.”
To learn more about cancer prevention, visit cancercent.com/tulsa.
Pet therapy helps residents feel better emotionally and physically. Animals help lift a person’s mood and give them something to focus on outside of themselves. Residents who feel sick, lonely or depressed will often respond to an animal and offer genuine affection and unconditional love. The resident may smile, open their eyes, pet or talk to the animal.
Touching and interacting with animals can help lower a resident’s blood pressure and heart rate and provide stress relief. Residents who have regular visits with pets have longer life spans and suffer from less depression.
Animals increase sensory stimulation, inspire a sense of purpose and increase social interactions with the staff. Pets serve as a valuable conversation starter, and are useful in promoting visitation of children with the elderly. Residents tend to look forward to their visits. They enjoy hearing children tell about their pets.
How does pet therapy work? The animals are non-threatening and non-judgmental. They do not expect anything and there is no pressure on the resident to do or say anything. They accept and are open to whoever the person is and whatever that person needs.
Ombudsman volunteers visit nursing home residents weekly. For more information on the ombudsman program, contact ombudsman supervisors Patricia Shidler, Tonya VanScoyoc, Debra Burris, Eric Locke, or Erin Davis at Areawide Aging Agency at 1-405-942-8500. Group presentations and flexible training schedules are available.
story and photo by Traci Chapman
As healthcare becomes more complex and treatment more expensive, patients of all ages and conditions have found themselves in a no man’s land where they find more questions than answers.
That’s where care management can lift the mists obscuring the answers those patients – and their families – are searching for, helping them improve their health, while avoiding at least some of the stressors that come with high medical bills and navigating the healthcare system.
What is care management?
Case managers are tasked with helping patients, caregivers and families find the most effective way to manage health conditions, while also focusing on potential medical cost savings. Several studies found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, overseen by the National Institutes of Health, concluded care management can improve patients’ quality of care in the long-term, as well as positively impacting the cost of that care.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing’s Care Management program has been providing community-based healthcare management services since 1995.
Seniors and Disabled Patients
OU’s Nursing Care Management program provides care management services to patients of all ages, conditions and income levels. For Karissa Maddox, RN, BSN, CMC, many of the people she’s spent the last 15 years of her career treating and guiding through the healthcare maze are seniors, elderly and disabled individuals who are deemed ADvantage-eligible by Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Maddox is also the program’s private care management services supervisor.
Oftentimes, multiple doctors treat patients, who also might be facing a myriad of conditions. That’s where a case manager comes in, serving as a central information hub and helping to coordinate care, Maddox said.
“It just relieves the stress and helps the family try to live a normal life, especially if loved ones live at a distance,” she said. “We are often the ‘professional advocate’ helping manage care – while communicating with family members and providers, in addition to coordinating all health care needs.”
OU Nursing case managers first provide an assessment, allowing them a comprehensive look not only into a patient’s medical issues, but also other challenges facing that patient – and their family. As hospital stays get shorter, Maddox said these assessments are crucial, providing the proper care plan and a bridge to medical providers, while also allowing patients to save money.
“You see the education you provide, the stability you provide – and being an advocate for them is huge,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t have anybody else to speak for them.”
OU Nursing Care Management has four office locations in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton and Elk City, providing services across Oklahoma to patients and their families.
Maternity Coaching and Education
OU Nursing recently unveiled new services geared specifically for pregnant women and new or expectant parents. This service provides supportive coaching and education to clients to help with the life transitions that come with the addition of a new baby, their communications with health care providers — also helping them to determine the best resources for their individual needs.
“The focus is on the client and personalized according to what is most important to her,” said Margaret Back, RN RLC, ANLC, maternity coach and consultant. “The tailored plans and education materials prepare the client to anticipate changes and to minimize the stress of transitioning through the stages of pregnancy and the ‘4th Trimester’ of life with a new baby.”
Services also benefit anyone feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about maternity health-related issues, Back said. “New or single parents working through the transition back to work and adoptive parents or grandparents caring for their grandchildren can also find support, guidance and assistance,” she said.
While services offered by Maternity Coaching and Education are not a substitute for a doctor, midwife, lactation consultant, childbirth educator, therapist or doula, those will be accessible to participants, Back said. It offers Bump to Baby & Beyond Bundles, as well as a la carte options, all designed for flexibility and to address the changing needs of individuals and families, both during pregnancy and after childbirth.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to share the knowledge and experience I have acquired during the past 30 years as a nurse,” said Back. “I truly enjoy helping expectant mothers and new parents navigate through the exciting but sometimes overwhelming transition to parenthood and newborn care.”
Teri Round, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, executive director of clinical operations, cited OU Nursing’s multi-faceted approach to care management, which allows patients to move through every chapter of their life – and healthcare – with support and guidance.
“We have been in the business of providing care coordination for more than 20 years – Our case managers are experienced professionals who are able to care for others across their lifespan, but who specialize in the care of seniors and helping them age in place,” Round said. “We have developed other business lines, which work to support care transitions using CTI, an evidence-based model that helps individuals control their chronic conditions at home versus hospitalization or ER; with OU Physicians in the Bedlam L Clinic, in a team effort to improve quality of life in those with little or no insurance and chronic conditions; private care management performing all of the above; and maternal-child health, our newest addition to our group of services.”
For more information or a professional consultation for private care management, contact Lisa Macias at 866-416-4980 or via email at lisa-macias@ouhsc.edu.
Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com
Having recently returned from a trip of a lifetime, in 1980 touring of ancient Egypt icons, I found exotic culture back home in Colony, Oklahoma at the annual Cheyenne and Arapaho Labor Day Powwow.
As I reported in 1981, “Faces of men painted red and yellow, and brown bodies clad in numerous combinations of colors, feathers, and animal skins rhythmically dance out of the dark and into a dimly lit clearing beneath a giant canopy of cottonwoods.”
“Ladies in pure white buckskin proudly keeping in step as their shawls and fringe swing hypnotically in the moon light. Very young braves of 7 or 8 years, dressed in colorful fancy dance dress feathers join in the ways of their elders.”
As a result, I humbly photographically documented the weekend, and returned two more Labor Day weekends to try and capture the thrill and unique authentic Cheyenne Arapaho offering. While most of the dances are held at night, and with the movement of the dancers I could not use dim available light but had to use flash for my black and white negative exposures. The challenge was not to invade or disturbed the reverential dance with the bright flash in the darkness of night, but it was the only way to get an acceptable photograph. I guess I accomplished my goal as I was not admonished for my flash.
This Labor Day Colony’s Native American powwow homecoming continues as it has each year since the end of World War II with added interests. This year the Colony Gallery of the Plains Indian will host two photographic exhibitions of Native Americans proud of their heritage. The Gallery has always encouraged Native American art and artists. The Gallery is reborn with the showing of The Last Powwow ~ the result of my three-year visits ~ and Red Earth Spirit, ~ formal double exposure color photographs made during the Oklahoma City Red Earth Festival. While many of these images have been in exhibitions during the 1980s this is the first time since then that some are on public view. Some have never been seen before as the complete portfolios are too large to mount in one exhibition.
After seeing The Last Powwow exhibition at the Center of the American Indian back in 1983, the then Director of Photography, L.L. Smith, at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, endorsed the exhibit when he wrote, “I was most impressed with the quality of your work and the dignity of your subjects. Your devotion over the years to this event is quite evident in your work. As a cultural document, I believe certain prints will stand the test of time.”
The renovated petite Gallery of the Plains Indian and the historic town of Colony is a treat to those travelers willing to turn off Interstate 40 at Weatherford and head south.
Justice Yvonne Kauger, a native of Colony, had long wanted a small gallery in Colony to exhibit Indian art and in particular Cheyenne Arapaho artists which would coincide with the annual powwow. The gallery building on the main street was built by her Grandfather, Fred Kauger in 1923 and served as post office until 1960 when it was used for storage..
Through the efforts of Yvonne’s parents, John and Alice Kauger, and family and friends, the old stucco structure was remodeled into a functional art gallery. The gallery had its first showing in 1981. Both exhibits this year are dedicated to Yvonne, John and Alice Kauger and all who help preserve and promote Indian heritage.
“I grew up to the sound of the powwows as a little girl,” Yvonne Kauger explains, “My father was raised by Cheyenne nannies and had a very deep respect for the Cheyenne which he passed on. In fact, until the sixth grade I thought I was Indian.”
In 1984, the Cheyenne-Arapaho adopted Yvonne Kauger as a member of the Standing Bird Clan.
Since the late 1880’s this area has been the tribal land of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Indians. Just west of Cobb Creek, teepees were first erected in a hardy grove and became home and gathering place for the Cheyenne-Arapaho powwow.
Colony’s Mayor Lonnie Yearwood is an active member of the community and an integral part in the rebirth of Colony with restoration projects. One project is the corner building in Colony which is destined to become a museum, and another is the Church Parsonage, a two-story stone structure from 1897.
Mayor Yearwood’s great grandfather John Seger, brought the Cheyenne-Arapahos to Colony to establish an Indian school.
“My great grandfather wanted a post office in Colony in 1896,” says the Mayor, “But there already was a post office west of here, and it was called Seger. If that was not already established the town might have been called Seger instead of Colony, as it was known as John Seger’s Colony.”
The Mayor continues, “Colony has more history than any other town in the county, as Colony started before there was an official county.”
Colony is in a renaissance with not only the Mayors projects but some homes are also being restored, upgraded and preserved. Someday the restoration projects may be on a town tour. The Mayor may be reached by email for more information on the town and the gallery accessibly during the Labor Day Weekend powwow.
Mayor Lonnie Yearwood: yrwd19@gmail.com
Since the authentic powwow activities, dance and singing, continues deep into the night, a planned overnight stay in Weatherford, Oklahoma is recommended.
I plan to be in attendance, not only at the gallery but at the powwow grounds. For a gallery appointment time email me before August 29. I continue my enthusiasm as I reported in my 1981 article, “Had I secretly crept upon this trial meeting on the great western plains of Oklahoma some hundred years ago, I could not have been more excited!”
Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zinn/
http://www.examiner.com/travel-in-oklahoma-city/terry-zinn
www.new.okveterannews.com – www.martinitravels.com
St. Anthony Hospital is pleased to welcome Shoaib Ahmad, M.D., to St. Anthony Physicians Group Pulmonary Medicine.
Dr. Ahmad is board certified in pulmonary medicine. He earned his medical degree from Nishtar Medical College in Pakistan, and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine, at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Ahmad’s office is located at 608 N.W. 9th St., Suite 3110, in Oklahoma City. To schedule an appointment please call 405-772-4400.
In the culmination of a three-month environmental effort, the numbers are in, and the hard work of Oklahomans has proven to pay off once again.
For the fifteenth consecutive year, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (KOB) took part in the nation’s largest cleanup, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful. Volunteers from all over America participate in the Great American Cleanup (GAC), and each year, Oklahomans do their part to keep the state beautiful. Since 2010, Oklahoma has had 100 percent county participation, and this year was no exception. From March 1 to May 31, over 46,000 volunteers and participants fought dirty to keep Oklahoma clean.
Organizations that register for the GAC in Oklahoma receive free trash bags, gloves, vests, water and more. In addition, 36 organizations received cash grants and 11 received equipment grants.
Since 2002, the GAC in Oklahoma has collected over 214 million pounds of litter and debris. Just this year, Oklahoma communities cleared over 3,500 miles of roadways, shorelines and hiking trails. Nearly 192,162 pounds of hazardous waste and electronics and 13,142 tires were collected, helping to protect our environment as well as keep it clean.
The Great American Cleanup is far more than a cleanup effort, however. Communities across the state participate in beautification projects, planting gardens and restoring buildings. This year, communities planted over 7,300 flowers, seedlings, shrubs and trees and painted or renovated 35 buildings.
GAC events have the power to bring communities together, with over 700 groups teaming up this year. 4-H clubs, civic organizations, FFA programs, businesses, chambers and municipalities worked together with the unified goal of keeping Oklahoma clean. The collaboration is 100 percent statewide, and Keep America Beautiful has recognized KOB several years in a row for their complete county participation.
“The KOB GAC is our signature program for which we are recognized nationally for having at least one community in all of our 77 counties participate,” said Jeanette Nance, KOB Executive Director. “It speaks volumes when we can be the facilitators for communities to come together for a beautiful cause.”
The GAC in Oklahoma not only makes municipalities more beautiful, but also unites community members.
“Community cleanups are a really fun way to volunteer,” said Wanda Gray, coordinator for the INCA-RSVP cleanup in Tishomingo. “What’s better than spending a couple hours with family, friends, and neighbors making your home a better place? Our volunteers are uniting through community service, responsibility, and sharing of the natural environment to help drastically improve the quality of their communities.”
This annual program in Oklahoma strives to strengthen communities, all while keeping this state more eco-minded and environmentally friendly. KOB maintains the belief that unity through community improvement has the power to make positive change. “For us, the Great American Cleanup is so much more than a series of litter pickups or community improvement projects,” said Brenda Russell, with the Twin Cities Revitalization Project. “It is our opportunity as a community to come together and truly showcase that we as a whole are greater than the sum of our parts.”
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful is a statewide nonprofit with a mission to empower Oklahoma citizens to preserve and enhance the state’s natural beauty and ensure a healthy, sustainable environment. To learn more about their programs, visit keepoklahomabeautiful.com.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry (ODAFF), in collaboration with Oklahoma State University, is continuing to recognize Significant Women in Oklahoma Agriculture. The initiative is designed to honor and recognize numerous women in agriculture across all 77 counties of the state, from all aspects and areas of the industry ranging from producers to educators, leaders to entrepreneurs, veterinarians to board members and many more.
“Our hope is to continue telling the stories of the countless women who give selflessly to this industry but don’t always receive an award,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Jim Reese. “This has been such a fun project for all of us in agriculture, learning of and reading the stories of these women and their contributions. We thank all of you who have sent in nominations.”
One honoree is recognized each week on ODAFF’s social media with a detailed biography of her “ag story.” Additionally, a press release acknowledging her selection is submitted to area newspapers. The benefit of using social media for recognition is the accessibility to most everyone and allows the archives to be accessed long after they were published.
“We encourage everyone to submit a nomination,” said Secretary Reese.
All nominations must be submitted online at http://okwomeninagandsmallbusiness.com/. Please submit nominations by September 30. A selection committee will continue the process of identifying nominees to be recognized as Oklahoma’s Significant Women in Agriculture.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) needs your help as we CLICK for Babies. This campaign is to create awareness of the Period of PURPLE Crying to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. Frustration with crying infants is the number one trigger for the shaking and abuse of an infant. The OSDH is recruiting crochet artists and knitters to help reach this year’s cap goal of 4,300 to spread Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention efforts across the state.
The Period of PURPLE Crying is a time when babies cry more than any other time in their life. It is important for parents to know that it is a normal and healthy part of infancy, that it is not their fault, and that it is not going to last forever. Currently, Oklahoma has 41 birthing hospitals participating in providing new mothers with The Period of PURPLE Crying DVD to educate them on normal crying patterns, how to cope with unsoothable crying, and the importance of never shaking a baby. Along with the DVD, in the months of November and December, each newborn will receive a purple baby cap as a reminder of the importance of never shaking a baby.
Volunteers are encouraged to knit or crochet newborn baby boy and girl caps of any shade of purple with soft, baby friendly yarn. The caps can have a variety of fun colors and patterns, as long as they are at least 50 percent purple and free of straps, strings or other potential choking hazards. Purple baby caps are accepted year-round. Only caps received by Oct. 1 will make it in this year’s hospital distribution.
Purple caps can be mailed to:
Oklahoma State Department of Health, ATTN: Maternal and Child Health, 1000 NE 10th St, Oklahoma City, Ok 73117-1299
To obtain patterns for caps, guidelines and “CLICK for Babies” campaign details, visit clickcampaign.health.ok.gov, or call Amy Terry at (405) 271-4471, or email amyt@health.ok.gov. Media inquiries should be directed to Cody McDonell at (405) 271-5601.
A special day long seminar will help persons losing their sight or blind and their families and friends. The Heartland Council of the Blind will present the Coping with Vision Loss Seminar on Saturday, August 19, 2017 in Oklahoma City.
Vice President of the Heartland Council of the Blind is Sandi Webster of Oklahoma City who lost her vision in 2002. Sandi said the seminar will provide essential tools and encouragement for persons losing their vision and their families and friends. “These people go through the stages of grief, but there is help,” Sandi said.
A previous seminar participant says she used the provided helps right away. “It was like attending a one stop shop. We met Vision, Mobility and Technology Specialists and were introduced to Support Systems. Break-out sessions are: Advocacy, Training for Family/Friends, Just for Men, Just for Women, Technology, Deaf/Blind Information and Visual Services Information. Cost of $20 for the seminar includes lunch, a Resources Notebook and a CD. Registration forms are available at www.hcbokc.org. Or register by calling Heartland Council of the Blind President Frances Poindexter at 405-642-1068. Registration must be received by Wednesday, August 16th. The seminar will be at the New Hope United Methodist Church at 11600 N. Council Rd., OKC, from 9 AM to 4 PM. Check-in begins at 8:30 AM.
