Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn [email protected]

There comes a time in every senior’s life when you say, “Enough.” No, not enough of bills, enough of aches and pains, nor enough, everyday aggravation, but enough stuff. Stuff you you have bought over the years you still enjoy and don’t regret, but enough, maybe for just plain space to properly display and care for. There are no regrets in dusting your crystal, or original art, or even finding room on your closets for those beloved with fond memories stirred by wardrobe. If you are sentimental, sometimes your memories are your most prized possessions. There’s no need to down size your memories as there is always space to create and enjoy collecting more.
Reliving your memories and times in travel destinations is a comfort and joy. But why not make new pleasant memories a little closer to home with less travel time, energy and expense, by seeing the best in live performances?
From Lawton to Bartlesville and Tulsa, from Durant to Enid and certainly in the central metro-plex of Oklahoma City, Edmond, Guthrie and Norman, live theater is abundant. The best way economically and schedule wise, is to invest in a season subscription. A season long subscription ensure that you will not miss a performance, as its on your calendar as a prepaid event, and you are sure to go. In past seasons Lyric Theater of Oklahoma and CityRep theater in conjunction with their entertainment season has brought to OKC legendary entertainers in one person spotlight shows, including, Bernadette Peters, John Lithgow, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune, and the incomparable Patti Lupone. This season as part of a subscription series is iconic cabaret veteran, Marylin Maye.
Super Senior entertainer, Marilyn Maye, performs as part of the University of Central Oklahoma Broadway Tonight season, at the OKC Boathouse, on November 1. I saw Marilyn Maye, there in OKC a couple of years ago in that intimate space and was once again warmed to hear her smooth mellow tones and was infected by her sincere joy of life. Today at age 91 she continues to charm audiences as she did on the Johnny Carson Show for a record breaking number of appearances, back in the day.
The photos here are of Marilyn Maye when she wowed the Dallas Fairmont Venetian room in 2011, where she performed a benefit concert for the Dallas Children’s Theatre. It’s not known exactly what songs she will perform on this visit but they may include some from that show.
Marilyn in her own down to earth personable way began the Fairmont concert with a number of songs relating to rainbows – pretty, but so what? Then she tickled our funny bone by sliding into the Sesame Street song, “ The Rainbow Connection,” which begins with the line,“Why are there so many songs about Rainbows?” The audience easily got the joke.
The rest of the over 1 hour and 40 minutes of music, nostalgia, humor and pathos was peppered with over 22 songs and or medleys including; a suite from Hello Dolly, her signature “Let a Winner Lead the Way,” “Maybe This Time”, a song from the Broadway show Catch Me If You Can, “I’m through with love,” and a song from her childhood, “Look For The Silver Lining.”
Commenting on her age, between doing high kicks, she exclaimed, “I’m too old to be humble.” All said in good nature, and with her talent and decades of performances with some of the greats of the musical world, there’s no need to be.
Near closing she performed Follies, “I’m Still Here” where she got a standing ovation as she did when she performed if for Stephen Sondheim’s Carnegie Hall Birthday Party. She recalls, “Steve came up to me after the show and just said ‘Congratulations,’ that’s all.” Sondheim is know for his brevity and what can you say to the performer who lived and interpreted that song to perfection, other than “Congratulations?”
Marilyn Maye, called the NYC’s Queen of Cabaret, truly loves performing and continues more and more as she is booked constantly at New York Supper clubs and other concert appearances. No doubt you will be uplifted and inspired by this Super Senior as she continues to celebrate life in song and stories, on November 1, at the OKC Central Boathouse, as part of the UCO Broadway Tonight Series. For limited seating single tickets and season subscriptions you must call the UCO box office ASAP at (405) 974-3375.

www.newbyvancemobility.com

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently announced that fifteen INTEGRIS Family Care Clinics earned Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition renewal.
The clinics received the initial recognition in 2016 for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and long-term, participative relationships.
The facilities receiving the PCMH Certificate of Recognition renewal are listed below:
INTEGRIS Family Care Baptist
INTEGRIS Family Care Central
INTEGRIS Family Care Norman
INTEGRIS Family Care Yukon
INTEGRIS Family Care Coffee Creek
INTEGRIS Family Care Edmond East
INTEGRIS Family Care Edmond Renaissance
INTEGRIS Family Care Memorial West
INTEGRIS Family Care Northwest
INTEGRIS Family Care Southwest
INTEGRIS Family Care Lake Pointe
INTEGRIS Family Care Moore
INTEGRIS Family Care Surrey Hills
INTEGRIS Family Care South
INTEGRIS Family Care Mustang
The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients’ experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient’s care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care.
To date, sixteen INTEGRIS Family Care Clinics have achieved this distinction. INTEGRIS Family Care South Penn has a different renewal cycle.

The Contribution of Women Composers

Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble will celebrate the contribution of notable women composers, from Clara Schumann to contemporaries such as Libby Larsen, in its 2019-2020 season. This year the ensemble marks its 17th as Oklahoma City’s premier classical chamber music presenter. The five-concert regular season will also include works by Brahms, Dvorák, Mozart, Haydn and Tchaikovsky. In June the ensemble will again present a four-concert summer chamber music festival.
The ensemble will be joined by two guest artists: pianist Stephen Buck in Concert 3 and French horn player Adam Unsworth in Concert 4. Buck is Visiting Professor of Music at the Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York, and Unsworth is Professor of Horn at the University of Michigan.
Concert 1 – “Melodic Masters” September 24, presents a lyrical evening with Germaine Tailleferre’s piano trio, Josef Suk’s Piano Quartet in A minor, and Johannes Brahms String Sextet No. 1.
Concert 2 – “From Café to Concert Hall” November 12, will include Clara Schumann’s masterpiece, her Piano Trio in G minor; Paul Schoenfield’s ever-popular Café Music, a trio for violin, cello and piano; and Antonín Dvorák’s Piano Trio No. 4, the “Dumky,” one of his best-loved works.
Concert 3 – “Rustic Gardens” January 21, features Libby Larsen’s Barn Dances, Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Quintet, W. A. Mozart’s Quartet No. 1, and Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1 (arr. by Anton Webern). Joining ensemble musicians will be guest pianist Stephen Buck.
Concert 4 – “The Virtuoso French Horn” March 3, will showcase the versatility and elegance of the French horn, ranging from works by Joseph Haydn and Mozart to contemporary Catherine Likhuta, with guest artist Adam Unsworth.
Concert 5 – “Musical Panorama” April 14, concludes the regular season with works by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his popular Souvenir de Florence, Sir Malcolm Arnold’s Suite Bourgeoise for Flute, Oboe and Piano and Joan Tower’s Island Prelude for Oboe and String Quartet. Capping the evening will be “In Box” by Oklahoma City’s Edward Knight, an off-kilter look at the daily communications flooding the inbox.
In June the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble will present Summer Festival IX at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Dates and programs will be announced in January.
Season Membership Passes are available on our website or at the door for $100 for all regular season concerts and the four festival concerts. Single admission prices are $20 at the door. Children admitted free. Active-duty military and students are free with ID.
Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, Oklahoma City’s own chamber ensemble, presents fine classical chamber music in the beautiful and acoustically-rich St. Paul’s Cathedral at NW 7th and N. Robinson near downtown Oklahoma City. Free parking is available just south of the cathedral. For more information about the ensemble and upcoming concerts, visit www.brightmusic.org

www.meadowlakesretirementvillage.com

by Vivkie Jenkins
Staff Writer

Touchmark is the premier retirement community in north Edmond. We offer elegant independent and assisted living with a person centered Memory Care! The three-story Grandview offers more than 100 apartments. Phase I includes underground parking, a storm shelter, a variety of dining options, housekeeping services, scheduled transportation, bistro, beauty and barber salon, billiard and game room, fitness center, library, multipurpose room, and chapel. The Parkview neighborhood features 56 single-family homes, varying in size from 1,600 square feet to more than 2,000.
We have a national award winning Life Enrichment program which keeps plenty of entertaining options for our residents. It has been said our community feels like a lovely hotel and cruise ship on land. -Touchmark at Coffee Creek-
With an outgoing and bubbly personality showing is Angelie Sales, LPN, and Assistant Living Manager at Touchmark at Coffee Creek in Edmond, OK. Angelie Sales became a nurse to make a difference in people’s lives. “Touchmark’s mission is to enrich people’s lives. To work for a company that embodies the same values I uphold as a person is very important to me,” Angelie said.
Angelie grew up in Iloilo, Philippines. From there, she lived in Los Angeles and moved to Oklahoma in 2001. She attended Platt College and has been a nurse for ten years. “My nursing instructors were great mentors, and during my first years in nursing, I was lucky to have worked with excellent nurses. Even now, I am grateful for the nurses that I continue to work with.” she said.
Angelie’s first job was a private duty nurse. She has been at Touchmark at Coffee Creek for four years and four months. “I love my job here and can’t imagine being anywhere else,” she added.
“I have always had a desire to help others. My husband and I are ministry leaders for our church; as a family we help with feeding the homeless at downtown OKC every fourth Sunday of the month,” Angelie commented. “Feeding the hungry feeds the soul,” she added.
Asking what qualities make a good nurse, Angelie replied, “It’s important not just to care and implement a care-plan but also to have the ability to see a resident as a whole. As a nurse, I am very involved in some of life’s most difficult and delicate moments. Being able to be flexible by providing just the right amount of tenderness when giving care, with strong, sound, and reliable clinical judgment is vital.”
What is your biggest reward as a nurse? “Becoming a trusted member of the community that I work for. Residents and their families have come to know me and trust me,” Angelie answered.
What is your biggest challenge, “That would be separating work from home life. That is not so easy to do sometimes,” she said.
Asking Angelie to describe herself. “I am a very loyal and strong-willed. I am definitely a leader. When I set my mind on something, it is difficult to change my decision,” she said with a laugh. Angelie was also recognized as OKALA Nurse of the Year in 2017.
Angelie has been married to Carlo for twenty-two years. Her children, Marc and Roni also work at Touchmark as dining room servers. Her youngest, Charlize, volunteers at Touchmark.
Angelie’s hobbies include anything away from work! “I enjoy interior design, gardening and reading. I also love dogs!” she added.
If Angela were to give advice to someone going into the medical field, she would tell them, “Remain curious!” Daily words that can be heard throughout the day from Angelie while at work are, beautiful hands are those that do. And encouraging words from Angelie are, we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Currently, Angelie is in school at SNU, hopefully to get a degree in family studies and gerontology.
What is something that most people don’t know about Angelie? “The fact that I can climb a tree,” she laughed.
Summing up her life in one word is: EVOLVING.

www.caresuitesokc.com

Do you have swelling in your legs that will not go away?
Do your legs get red and warm?
Are your legs discolored or “stained”?
Do you have “weeping” from the lower legs?
Have you had a blood clot in your legs or in your lungs?
Do you have an ulcer or wound in your lower legs that will not heal, or has to be treated by a wound care specialist?
If one or more of these symptoms apply to you, then you could have Venous Stasis Disease
What is Venous Stasis Disease (VSD)?
Veins are the blood vessels which collect blood from tissues and organs all over the body. These veins are filled with carbon dioxide and waste products of metabolism from the tissues and organs. The veins return the blood to the right side of the heart and lungs to be replenished with oxygen and nutrients. It is then pumped out again to the tissues and organs of the body by the left side of the heart. In VSD the veins are not working effectively and blood flow back to the heart is slowed causing poor circulation and pooling of blood in the legs which leads to swelling.
Who is affected?
Primarily older men and women, but VSD can affect all ages. It becomes increasingly common with each year of life. Men are affected earlier, but women catch up quickly. People who have had blood clots in the legs or lungs, pelvic injury or surgery are at higher risk. This can also occur in some people because of the way their bodies are built. People who tend to stand in one position for prolonged periods or who sit at a desk for extended times are at increased risk.
How is it diagnosed?
Careful history and physical exam of an individual by a healthcare professional. After a physical exam, if venous stasis disease is suspected specialized ultrasound exams of the veins in the leg are performed . Oftentimes, specialized testing such as venograms or ultrasound with a probe or camera inside the vein is used to further diagnose.
What are the consequences of the disease?
Pain, cramping in the legs, burning pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet are common symptoms of venous stasis disease. Wounds or infections that are slow to resolve or do not resolve are also signs of the disease. Feet that turn blue, have constant severe pain, ulcers or dark “staining” of the skin may be a result of VSD. If left untreated or treated too late, it can lead to amputations or spread of infection into the bone or blood stream. Eventually, it can also lead to marked thickening of the skin in the legs and transformation to skin more like a thick hide in the lower legs.
Is it preventable?
Try to avoid sitting or standing in position for prolonged periods. Avoid periods of more than 2 hours at a time. Try to spend a few minutes walking and exercising the muscles in your legs, this helps “pump” blood back to the heart.
* Diabetes – it is very important to work with your primary healthcare professional to control your diabetes with a combination of medication, healthy diet, lifestyle modification, and weight loss
* Right heart failure – this can lead to swelling of both legs and requires management by a cardiologist
* Smoking – never start, or if you still smoke – QUIT!
* Overweight – manage with diet modification, weight loss, regular exercise
How is Venous Stasis Disease treated?
* Initially, conservative treatment such as compression stockings is used to put pressure on the legs, reduce swelling, and help pump blood back up to the heart. Diuretics or “water pills” may need to be supplemented to help reduce swelling.
* If there is a wound present, sometimes treatment by a wound care specialist is required
* Minimally invasive (percutaneous) procedures through an iv placed into the vein – in the neck or groin.
*Angioplasty – balloons of various sizes are used to expand a vein to its natural size – the balloon is removed after treatment is complete
*Stents – used in select situations to expand a vein to its normal size, and hold it open with a “scaffold” – these are permanent implants.
Who can treat it?
This can be treated by select cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and interventional radiologists. If you feel that you may be at risk for venous stasis disease, or have some of the above symptoms, you should consult your primary healthcare professional to screen for it, and to discuss treatment options.
Dr. C.V Ramana is a vascular and interventional radiologist with more than 20 years of practice experience. He has expertise in all areas of vascular and interventional radiology. Dr. Ramana has a Ph.D from Yale University and MD from CWRU in Cleveland, Ohio where he subsequently completed his fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the Cleveland Clinic.

www.fountainbrookliving.com

Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF) is awarding $3.9 million in research dollars to Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, funding a total of 64 new grants during its June grant cycle in the areas of cancer, diabetes, heart, aging, and pediatrics.
Since revitalizing funding of medical research in Oklahoma, PHF has granted more than $20 million to the two research powerhouses, and the foundation doesn’t see its funding focus slowing any time soon.
“We are committed to funding the best, cutting-edge science to secure life-enhancing treatments for people in Oklahoma, across the country, and world,” said PHF’s President Tom R. Gray, III. “Getting scientists together who can combine their know-how in a collaborative way plays a critical role in achieving meaningful results. We’re excited about the many grants that were presented to us this round, in particular the team science awards.”
PHF team science grants are intended to foster innovative, collaborative approaches to research projects involving multiple researchers. These grants focus on collaborative relationships with at least two or more investigators on each project, combining and integrating basic, clinical, community-based and translational research endeavors.
A collaborative project funded at OMRF will continue its investigation on therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Scientists Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., and Rheal Towner, Ph.D. will work in concert to test a new compound designed to ameliorate the effects of the disease. “The PHF funding will allow us to test the preliminary hypothesis that OKN-007, an anti-inflammatory compound with neuroprotective effects, can have a beneficial effect on the initiation and progression of ALS,” said Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., chair of OMRF’s Aging and Metabolism Research Program. “The data we obtain from this study will be used to help us secure further funding to move this drug forward to a clinical trial for ALS.”
One particular team of scientists at OUHSC will focus its efforts on pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer affecting people today. The team, including Courtney Houchen, M.D., Min Li, Ph.D., and CV Rao, Ph.D., is exploring how to improve treatment methods with this diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer is particularly deadly because the way it grows is not highly responsive to available chemotherapies. In addition, patients often struggle with complications like cachexia, a muscle-wasting condition that affects at least 80 percent of people with pancreatic cancer. Because cachexia takes such a toll on patients, many cannot withstand surgery and they respond poorly to chemotherapy and radiation.
“Pancreatic cancer is a very tough disease, and novel therapies like treating cachexia are the only way we’re going to make progress because the traditional approach of trying to destroy the tumor isn’t enough,” Houchen said.
“We’ve seen an encouraging uptick in collaborative proposals over the last few years, indicating to us that the teamwork amongst Oklahoma’s researchers in stronger than ever,” said Gray. “We are confident these continued efforts will translate into better quality of life for us all.”

Saturday will mark a half-century since Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. In the 50 years since, space missions have had an unlikely touchpoint right here in Oklahoma—at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
In 1978, Shannon Lucid, Ph.D., then working as a post-doctoral researcher at OMRF, was selected as part of the first class of female astronauts in NASA’s space shuttle program. Her time at OMRF, where she’d studied how chemicals cause cancerous changes in cells, had not prepared her for the media onslaught that followed the announcement.
Local and international news outlets, including crews from Time, Life and People magazines, came to OMRF to interview Lucid. She even appeared on the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.
Despite Lucid’s newfound fame, she remained “very down to earth,” said Don Gibson, who worked in the lab with Lucid during the six-plus years she was at OMRF. She spent several months wrapping up her scientific projects at the foundation, determined not to leave any loose ends for her colleagues.
It took seven years of training, but in 1985, Lucid became the sixth American woman to reach space. And as a mission specialist aboard three different space shuttles, she put her scientific training to use.
She conducted a project on the growth of ice crystals and studied the effects of space on wild wheat. She observed quail embryos and, in a nod to her days at OMRF, even did a project with lab rats.
“On the Columbia, we had 48 rats to tend, and I worked with them every day,” Lucid told OMRF’s Findings magazine in 2016. “No one else on the mission had ever done that sort of thing, so I was a natural for that task.”
While NASA’s research has focused on what transpires far above the earth’s surface, many of the projects on space flights also aim to change things right here on our planet. That was the case with a pair of experiments that OMRF’s Allen Edmundson, Ph.D., sent into space in 2003 aboard the shuttle Columbia.
The experiments involved taking cells from cancer patients in their natural, liquid form and transforming them into solid crystals. Once the cells had been crystallized, which happens more readily in the gravity-free atmosphere of space than under earthbound conditions, Edmundson planned to bombard them with radiation to study their structure. He hoped that unmasking the cells’ structure might lead to new cancer treatments.
However, after 16 days in space, the Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere. All seven astronauts on the shuttle died.
When Edmundson later viewed photos of shuttle debris found near Nacogdoches, Texas, he was stunned. There, amidst the wreckage, was a small, aluminum container that had held his experiments.
“I couldn’t believe that our little box could have survived a fall from 200,000 feet,” he said. Still, his experiments did not.
The Columbia tragedy put a temporary halt to human space flight, but those missions eventually resumed. This past March, Vice President Mike Pence announced that NASA was aiming for a new generation of Americans to reprise Armstrong’s lunar landing by 2024.
“We still have so much to learn from space,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D. “Judging from history, I feel confident that Oklahoma scientists will continue to contribute to this process of exploration and discovery.”

www.whisperingcreekretirement.com

I like the nice weather and getting out in it and maybe walk. Joan Quatro

I used to jog a lot but now I just do boxing. Dovie Kasper

Vacation. I used to hike, backpack and rock climb. Now I don’t do much of anything. Robert Quatro

I like to camp, boat, ski and fish. I’m an outdoor person – have been all my life. Chris Offerson

https://www.aefuneral.com/

Story and photos by Darl DeVault

When active people first see athletes playing pickleball the first thing they say is “Can I try it.” That is exactly what happened last Fall when University of Oklahoma football running back legend Joe Washington saw pickleball demonstrations during the Oklahoma State Fair.
Once on the court and swinging a pickleball racket, Washington’s interest grew with each volley, as his first exposure lasted a vigorous 15 minutes.
Washington dresses more formally than some, as he played in the NFL for nine years. But his manner of dress did not stop him that day. The former football star, 65, was so taken with the sport he forgot to take off his sports jacket as he applied his talent as an athlete.
“I had no idea a sport would let you smash the ball like a pro tennis player and yet not be afraid you would hurt the player on the other side of the net,” Washington said recently. “Playing pickleball made me feel like I was a tennis pro while giving me that feeling of being a kid again.”
Many seniors have caught on to the sport as well, as the sport is exploding in popularity. The court (44 by 20 feet) is about the size of the inner third of a tennis court. For seniors this means it is easier to keep the ball in play.
Players get their exercise in each of the 11-point games lasting about 15 minutes because the ball stays in play longer on the small court.
When Washington first saw that he could easily return each volley he stopped a minute and really examined the paddle. The paddle doesn’t have strings. Using a soft ball makes this a low intensity stroke that puts minimal stress on the tendons and muscles of the arms.
“With the serve done underhanded, I could easily concentrate on moving into position to return serve,” Washington said. “The game became easier to play with every point, as learning it is quick and the effort so easy on your arm.”
The demonstration Washington attended was a part of the run up to the Oklahoma Senior Games last year. The Games held in the Fall in Oklahoma have seen a major spike in pickleball participants in the last few years, as more players catch on to the low stress paddle sport.
Nationally the number of places to play has more than doubled since 2010. There are now nearly 4,000 locations around the country on the national associations Places to Play map. On the road to forming the USA Pickleball Association, the sport really started in 1967 when Joel Pritchard and Bob O’Brian played the fledgling game they helped create.
By 1990 all 50 states were roaring with the sound of ball against paddle. This year the USAPA says the sport has seen a 650 percent increase in numbers over the last six years.
Because of its appeal to all levels of athletes, the sport is gaining popularity within community centers, PE classes, YMCA facilities and retirement communities. Growth worldwide is seen in many new international clubs forming and national governing bodies now established in Canada and India.
Washington is a Crimson and Cream football legend. He helped win two national championships as the marquee running back. As a wishbone running back, receiver, punt and kick-off returner he fueled the head-coach-Barry-Switzer-led back-to-back national championships glory days of 1974-75 in Norman.
Difficult to tackle in the open field, he was one of the most complete offensive players to ever play on Owen Field. His nine-year NFL career was also successful, earning him Pro Bowl status and playing time in a winning Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins in 1982.
Then “Little Joe” returned to OU to run the Varsity “O” Association in 2007 for sports letterwinners and has been helping all things OU sports ever since.
One of the smallest and most elusive running backs at 5-foot-10, 175-pounds, he was one of the few players to ever leave the Sooners holding their yards-from-scrimmage record with 4,248 yards. His track-star speed was his ticket to greatness, although he is quick to explain he is proud he was also a spirited blocker when anyone else ran with the ball at OU. Selected consensus All-American and 1974 NCAA Football Player of the Year and later a 2005 College Football Hall of Famer, he is now the author of The Seven Secrets of the Silver Shoes: Principles for Success On and Off the Field.
This year the Oklahoma Senior Games pickleball tournament runs September 27-29 at the OKC Tennis Center at Will Rogers Park with an entry deadline of September 13. Go to okseniorgames.org to enter.
For those active seniors who want to see pickleball played and explained before they try it, the USAPA Web site features many videos on its Pickleball Channel.

www.tealridge.com