By Marise Boehs

INSPIRE was giving free blood pressure checks.

Cody Metscher, Clinical Liason, said INSPIRE comes monthly to HLN to give No Charge blood pressure checks to persons wanting them.

For more information:
www.inspirehospital.com

Liz Barfield, Founder, Better Bites, was in the Center’s kitchen
preparing tasty snacks.

Better Bites offers locally made, well-balanced individually portioned meals to fit any lifestyle and nutritional goals.

www.betterbitesbylizb.com

Mark Cope, Nerve Renewal, talks to attendees about neuropathy pain.

Nerve Renewal offers long-term relief from chronic nerve pain and numbness with advanced therapy for peripheral, diabetic, and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy pain.

Nerve Renewal has offices across the Metro as well as in Shawnee, Stillwater and Broken Arrow.

To find a Nerve Renewal office near you and for more information about threatments available, check out their website at www.nerverenewalnow.com

Ryan Adkins, Nutritional Health Coach, Natural Grocers, talks with an attendee. Natural Grocers offers free Nutritional Health Coaching Sessions. For more information or to find a store near you, log on to www.naturalgrocers.com

Lezley Bell, CaptionCall, talks with attendees about the service they offer – a phone that displays large, easy-to-read text that automatically captions your conversation. The sevice and phone are no cost to you. For more information, email Lezley at lbell2@sorenson.com or call her at 580-302-4283.

ABOUT HEALTHY LIVING NORMAN
The mission of Healthy Living Norman is to promote the health and well-being of adults aged 50 and older by providing opportunities for physical activity, social engagement, and lifelong learning at the Adult Wellness and Education Center.

CENTER AMENITIES
Warm Indoor Saltwater Pool
Demonstration Kitchen
Fitness Center
Land and Water Fitness Classes
Health Screenings
Seminars and Events
Billiards
Indoor Walking Track
Outdoor Pickleball Courts
Fireplace and Lounge Area
Small Gathering Spaces
Art and Educational Classes

CLASSES  The center offers a variety of art and craft classes.

Fitness classes include water exercise as well as land exercises like yoga, pilates, tia chi, aerobics and line dancing or belly dancing.

Check out the entire list and  schedule of classes at www.healthylivingnorman.com

By Nick Thomas

With a catchy melody, simple lyrics, and an unforgettable repetitive chorus, Peggy March’s “I Will Follow Him” possessed all the ingredients to create a classic 60s hit. And it did. Released in early 1963 and showcasing the singer’s impressively mature 14-year-old vocals, Little Peggy March’s song soared up the Billboard Hot 100 chart in just 3 months to reach the Number 1 spot.
Since then, she’s performed the song thousands of times and today remains especially popular in Europe.
“I was in school when I signed with RCA,” recalled March in a Zoom interview from Marburg, Germany, where she spends several weeks each year when not in Florida. “They sent me all over the world to promote the record which became hugely popular in Germany. The country essentially adopted me and I’ve been part of the German recording industry ever since.”
Just exactly when she first performed the song live in public remains a bit hazy. “Probably at one of the record hops I was doing,” she said, “In the 60s, a lot of high schools had dances and I would do those occasionally as a way to promote the record.” But she does recall the original studio recording and initially not being keen on the song.
“When I walked into my producers’ office, they played it and said, ‘Peggy this is your next hit,’” she recalled. “My sister remembers vividly that I didn’t like the song because it was too repetitive. But I was clearly wrong! We all know now that is its great hook”
However, there was a time when she almost left the business. “I was very young when I started – 14 when I recorded the song and 15 by the time it went to Number 1,” she said. “By my early 20s, I was tired of being on the road and really didn’t think I wanted to do this anymore. But, I got over it!”
Although March followed her big hit with other singles and continued to have modest chart appearances in the U.S. with songs such as “Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love,” she could never recapture the commercial success of her first hit. Today, however, at 76, she still travels the world cranking out her popular tune to enthusiastic audiences.
In 2013, exactly 50 years after the release of her 1963 hit on January 22, she even recorded an anniversary video of “I Will Follow Him” in Holland, her voice just as strong and perhaps even richer than her youthful rendition.
“We updated the original to make it a little more interesting, but didn’t want to change too much,” she explained. “It was one of the shortest songs I’ve ever recorded, around two and a half minutes, so we made the new version a little longer. Instrumentally it’s pretty much the same except there’s a key change, but I really like it.”
(Portions of the author’s interview originally appeared in Florida Currents magazine in 2022).

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for many newspapers and magazines. See
https://www.getnickt.org.

Senior Citizens’ Events at the Metropolitan Library System

Library Card Sign-Up Month
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month-a perfect time to discover everything your library card offers! Borrow books, access digital resources and more with ease. If you’re a senior 65+ or homebound in Oklahoma County, take advantage of Library by Mail for free book delivery. The library also supports On-Site Libraries at select senior living facilities. Explore audiobooks on CD, Playaway devices, or digitally through hoopla and Libby, or join us for special events with your grandkids like National Grandparents’ Day on September 5 at Almonte Library.

8 Ways to Use Your Library Card Today

• Borrow Books and Media: Access bestsellers, classic books, and other media with no overdue fines. Plus, borrow books from other libraries through interlibrary loans.
• Access Digital Resources: Explore eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and more through Libby, hoopla, and Kanopy. • Use Online Learning Platforms: Enhance your skills with LinkedIn Learning, Mango Languages, and LearningExpress Library. • Discover a New Hobby: Watch instructional videos or take online classes on drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, crochet, quilting, backing, and more with CreativeBug. • Attend Library Programs: Connect with your community by joining craft nights, book clubs, and more. For details on upcoming events, visit metrolibrary.org/events/upcoming. • Get Assistance from Librarians: Request personalized reading lists with Tailored Titles and get help with all your library-related questions. • Explore Your Roots: Research your family history with Ancestry Library Edition, available for in-library use only. • Use Public Computers and Wi-Fi: Access high-speed internet at any library location.

Upcoming Events for Seniors at Metropolitan Library locations

• S.A.L.T. Council (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) Learn about the latest crimes and scams targeting seniors and how to protect yourself! This program is part of TRIAD, a collaborative effort between the Sheriff’s office, local police departments, and senior citizens to reduce and prevent crimes against seniors. The council meets on the first Monday of every month at the Warr Acres Library. • September 3 at 10 a.m. at Warr Acres Library
• Tai Chi Let’s get stronger together! Tai Chi improves balance, strengthens muscles, and builds confidence to prevent falls. This low-impact, dance-like exercise can be done almost anywhere. Registration required; space is limited. • September 4, 11, 18, 25 at 1 p.m. at Choctaw Library • September 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 at 10 a.m. at Belle Isle Library
• Intermediate Tai Chi Intermediate Tai Chi helps improve mind, body, and spirit through slow, continuous movements. Prior Tai Chi experience is recommended. The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays for six weeks. Register online or in the library. Explore Tai Chi books and videos during your visit! • September 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26 at 10:15 a.m. at Southern Oaks Library
• Total Wellness A free program by the Oklahoma City-County Health Department to help adults prevent diabetes and heart disease through weight loss and increased activity.
• September 18, 25 at 5:15 p.m. at Northwest Library • September 19, 26 at 9:30 a.m. at Del City Library • September 19, 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Almonte Library
• Stay Active & Independent for Life (SAIL) A program designed to increase muscle strength, range of motion, and improve daily living activities, including chair exercises.
• September 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25 at 10 a.m. at The Village Library • September 4, 11, 18, 25 at 10 a.m. at Choctaw Library
• Alzheimer’s Support Group The Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Support Group provides a supportive community for caregivers, offering comfort, practical advice, and a safe space to share experiences. • September 24 at 6 p.m. at Bethany Library
About the Metropolitan Library System:
The Metropolitan Library System serves Oklahoma County’s 800,000 residents across its 19 locations, welcoming over 5.4 million visits annually with more than 10 million checkouts. Explore digital resources available 24/7 at https://www.metrolibrary.org.

Dear Savvy Senior, What are the early signs and symptoms of diabetes? I’m 60 years old, and in pretty good shape, but was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. What did I miss? Diabetic Dan

Dear Dan,
The signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be so mild that many people miss them. That’s why testing is so important. Here’s what you should know.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 38 million Americans have diabetes today, and another 97 million have prediabetes, but many of them don’t even know they have it.
Type 2 diabetes is a disease that develops slowly over decades. Most people have prediabetes for a long time before the disease becomes full-blown diabetes, and even then, it progresses gradually.
Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. This excess blood sugar damages blood vessels and affects circulation, putting you at risk for a host of ailments, from heart attack and stroke to blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage.
Signs and Symptoms
So how can you tell if you have diabetes? The earliest signs, which are usually subtle, including urinating more frequently (often at night), being thirster and hungrier than usual, weight loss without trying, feeling very tired, having dry itchy skin and blurry vision.
And the symptoms that can indicate advanced diabetes and long-term damage has occurred includes cuts or sores that heal slowly, having more infections than usual, and pain or numbness in your feet or legs.
Who Should Get Tested?
Because prediabetes typically causes no outward symptoms, and the signs of early type 2 diabetes can easily be missed, the only way to know for sure if you have it is to get a blood test.
Everyone age 45 years or older should consider getting tested for diabetes, especially if you are overweight with a body mass index (BMI) above 25. See https://www.cdc.gov/bmi to calculate your BMI.
If you are younger than 45 but are overweight, or have high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes, or belong to an ethnic group (Latino, Asian, African or Native American) at high risk for diabetes, you should get checked too.
To help you determine your risk for diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a quick, online risk test you can take for free at https://diabetes.org/diabetes-risk-test.
Diabetes Tests
There are three different tests your doctor can give you to diagnosis diabetes. The most common is the “fasting plasma glucose test,” which requires an eight-hour fast before you take it. There’s also the “oral glucose tolerance test” to see how your body processes sugar, and the “hemoglobin A1C test” that measures your average blood sugar over the past three months. It can be taken anytime regardless of when you ate.
Most private health insurance plans and Medicare cover diabetes tests, however, if you’re reluctant to visit your doctor to get tested, an alternative is to go to the drug store, buy a blood glucose meter and test yourself at home. They cost around $20.
If you find that you are prediabetic or diabetic, you need to see your doctor to develop a plan to get it under control. In many cases lifestyle changes like losing weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on carbohydrates may be all you need to do to get your diabetes under control. For others who need more help, many medications are available.
For more information on diabetes and prediabetes or to find help, join a lifestyle change program recognized by the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes-prevention). These programs offer in-person and online classes in more than 1,500 locations throughout the U.S.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit https://savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

By Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready

Did you know that life expectancy in the United States for men and women increased by about 10 years between 1960 and 2015? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, individuals over 65 accounted for 16.8% of the country’s total population in 2020. Americans are living longer, and often, older adults rely on long-term care during the later stages of life, which is where long-term care insurance can help. There are several factors to consider when considering long-term care insurance.
What is long-term care insurance?
Contrary to what many might think, long-term care encompasses more than care in a nursing home. This type of care usually includes home care, hospice care, or adult day health care. Long-term care insurance helps to cover the cost of this care. It includes policies providing nursing home care, home health care, community-based care, or any combination. This type of policy does not include coverage provided under comprehensive or major medical policies, Medicare Advantage, or accelerated heath benefit-type products.
How much does long-term care cost?
Long-term care can be expensive. The Cost of Care Survey by Genworth, which breaks down costs for different kinds of care for each state, found that monthly costs in Oklahoma can range from about $1,800 for adult day health care to almost $7,000 for a private room in a nursing home facility. These are median costs for the state and can vary depending on location and level of care.
Does Medicare cover long-term care?
Medicare generally does not cover long-term care. Medicare Part A does cover skilled nursing facility care, nursing home care (as long as custodial care isn’t the only care you need), hospice care and limited home care. You may qualify for long-term care through Medicaid, but you can opt to purchase a long-term policy from a private insurance company.
Do I need long-term care insurance?
When determining your need for long-term care insurance, consider several factors:
• You should consider your personal health situation. If you need assistance with daily activities due to illness or disability, a long-term care policy might benefit you.
• Your age should play a part in your decision, as your need for care increases as you age.
• You should think about your financial situation. Long-term insurance might be a good option if you can afford premiums without financial difficulty.
Which resources are out there?
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) offers a comprehensive shopping guide to long-term care insurance that can answer many questions about this type of insurance. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living has a Long-Term Care Pathfinder to help locate care and assess needs. As always, if you have any questions about this type of insurance, the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) is here to help at 800-522-0071 or https://www.oid.ok.gov.