by Bobby Anderson
Staff Writer

Nearly 20 years ago, Lynn Haynes remembers her phone ringing at the American Red Cross with a worried voice on the other end of the line.
A volunteer with Meals on Wheels Norman was calling the social worker saying their client wasn’t coming to the door to receive their daily meal.
There was noise inside and what sounded like the client’s voice, but no one came to the door.
Haynes drove over and found a window open on the side of the house and went in to investigate.
As she entered she stepped over the elderly woman who had fallen eight hours earlier and had broken her hip.
After calling 911 Haynes sat with the woman and noticed she didn’t seem too worried.
“What she said to me was ‘I knew I would be OK because I knew Meals on Wheels would get to me,’” Haynes recalled. “That was my first experience with them and that made me realize this was a really good thing.”
“Meals on Wheels kind of helps people to stay independent and make sure they have food,” Haynes said of the program’s core mission.
Meals on Wheels America estimates that some 15 to 20 percent of Oklahoma seniors struggle with hunger.
Nationally, one in six seniors face hunger while some 233,000 Oklahoma seniors live in or near poverty.
It’s estimated that one year’s worth of meals for a senior costs the same amount as one day of a hospital stay.
Meals on Wheels of Norman operates on an annual budget of $575,000 with food costs ranging between $15,000 and $20,000 each month.
Haynes said special grants and donations also fund a pet food program.
Haynes is proud that Meals on Wheels has some volunteers who have been around nearly 30 years.
She shudders to think about what might happen if Meals on Wheels Norman went away.
“I think it would be very hard for our community,” Haynes says. “I think you would see people, especially seniors placed more in nursing facilities.”
Haynes says clients pay for their meals based on a sliding scale based on income. Some clients receive their meals for free while others pay from 81 cents to $6.25 per meal.
Haynes knows better than most the program’s deliveries go beyond just providing nutrition.
The friendly volunteers develop relationships and look forward to visiting clients each day.
The feeling is mutual.
The visits insure the health of loved ones and to see that they are receiving a nutritious meal each day.
History
The agency began serving the Norman community January 21, 1972 as the Norman Mobile Meals Council, under the direction of the late Tedo Prickett, executive director and co-founder.
Meals on Wheels has maintained the same basic philosophy to improve nutrition by providing meal service to the ill, disabled, and senior residents within the Norman city limits. The organization strives to improve the mental health of isolated recipients by providing visitation and to improve the wellbeing of senior citizens in coordination with existing services in the Norman area.
Currently, Norman Regional Hospital prepares all meals. Licensed dietitians determine the necessary meals to accommodate a client’s specialized dietary needs with confirmation from the client’s doctor.
Norman Mobile Meals Council changed its name to Meals on Wheels of Norman, Inc. in 1986.
The group’s annual poinsettia fundraiser is coming up in late November.
Ordering just 5 plants will help provide meals to an ill, disabled, and elderly individual for one week.
Fall is when Haynes needs volunteers the most.
Meals on Wheels of Norman delivers some 300 meals each day. A minimum of 100 volunteers a week are needed to get the meals out.
To learn more about Norman’s Meals on Wheels program, to sign up or to volunteer you can call them at 321-7272

by Traci Chapman

No matter what Brad Elder has done in his life, he’s always lived by one abiding principle – “be honest and sincere and do the right thing.”
That philosophy has resonated with customers, who recently propelled Elder’s Yukon-based company, Oklahoma Strong Roofing & Construction, to its receipt of the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award.
“Torch Awards, officially the International Torch Awards for Ethics, are given to companies that demonstrate the best practices in character and leadership, as well as organizational ethics and high standards that benefit not only their customers, but also their communities, their suppliers, employees and shareholders,” said Sheila Adkins, Better Business Bureau community outreach manager. “They’re a way of advancing trust in the marketplace, which is one of BBB’s missions.”
That award – and what it represents – is why Elder began Oklahoma Strong, he said.
“I’ve found in this business that it can be very easy to find someone to do an inexpensive job, even offer things that aren’t ethical, but the important thing is to find a company that will do the job right,” Elder said. “If you do that, ironically, you won’t be coming back to me for more business because you won’t need a new roof.”
While roof installation is part of Oklahoma Strong’s mission, it’s far from all of it, Elder said. Oklahoma Strong’s hail restoration contractors address issues with gutters, siding, windows, garage doors, paint and more – anything that could be part of a homeowners’ insurance claim.
“It could be one of those little gnomes in the garden that might be precious to someone – we inspect to make sure we find all that’s wrong so we can present a full package to the insurance company and make sure the homeowner is fully covered and protected,” Elder said.
The 59-year-old business owner has worked in service industries his entire life, even as a youth. His own grounds keeping and maintenance company, begun as a high school senior to fund college, grew into a 25-employee firm that Elder in 1997 sold to a large regional company.
He then went into telecommunication sales – at a time when long distance services were a big seller. After a year as an independent agent, Elder was promoted to corporate recruiting and mentorship, eventually managing 400 sales representatives.
It was in 2010, however, that a personal event would prompt a complete professional evolution.
“We were renovating our house and were out of town for a wedding when we got a call – a contractor had put in a faulty light fixture and there was a fire in the house,” Elder said. “About one-third was fire damaged, the rest with smoke and water.”
The rebuild of his own home brought Elder face-to-face with contractors, many of whom he watched cut corners and use substandard materials. As the process moved forward, he began to see a light – what he was meant to do, he said.
“I had a friend who said I needed to get into roofing sales, and I had done that, but I saw the same thing in my job as I did at my house – and I knew the only way I could fix it was to start my own company – so I did,” Elder said.
Thus, Oklahoma Strong Roofing & Construction was born.
“Trust is the major factor, the thing I most want to convey to my customers,” he said. “We don’t use substandard materials, we don’t use previously used materials, and we make sure the job is done right – and that’s why we received the Torch Award and why we’ve received the testimonials we have.”
While many roofing companies might re-roof 500, even 1,000, buildings annually, Elder has held the number of his jobs back to about 100 to 150 a year, he said.
“That way I’m able to have my hand in every single one of them,” Elder said. “I want to make sure that I am involved in the process every step of the way and that the homeowners have complete access to me and know exactly who they are dealing with.”
Oklahoma Strong has four full-time employees and a regular crew that performs the actual roofing services. That means every project is the company’s sole focus as it’s being performed – because no more than one roof is being constructed at any one time.
“I’m just one little portion of their life, but for me they’re all I’ve got going on, so I want to make sure it’s as painless as possible for them,” Elder said. “That’s why people are happy with us, and that’s how I want it to stay.”

What advice would you give your younger self? Emerald Square Assisted Living

It would be to treat people the way God wanted, don’t be selfish and don’t let others take advantage of you. Mark Sloan

To be more honest and have a good relationship with God. Not ask but to listen to what God asks you do. Martha Sneed

Stay out of trouble and read more. William J. Warner

I’d be more careful about what I got myself into and involved in. Wanda Galpin

Dear Savvy Senior,

At age 76, my husband has become forgetful lately and is worried he may have Alzheimer’s. What resources can you recommend to help us get a grip on this?  Concerned Wife

Dear Concerned,
Many seniors worry about memory lapses as they get older fearing it may be the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia. To get some insight on the seriousness of your husband’s problem, here are some resources you can turn to for help.
Warning Signs
As we grow older, some memory difficulties – such as forgetting names or misplacing items from time to time – are associated with normal aging. But the symptoms of dementia are much more than simple memory lapses.
While symptoms can vary greatly, people with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.
To help you and your husband recognize the difference between typical age-related memory loss and a more serious problem, the Alzheimer’s Association provides a list of 10 warning signs that you can assess at 10signs.org.
They also provide information including the signs and symptoms on the other conditions that can cause dementia like vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and others – see ALZ.org/dementia.
Memory Screening
Another good place to help you get a handle on your husband’s memory problems is through the National Memory Screening Program, which offers free memory screenings throughout National Memory Screening Month in November.
Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, this free service provides a confidential, face-to-face memory screening that takes about 10 minutes to complete and consists of questions and/or tasks to evaluate his memory status.
Screenings are given by doctors, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers or other healthcare professionals in thousands of sites across the country. It’s also important to know that this screening is not a diagnosis. Instead, its goal is to detect problems and refer individuals with these problems for further evaluation.
To find a screening site in your area visit NationalMemoryScreening.org or call 866-232-8484. It’s best to check for a screening location at the end of October, because new sites are constantly being added.
See a Doctor
If you can’t find a screening site in your area, make an appointment with his primary care doctor to get a cognitive checkup. This is covered 100 percent by Medicare as part of their annual wellness visit. If his doctor suspects any problems, he may give him the Memory Impairment Screen, the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition, or the Mini Cog. Each test can be given in less then five minutes.
Depending on his score, his doctor may order follow-up tests or simply keep it on file so he can see if there are any changes down the road. Or, he may then refer him to a geriatrician or neurologist who specializes in diagnosing and treating memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease.
Keep in mind that even if your husband is experiencing some memory problems, it doesn’t necessarily mean he has dementia. Many memory problems are brought on by other factors like stress, depression, thyroid disease, side effects of medications, sleep disorders, vitamin deficiencies and other medical conditions. And by treating these conditions he can reduce or eliminate the problem.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Holiday Grief Support
Free program offers help for those recovering from loss of loved ones
The holiday season is usually a wonderful time filled with happy memories. But you may find it more difficult when experiencing grief. INTEGRIS Hospice offers this program especially for those who may benefit from additional support during this time of year.
Normal grief responses include appetite loss, difficulty sleeping, feelings of guilt or regret, lack of concentration, mood changes, numbness or crying.
Date Tuesday, Nov. 8
Time 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.
Place Bethany First Church of the Nazarene
6789 NW 39th Expressway • Bethany, OK 73008

To enroll Call Marla Mercer-Cole, M.S., 405-603-1708
Program is free of charge; space is limited. Reservations are required.

The session is facilitated by Marla Mercer-Cole, M.S., licensed professional counselor certified in thanatology: death, dying and bereavement. As current vice president of Mercer Adams Funeral Service in Bethany, she directs the aftercare program for families they serve and oversees community relations. Mercer-Cole also conducts six-week grief support programs throughout the metro Oklahoma City area for INTEGRIS Hospice.