by Corporal Kim Lopez, TRIAD Coordinator, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office

Are you armed with a plan? Do you have to tools to carry out that plan? Senior adults are target for many reasons. One line of thinking is “the older we get, the fatter the wallet”. Do you know a senior who carries way too much cash? Most seniors are not schooled on how career criminals target their victims. The Oklahoma County TRIAD covers each community with a one hour monthly meeting called SALT, namely Seniors And Law enforcement Together. We discuss crime prevention issues and face crime concerns head on. Many seniors think they will just scream, truth is, in a real 9-1-1 emergency, YOU CAN’T SCREAM.
Gone are the days of “Walk with confidence, and be aware of your surroundings” Todays seniors need a plan and the tools to carry out that plan. Seniors need to know the areas career criminals tell me they target potential victims. Seniors need to understand why, AND WHICH parking lots are more dangerous than others.
Gone are the days of, cross body purses, carrying cash, and talking on your phone while walking through parking lots.
Speaking specifically of personal attack, violent crime occurs every 22.8 seconds. ALL parking lots are dangerous, the parking lot you feel the most comfortable in is even more dangerous. When the home invasion is interrupted, when the drug deal goes bad, when the fight is on and police have been dispatched, CAREER CRIMINALS HEAD TO A PARKING LOT to get away from the police.
Which parking lots are dangerous? ALL PARKING LOTS ARE DANGERIOUS! Some more than others.
1.) The parking lot you feel comfortable in.
2.) 24 hour parking lots
3.) Hospital parking lots
Career Criminals want your car to get out of the area. If they commit a crime in a small town, they seek the big city, if they commit a crime in a big city, they seek a small town to get lost. They understand that crossing many jurisdictions in a wide variety of different vehicles makes it impossible for police to catch them. Driving only 20 minutes in any direction crosses many different jurisdictions. They change vehicles often and go from large bright color truck to small light color compact car to midsize SUV of some other color. Just walking to a white small car could make you a target. In TRIAD we tach senior adults to be prepared with a plan and tool them to carry out that plan. Simply carrying an extra set of old bait keys could save your life. For the most part, there are two demands: GIVE ME YOUR KEYS, GIVE ME YOUR GOODS! TRIAD seniors know to attach an extra set of keys to their good keys to show and throw, baiting the attacker away from them. Same goes for being ready when asked for GOODS, WALLET, or your WATCH OR PACKAGES. TRIAD Seniors know to be ready with two one dollar bills in a metal office binder or money clip, show it and throw it, is our motto!
When shopping, always get a shopping cart and never ever get your method of payment out at the register stall, get in the habit of going by the feminine products or underwear to get out your method of payment. Check yourself for any items you might get targeted for, turn jeweled rings around to look like a band, cover up watches with your sleeve, and never ever push your shopping cart into a register stall! You PULL YOUR SHOPPING CART TO ADD A 4 FOOT DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE PERSON BEHIND YOU. Many criminals mute their cell phone in order to get close enough to you to take rapid fire pictures of your method of payment. Cash sets you up for attack, writing checks lends account information as well a home address and name. Credit cards or debit cards ran as credit offer the best recourse. When entering a 4 digit pin number be careful not to WARM THE KEYS WITH YOUR FINGER. Use your car key or ink pen to depress the numbers. Using your warm finger leaves a heat signature to be detected by a heat sensitive camera up to two minutes after you walk away. If you must touch and warm the keys, simply use your first three fingers to warm all the keys before you walk away.
Way too many seniors are still carrying their check books, just the sound of ripping that check out of the checkbook acts as a beacon to call career criminals. TRAD seniors tear out 3 checks and keep them with their folding money! They also take their ID, credit card as well as cash and checks out of their purse and carry them on their person in a lanyard wallet. TRIAD men carry their wallet in their undershirt pocket.
Attach a whistle to your good keychain and carry your good car keys around your wrist with your bait keys in the other hand. Always have your cell phone ready to dial 9-1-1.
Practice range of motion in your neck and always watch for anyone approaching you!
Get a GEL pen if you insist on writing checks, this keeps criminals from WASHING your check and re-writing it for the amount you have in your account.
Change your direct deposit to deposit into your savings account and transfer to checking as you need it.
I stand ready to be of assistance,
Corporal Kim Lopez, TRIAD Coordinator, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office – 713-1920.
Come be a part of TRIAD by visiting a SALT Council meeting near you. Call 713-1950 and leave your name and address to get on our mailing list to receive a monthly reminder of the Seniors And Law enforcement Together meeting near your home.

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

Legend Assisted Living is located at 11320 N. Council Rd. Oklahoma City, OK. Here, you will find a place designed for those who need assistance with life’s daily tasks. Assisted living at Legend offers a personalized approach, caring for your loved one with the utmost professionalism and tender loving care.
With beautiful decor all around, I was greeted by Rebecca Spencer, RN and Health Care Coordinator. Rebecca grew up in Craig Colorado and Alethea, Colorado. She attended Mesa State College. She has been a nurse for 12 years, working at Integris Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City, OK and has worked in a long-term care facility. “I am happy to be here at Legend. I love working with the staff and getting to know the residents. We try to stay as positive as we can, making the residents happy,” she said. “I think it brightens up everyone’s day,” she added.
What qualities make a good nurse? I ask Rebecca. “I think a nurse would definitely need to have some sort of compassion for others. A nurse needs plenty of patience. Some days, we need a little more patience than other days but whatever the case, they need to know that every day is a new learning opportunity and they need to take advantage of it,” she replied.
Rebecca’s advice for someone going into the medical field would be to be to make sure that person has a passion for helping others. “Also, I would tell them to keep their focus on their goal, staying strong in their believes.”
“My favorite part of my job is working with the residents and the staff. I love to teach so I get to do that with all of them. I love to build the relationships with each one of them, forming a bit of a bond between us, “she commented.
When asking Rebecca if anyone influenced her to become a nurse, she replied, “When I was young, I knew I wanted to be a nurse and I never steered from it. When I lived in Colorado, in a small town, the kids in the church would go visit the elders in the nursing home. We would go every third Sunday. I befriended a lady there and I really enjoyed seeing her each time. She always had a smile for me and called me Becky. After I became a nurse, I went back to the same nursing home to work. It was then, I heard a voice say, there’s my Becky! Yes, she remembered me! It was nice seeing her again. “
Even though I have worked in hospitals, I like the long-term care better. At the beginning, I always thought I wanted to work in the ER, you know, around all of those tall, dark and handsome doctors on the soap operas? After doing my rotation in the ER, I knew that wasn’t for me. I realized the long-term care was my fit. It’s a slower pace and I have had plenty of experience in geriatrics. Maybe, it’s because of the lady that I became friends with back then,” she said with a smile.
When Rebecca is not working at Legend, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Nick and their four daughters; Abigail, Morgan, Katelyn and Breelyn, 10, 8, 5 and 3. Rebecca is also a Girl Scout leader for one of her two daughters in Girl Scouts. She loves the outdoors, and enjoys camping and fishing. She also has a dog, Oscar and a cat, Minnie.
When talking with Rebecca, she had wonderful things to say about two people that helped get her through nursing school. She gives praise to her husband, Nick (who is also a nurse) and saw her through to the end. The other person is her mom, who has worked in a health care setting for over 20 years. Cheerleader, study buddy, best friend, and rock are just a few words to describe her mom.
Asking Rebecca to describe herself, she replied, “I am a strong willed person and try to find something good in everybody. I am a great listener, trying to really listen to the residents, which is very important for them. I try to see the potential in others, giving encouraging words and trying to make their day a little brighter,” she said.
“I live by the words: Be proud of yourself, and don’t change for anyone, Rebecca said. “I tell my girls that every day.”
Summing up her life in one word, Rebecca said, “Fulfilling.”

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

The red rocks of Sedona, Arizona have been a fabled attraction for decades. Given the chance to explore a fable is enlightening, surprising, and sometimes disappointing. Upon arrival I was overwhelmed by the traffic and congestion caused by road improvements, which I’m sure have been completed by now. Maybe it was just this weary traveler’s evening arrival that put a haze on first impressions. Where was the red rock spiritually attracting features so often expounded?
Driving a bit out of the main town, one can find amid the building of new residences, a sense of the iconic fable. The natural Arizona desert terrain is appealing, especially when juxtaposed with the Chapel of the Red Rocks, which appears perched half way up a dramatic cliff.
Another side road takes you to a lookout point above the main street, to view the massive red rock backdrop for which Sedona is so famous. The coffee pot outcropping is especially humorous, as it is near the Coffee Pot Restaurant. www.sedona.biz/coffeepotrestaurant.html There you can get your fill of pancakes, and buckwheat waffles with real maple syrup (for an additional price) in place of the common corn-sweetened syrup most people take for maple syrup. A good compliment for any café is returning a second time within a matter of 2 days, which I did.
An early December visit can be flavored with a bit of child-like Christmas lighting displays at the Los Abrigados Resort and Spa www.Los-Abrigados-Resort-Spa.com With spacious rooms and suites, during the Christmas season, Los Abrigados plays host to the Red Rock Fantasy. The resorts 22 acres are decorated by a variety of lighting displays: traditional secular Christmas characters, sacred displays, and your favorite cartoon characters.
Each evening from Thanksgiving to January, the area is open for visitors to walk and take in the displays provided by a variety of local patrons. Over twenty years ago ILX Resorts Chairman, Joe Martori, wanted to boost the slow tourism during winter months and also support local charity, and the Red Rock Fantasy was born. The cool desert air made the warm taste of hot-chocolate-sipping during the tour a welcomed stimulant to the evening’s stroll.
The resort offers popular dining venues at Stakes and Sticks, the sports bar and Joey Bistro with Italian dining. ILX Resort features a spacious outdoor swimming pool, an active exercise room and extensive locker facilities with a hot tub, sauna and steam room. www.ilxresorts.com
With only a brief visit planned, a march through Sedona’s many art and accessory galleries, was mandatory and rewarding. Sculptures of a favorite bronze artist, Joshua Tobey, www.joshuatobeystudios.com/index.html were abundant at the Exposure Gallery, http://www.exposuresfineart.com. Hot art glass can be enjoyed at Kuivato, where I met by chance, Liz Freund, the wife of Bruce Freund, brucefreund1328.startlogic.com, a favorite hot art glass artist.
The glass gallery of Kuivato, www.kuivato.com, is located in the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts village, which is adjacent to Los Abrigados. The village is filled with shops and eateries. Of course I had to have a farewell martini at the Oak Creek Brewery and Grill to celebrate the splendor of Sedona’s red rock outcroppings, and toast my purchase of two special art martini glasses reserved for upcoming holiday gifts. Sedona can be magical anytime of year, but even more so during holiday times.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
http://realtraveladventures.com/author/zin

by Vicki Jenkins, Staff Writer

Each year, on November 11th, we celebrate Veteran’s Day. It was the year 1938, Veterans Day became an official public holiday in the United States.
November 11, 1918, was considered the end of World War I and dubbed Armistice Day, according to the Department of Defense.
In 1938, Armistice Day became an official holiday set aside to honor World War I veterans. However, after World War II and the Korean War, veteran’s service organizations urged the holiday to be amended. On June 1, 1954, Congress changed the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day so all American veterans would be honored.
A big thank you goes to Legend Assisted Living and Memory Care for recognizing the veterans on their special day. Veterans were honored with a special Veterans pin by Reverend Miles Knutson, Bill Shahan, Medical Social Worker, David Dumbleton, Chaplain and Kristal Vasquez, RN, all from Valir Hospice. There were about 15 Veterans recognized. Mr. Dumbleton provided the music as he played his guitar and led the patriotic songs, a certain song for each branch of the military. Legend provided lunch for the Veterans and their families. The atmosphere was alive with emotions as there were a few tears shed, a little laughter, and lots of shared memories. Thank you to all of the men and women that have served their country over the years, past and present. You are all heroes to us.
While the Veterans were recognized for their military service, David Dumbleton, Chaplain of Valir Hospice read the following poem. Recorded over forty years ago by Dumbleton’s uncle, Dumbleton revised it 11-16-16. This poem has a several different versions and has been read at numerous celebrations.
I am the United States of America
I was born on July 4, 1776 and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate.
The bloodlines of the world run in my veins because I offer Freedom the oppressed.
I am many tongues and many people. I am the United States.
I am 300+ million living souls and the monuments of those men and women died for me.
I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere.
I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world.
I am Washington, Jefferson and Patrick Henry.
I am John Paul Jones, the Green Mountain Boys, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone.
I am Lee, Grant, and Abe Lincoln.
I remember the Alamo, The Maine, Pearl Harbor, and Nine Eleven.
When Freedom called, I answered and stayed until it was over, over there.
I left my heroes dead at Flanders Field, Pearl Harbor, on the beach slopes of Korea, the rice patties of Vietnam, the desert storms of Kuwait and the Persian Gulf, the war in Afghanistan, the war for Freedom, and Shock and Awe in Iraq.
I’m the Brooklyn Bridge and the wheat fields of Kansas and the oilfields of Oklahoma.
I’m the coal mines of Virginia and Pennsylvania, the fertile lands of the west, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon.
I’m Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimac.
I’m big and spread from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, 3 million square miles thriving with industry.
I’m more than 5 million farms.
I am forests, fields, mountains, and deserts.
I am quiet villages and cities that never sleep.
You can look at me and see Ben Franklin walking down the streets of Philadelphia with a bread loaf under his arm.
You can see Betsy Ross with her needle.
You can see the lights of Christmas had people sing Auld Lang Syne as the calendar turns.
I am Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle and the World Series.
I am 200,000 schools, universities and colleges, and 300,000 churches where my people worship God as they thing best.
I’m a ballot dropped in an election box.
I’m a roar of a crowd in a stadium.
I’m a voice of a choir in a cathedral.
I’m an editorial in a newspaper and a letter to a congressman.
I am Eli Whitney and Stephen Foster and Mark Twain.
I am John Wayne, Ronald Reagan and Billy Graham.
I am Francis Scott Key, John Philip Sousa, and Kate Smith.
I’m Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Dr. Ben Carson.
I’m Horace Greeley, Will Rogers, Paul Harvey and the Wright Brothers.
I’m George Washington Carver and Daniel Webster.
I’m Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Walt Whitman and Thomas Paine.
Yes, I’m the Nation and these are the things and people that I am.
I was conceived in Freedom, and God willing, in Freedom I will spend the rest of my days.
May I possess always the faith, the integrity, the courage, and the strength to keep my character intact.
To remain a citadel of Freedom and a beacon of hope to the whole world.
I am the United States of America!

To better meet the changing health care needs of the El Reno community, Mercy plans to build a new facility focusing on expanding physician services, including both primary care and medical specialties, as well as urgent care. This new health care model represents a new direction in Mercy’s approach to health care in El Reno.
Mercy has had the privilege of serving the health care needs of the people of Canadian County since 2009 when Mercy entered into an agreement with the city of El Reno to manage the hospital. In 2010, Mercy began a lease agreement to operate the city-owned hospital.
After an extensive discernment period that focused on analyzing community needs and hospital use patterns, Mercy leaders have decided to end the hospital lease with the city of El Reno and shift focus to expanding needed outpatient services. Mercy will work with city leaders over the next six months to create a smooth transition plan.
“We are excited to build a new outpatient facility that offers the type of care that residents most want and need in El Reno, including both primary and specialty care,” said Jim Gebhart, president of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City and regional strategy officer for Mercy.
The new facility will feature the following providers and services: Family medicine, Internal medicine, Imaging services, Lab services, Walk-in urgent care, Urology, Cardiology, Orthopedics, Pain management, Home health, Wound care, Physical therapy, EMS services and Virtual medicine.
It will also feature a helipad so patients can be quickly transferred to a higher level of care when needed.
Mercy Hospital El Reno was built by the city in 1954 and needs extensive renovation. Over the last year and a half, Mercy and city leaders have worked together to pursue plans to build a new hospital, but patient census at Mercy Hospital El Reno has declined significantly as patients choose to travel to larger communities for hospital care. In addition, construction costs have increased 50 percent, making the plans no longer economically feasible. The hospital saw an average of 12 patients per day in 2009 when Mercy entered into the agreement to manage the hospital. Today, Mercy Hospital El Reno sees an average of 12 patients per month in the inpatient hospital setting. At the same time, every year approximately 600 patients choose to drive from El Reno to Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City for hospital care. As a result of these utilization trends, Mercy Hospital El Reno lost $2.9 million dollars last year on inpatient care and experienced a loss of more than $700,000 in the first quarter of this fiscal year.
“While inpatient care in a rural setting is economically challenging, we remain deeply committed to the El Reno community,” Gebhart said. “We believe this new strategy for outpatient care offers the appropriate level of services closer to home and will allow us to be good stewards of our resources, assuring our ability to continue to serve the community for many years to come.”
Approximately 100 Mercy employees work at Mercy Hospital El Reno but not all will be affected by this change. Nearly half of these employees provide services that will remain in the community such as home health, physical therapy, wound care and EMS. Mercy’s human resources team will work with the remaining affected co-workers individually to offer resources and explore the possibility of transferring to open positions in nearby Mercy facilities or in the new facility.

The holidays are officially upon us with the smell of pumpkin in the air and Christmas on our minds. This also means, that it’s a time when fraudsters work even harder to take advantage of people. According to the FBI, in 2015 consumers lost more than $19 million to solicitation scams. Whether it be “giveaway” scams or charity scams, this is the time of year to be even more vigilant in protecting yourself and your finances. Below are some helpful tips to help protect you during the holidays.
· Never “pay to play”. There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back or send you more than the exact amount – that’s a red flag that it’s a scam. If a stranger wants to pay you for something, insist on a cashier’s check for the exact amount, preferably from a local bank or one with a local branch.
· Confirm all stories, offers or charities independently. This is the time of year where charities reach out for help with funding. Confirm everything you have been told with an independent source. Look up phone numbers, check credentials, contact family or your financial caregiver before giving to a charity that you are unfamiliar with.
· Verify all credit card charges. The holidays are a popular time when people use their credit cards to help pay for gifts. This is also a common method of payment scammers use via fraudulent charges. Review your credit card statement as soon as you receive it and verify your charges. If any fraudulent charges appear, contact your credit card company immediately.
· Monitor your account. As with your credit card statement, monitor your bank statement for any unusual activity and contact your local bank immediately if suspect that you have been a victim of fraud.
Remember, under no circumstances give out personal, credit card, bank account information over the phone or in an email. Report any suspected fraud to your bank immediately. As always, if any offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
For more information, visit aba.com/Seniors

by Vickie Jenkins, Staff Writer

The Mission of Humanity Hospice is to provide comfort care that enhances the lives of individuals with a life-limiting illness and their families through dignity and compassion.
Meet Keisha Jackson, Owner and Administrator of Humanity Hospice. Outgoing and friendly, Keisha tells me that she has some exciting news to share. What is the exciting news? “Humanity Hospice is now going to have an app called Humanity Connect! This is the first and only app developed for Hospice; created to keep patients in contact with their families,” Keisha replies. “The Humanity Connect was made just for that reason.”
Keisha explained how Humanity Connect will help a patient and their family. “The patient would create a profile, along with a place to journal, posting their health care updates and inviting friends to join the page. This way, instead of a family member making 45 phone calls to update the status of a patient, one post would take care of many. This would relieve some of the burden of the patient’s family. Humanity Connect would allow a one-on-one update, spreading the word to all of those included. Their page will include a photo album, a place to post comments, an encouraging board for the friends and family to leave encouraging words and to wish the patient well. There will be a way to video chat with a nurse, face-to-face, being helpful, comforting and create piece of mind for patient and families. This app might be compared to Facebook and Timehop except this will be private. The only people to be added to the contact list would be added by the patient or a family member,” she said.
“When a patient comes to Hospice, the patient has a terminal illness and has less than 6 months to live. Humanity Hospice is there for the patient 24 hours, 7 days a week. We have three layers of nursing; the primary nurse, the back-up nurse and the administrative nurse. The nurses are available at all times which means faster and personal response,” Keisha commented. “Also, Medicare pays 100% of the hospital benefit,” she added.
Humanity Hospice has several different locations throughout Oklahoma. Humanity Connect will be available in each location; Ponca City, Edmond, Stillwater, Enid, Oklahoma City, Shawnee and Moore. Local team nurses are assigned to local patients for that location.
Let’s face it…we are living in a world of social media junkies! From the baby boomers to the millennials, we have instant gratification from those devices we call cell phones. We use them constantly! We all want the simple answer NOW. Yes, our technology has changed. How many remember those strange things that came in the mail? You know, they were called letters. People actually sat down at a desk, grabbed their pen or pencil and began writing. Now, we just tell Siri or Alexa to do our job for us. How times have changed!
Caring for the patient and making their life a little better is what inspired Keisha Jackson to think of a vision to help Humanity Hospice. After much planning and the six members of the Hospice team, a new vision was set into motion. Finding the perfect local developer, Paradigm Creative in Stillwater, OK came into the picture. After working on this plan for months, making sure everything was working properly and putting the final touches on everything, Humanity Connect has been was established!
“I am excited for this new app, Humanity Connect. This app will be available with Apple and Android platforms and a desktop version. It will be helpful to all involved; the patient, caregiver and the family members. Another plus is the fact that even after your loved one has passed; the patient’s profile and their photo album will stay. Your loved ones postings will be reserved, passing on precious memories,” Keisha replied.
Humanity Connect is bringing the patients comfort in their last days, allowing the patient to have that one-on-one conversation with family members, combining the last day of their lives and improving their quality of life.
“A lot of planning and hard work went into Humanity Connect. Our tag line at Humanity Hospice is Because YOU Matter,” she added. It’s a way to keep the memories alive. Passing on the memories, grandchildren can look back and know a little about their loved ones life. Whatever I can do to make a patient’s journey easier, I’m going to do it,” Keisha commented.
If you have a loved one that is in need of Humanity Hospice, please call our office at 405.418.2530. We are located at 1109 N. Bryant, Edmond, OK, suite 100.
A special thank-you to Keisha Jackson for having a vision and following through! Humanity Connect has arrived!

“White Christmas”

Linda Wasson

“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”

Melvin McGuffin

“Joy to the World”

Larry Becker

“White Christmas”

Jim Wasson

SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Oklahoma City was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital, including SSM Health Bone & Joint Hospital at St. Anthony, for their efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States.
The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.
“At SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital and SSM Health Bone & Joint Hospital at St. Anthony, we take great pride in providing exceptional patient care. Safety is our number one priority for each patient that walks through our doors. Our employees go above and beyond every day, committed to the best safety practices, ensuring our patients receive the best care possible,” said Tammy Powell, President, SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital.
“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”
Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital was one of 855 across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades. To see full grade details of SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

By Darlene Franklin

I’ve been about about life in a nursing home for over two and a half years now, and what unexpected twists it’s taken. Sometimes I’ve soared with national fervor, or the music in my heart.
And sometimes it’s quite dark. The day I returned from the hospital was gray and empty. A blood clot on my lung and acute respiratory distress had sent me to the emergency room.
I returned home, alive, but devoid of spirit. Empty. Alone. Uncertain.
If I had acted on my feelings on that day, I would have quit everything. Instead I sent up flyers of faith. Don’t let me make any rash decisions.
Things got worse. I forced myself to go to Bible study on Sunday night in spite my fatigue. A fellow resident responded to one of my comments by leaving abruptly. My joy in the study was tempered by his rejection.
Things got even worse when I almost didn’t my Monday shower.
After I did get my shower (after some not-so-faith-filled griping), something shook loose from my heart, and I realized why I felt so dark.
I wasn’t suddenly too ill to be of any use or too sinful to be a blessing.
The truth was far deeper and far simpler.
God’s up to something good—something glow-in-the-dark bright, and darkness wants to stamp it out.
With that, I realized that the my heart was dark only if I let it be. The darkness that pounded on my walls had more to do with its persistent rejection of God’s light, in the same way it has ever since He entered the world as a helpless baby.
God’s light flooded my soul, and I laughed out loud.
I still have a blood clot, COPD and Congestive Heart Failure. I won’t be ready to run a marathon anytime soon.
But I’m still feasting on the memory of laughing in the face of trials.
Half a century ago, I learned that God’s love was unconditional. Nothing I do can ever separate me from Him.
In my latter years, God is pounding another transformation truth into me. He will use me, as imperfect and undependable as I am, because He is the shining light. It’s never been about what I can do for God; it’s always been about what God can do through me.
God will accomplish His purposes for me. Period. His light guides my way—no risk at all to count on God. I don’t have to be perfect to have God’s favor rest on me. (If you doubt that, look at the stories of the heroes of faith from Hebrews 11. Flaws aplenty!)
Do I always see things that way? Of course not. But I am learning to believe it is so. Here’s a few pointers that help me keep those truths front and center,
1. Spend time with God, in His word, and with His people.
2. Choose what I fill my mind with, like music, and coloring Scripture verses.
3. Refuse to accept things as they appear. Know that God is still in charge given all evidence to the contrary.
4. Don’t give up prematurely nor move ahead without God’s green light.
5. Who I am is more important to God than what I do. He doesn’t need me, but He invites me to work by His side.
6. Testify often of who God is and what He has done.
7. Accept the testimony of others about myself, People tell me they see light in me. The same light that came to Bethlehem somehow shines in me. All I can say is to God be the glory.
The Light of the World called His listeners the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). He has placed us on a hill, where we cannot be hidden.
My wish this Christmas season is that God’s people will become a string of lights stretching from home to home across the nation and the world, the glory of God to our generation.

You are the light of the world

Heaven’s electric company
Life-bringing, life-changing light
Exploding the darkness of my heart
Your brightness leads my way
You are the light of the world
Placed strategically upon a hill
Illuminating the way for others
Together you grow strong
Beautiful as a Christmas tree
You are the light of the world
Drawing all people unto Me
I won’t let you burn out
You may think your light’s feeble
I know differently—I made it so
You are the light of the world
Check out Darlene’s brand new website: www.darlenefranklinauthor.com.