A seasonal virus that takes a toll on young children and older adults has returned this fall with a vengeance.
Surges in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, typically parallels flu season, running from late fall into the spring, but this year’s outbreak started earlier than normal. This month, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported rising case numbers and hospitalizations for RSV in many parts of the state. The figures mirror national trends.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation physician-scientist Hal Scofield, M.D., said the current deluge in cases could be traced to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We saw a dramatic reduction in RSV during the pandemic due to the precautions we took to curb the spread of the coronavirus,” said Scofield, an immunologist. “Infants and young children whose immune systems had never been exposed to the virus were in a protective bubble. Now that bubble has burst.”
RSV typically causes a mild cold. But among children younger than 5, RSV is responsible annually for 100-300 deaths and up to 80,000 hospitalizations in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is even deadlier among older adults. A 2022 National Institutes of Health study estimated more than 6,000 people 65 years and older die each year from RSV complications.
OMRF scientist Susan Kovats, Ph.D., studies RSV. She noted that before the pandemic, almost all children contracted the virus by age 2. Kovats said that because so many children avoided exposure to it in 2020 and 2021, the virus appears to be “playing catch-up” in pediatric populations.
Kovats is working to understand why RSV impacts children more frequently than adults and why it hits some infants so hard. The work is setting the stage for better treatments and will aid in vaccine design for the condition.
“Our early indications are that neonatal cells are less likely to make the proteins that stop a virus from replicating in the body,” Kovats said. “In essence, it appears to confirm previous evidence that babies’ immune systems are not quite developed enough to fight off RSV.”
Research teams worldwide are working on RSV vaccines. Pfizer plans to submit its vaccine, which protects infants from RSV by inoculating pregnant women, for Food and Drug Administration approval by year’s end. The results of the FDA review of British drugmaker GSK’s vaccine for older adults are expected in spring 2023.
Until a vaccine is available, Scofield said the best ways to avoid — and avoid spreading — RSV mirror those for the flu and Covid-19. “Wash your hands, wear a mask in crowded places and stay home if you’re sick,” he said. And if, despite your best efforts, you or a loved one has a run-in with a respiratory virus this holiday season, monitor symptoms closely.
“RSV can usually be managed at home. But when someone is having difficulty breathing or is exhibiting symptoms of dehydration, it’s important to get an evaluation from a health care professional.”

Two scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation have been awarded grants for research aimed at extending the period of good health as we age.
The American Federation for Aging Research and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research awarded grants to OMRF’s Ann Chiao, Ph.D., and Matt Bubak, Ph.D. The organizations work together to support junior researchers focused on the basic biology of aging.
Chiao received a two-year, $125,000 grant from AFAR to better understand a molecule inside each cell that is crucial for generating energy. As we age, levels of that molecule, NAD+, slowly diminish within the heart. Chiao will study how this occurs, and the role it plays in fatigue, shortness of breath and other symptoms of decreased heart function in older people.
“There is a lot of research looking at NAD+ in aging-related diseases,” said Chiao, who joined OMRF in 2019 from the University of Washington. “What’s different about this study is that we are looking at it only within the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.”
Chiao’s lab will focus on how and why the molecule dwindles in mitochondria and, in future research, whether medication could prevent it from happening.
Bubak is among nine scientists nationally to receive a one-year, $60,000 postdoctoral fellowship from the Glenn Foundation. He will explore the decline of skeletal muscle mass and function that begins around middle age.
His research will test whether muscles in older mice become more youthful following a plasma transfer from younger mice, and whether that benefit is enhanced if the donor mice exercise.
“The idea is that we can create a more youthful environment in old mice so that the muscles can respond to stress, such as exercise, like young mice,” said Bubak, who is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Benjamin Miller, Ph.D. “If we’re correct, then potentially the application for humans would be both simple and cost effective.”
Future studies will explore how long the youthful effects last following a plasma infusion, he said.
OMRF Aging and Metabolism Research Program Chair Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D., said the two grants ultimately could help reverse two key aspects of aging.
“These two scientists are trying to figure out how to make an older person’s heart and skeletal muscles work like those of a younger person,” Van Remmen said. “We know an active lifestyle prolongs the healthiest period of our lives, but for those who can’t or won’t exercise, this work could someday make a big difference.”

Fannie Jones

Fannie Jones of Oklahoma City turned 109 years old this past August. We honored her today as the second oldest living Centenarian in Oklahoma. Fannie’s favorite song is Amazing Grace. What an honor to meet this sweet lady and induct her into our Hall of Fame!

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

Annie Laurie (Ivey) Whited

Annie Laurie (Ivey) Whited of Noble was manager of the gift & book shop at the OU Continuing Ed Center before retiring in 1984. She attended Crosspointe Church in Norman and was a member of the Army Officers’ Wives Club. Annie’s words of wisdom: “Love the Lord, exercise, eat well and love others!”

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

Wanda Ovella (Venable) Moore

102-year-old Wanda Ovella (Venable) Moore of Stillwater was born & raised in Cushing where her father built many homes. She never really considered how long she would live, has not thought much about the fact that she has surpassed 100, loves to share stories about her life with family & friends, has been very fortunate to have lived the life she has had & is truly blessed.

KNOW A CENTENARIAN?
If you know of a Centenarian you would like to honor, please visit
http://centenariansok.com/ and download, complete and submit our form. One of our team members will contact you directly with the next steps.

By Nick Thomas

Perhaps you remember her as TV mom Marsha Owens in ABC’s popular 80s sitcom “Mr. Belvedere” starring alongside baseballer-turned-actor Bob Uecker and British actor Christopher Hewett in the title role. But Ilene Graff is also an established singer whose career began in musical theater. In recent years her live festive Christmas special, “The Ilene Graff Holiday Show,” has delighted audiences at 54 Below, a supper club in the basement of New York’s famed Studio 54 theater.
“We couldn’t do it because of COVID for a couple of years, but I’m thrilled to be back on stage December 28 with a new show,” said Graff from Los Angeles. “I loved the holiday specials of the 60s and 70s on programs like ‘The Andy Williams Show,’ so that’s the mood I’ve always tried to bring to my shows. I have special guests, we chat, sing holiday songs, and just try to keep it warm and friendly with a family feeling including some light-hearted moments of reflection and love.”
A native of Queens, New York, Graff lives in Los Angeles but always enjoys returning “home” to the East Coast where she and her husband, composer Ben Lanzarone, maintain an apartment.
“I love celebrations and hosting parties, and I do love the holidays,” she said. “So a few years ago I pitched this idea to my family and we put together the first holiday show which was a huge success. It just became something I wanted to continue.”
That first show was a real family affair also featuring brother Todd, an actor, writer, and director, her Tony Award-winning cousin Randy, actress/dancer daughter Nikka, as well as Ben. But with their busy schedules, only her husband could regularly join her in subsequent December holiday presentations.
“I love working with him so that’s another reason I wanted to continue doing them,” she said.
Ilene says she still encounters people unaware of her musical background.
“Most know me from television but don’t realize that I started on Broadway, so they are kind of surprised that I’m a real singer!” she said, laughing (see www.ilenegraff.com). “I also sang a little on maybe three episodes of ‘Mr. Belvedere’ so that was always a surprise for the audience.”
One of those episodes first aired in December 1989. In “A Happy Guy’s Christmas” the Owens family is cast in a local production of a Charles Dickens classic.
“We did a silly take-off of ‘A Christmas Carol,’” she recalled. “They dressed me up with this beautiful long blonde wig and Christopher was attached with wires so he could fly. It was exactly what you wanted from a Christmas episode – goofy and yet heartfelt and sincere.”
Graff remembers her years on the “Mr. Belvedere” set with fondness. “It was an amazing cast and crew who worked so well together. You know how some people are just funny? Well, that was Bob, completely natural and comfortable on camera and one of the smartest people I’ve ever known – and he still broadcasts baseball (at 88, for the Milwaukee Brewers)! Both he and Christopher were such great guys and insisted that everybody in the cast and crew be treated equally on the set. How lucky I am to have those memories in my career.”
Graff hopes to create new memories for herself and the audience when she returns for this year’s holiday show.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a singer who got into acting and the acting really took over for many years,” she says. “But I never stopped singing because that’s just who I am. Music, singing, and of course family are everything to me.”

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

Local professional artists Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman and art therapist Brittany Dray have been working with Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health patients for the past several months, helping them develop skills to reduce and manage anxiety and fear and to develop self-expression through art.
Dray explained that art therapy offers tools to aid relaxation and pain management, boost self-esteem and resilience and grow a sense of community at the hospital.
Friedman designed and built a giant puzzle as a foundation and Dray helped more than 90 patients create large puzzle pieces representing their stories. The pieces were gathered by Duong and Friedman who connected the experiences together and created a wall-sized mural of the puzzle. Themes of connection, strength and comfort were noticed by the artists, which inspired the story of Duong’s painted mural which scrolls atop the work of the children.
“I see the puzzle as a reminder that we are all connected,” Friedman said. “If one piece is missing, the puzzle doesn’t really function anymore. I wanted kids to hopefully absorb the idea that they might be doing just one little section of the puzzle, but without that section, you wouldn’t want to do the puzzle. I hope it seeps in that they are all a piece of the puzzle.”
The finished artwork is now a permanent feature in Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, hopefully inspiring other pediatric patients. The project was funded by grants and gifts from Bob Moore, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, CrossFirst Bank, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Dunkin’ and others.
Just in time for holiday gift-giving, replica tabletop-sized boxed puzzles are available to purchase for $39 each at this link:
https://www.plentymercantile.com/puzzle-756pc-art-helps-kids-heal.html
Following Thanksgiving, the puzzles will also be available for purchase at Red Shelf Gift Shop at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health, and Oklahoma City retail stores including Plenty Mercantile, Little D Gallery, DNA Galleries, JRB Art at the Elms, The Learning Tree, and Omni Hotel OKC. All proceeds will fund future art programs for children.

https://www.villagesokc.org/pages/10042-gift-homepage

From Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn t4z@aol.com
text and photo provided by the Oklahoma Historical Society

The gift of travel is common at this time of year and is never more welcomed when you can travel to experiences close to home.
The Oklahoma History Center and Historical Society offers several holiday events. Thank you to the Oklahoma Historical Society for the press release below.
Honey Springs Battlefield announces its Civil War Christmas Event to be held on Saturday, December 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. The event will be steeped in the history of Christmases past, and full of fun for adults and children alike. Children will have the opportunity to see the visitor centers new exhibits and to take photographs with Santa.
Civil War soldiers dressed in period attire will add to the festive event along with crafts and refreshments. The program is free to the public.
Honey Springs Battlefield is also celebrating the opening of all permanent exhibits inside its visitor center near Checotah.
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience an immersive, 3-D theatrical video performance bringing to life the Battle of Honey Springs. Additionally, guests can explore the new east gallery exhibit hall featuring 14 audio players with recordings from firsthand, written accounts of soldiers who fought at the Battle of Honey Springs, as well as exhibits highlighting firearms, ammunition, and artillery used in the battle. There may be outdoor education stations surrounding the visitor center with living history demonstrations of Civil War military drills, artillery practices, and civilian life throughout the day.
This new, interactive exhibit at the Honey Springs Visitor Center will bring the battle to life in a way that is not only educational, but impactful,” said Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. “This battle was the most important of the Civil War in Indian Territory and it deserves the compelling rendition we now have in place. I’m thankful for our incredible Oklahoma Historical Society staff members from Honey Springs and other sites who contributed their talents to this incredible new exhibit.”
The project to build and install exhibits at the Honey Springs Battlefield site is the long range vision of the Oklahoma Historical Society Board and staff who began making plans for this military site dating back to the 1960s. Several stages of interpretation have unfolded over the years, including the trail signage and the slow installation of interactive exhibits that has now been completed.
Ask site director Adam Lynn and he will tell you that countless individuals, communities, donors, organizations, scholars, archaeologists, curators, volunteers, construction teams, maintenance workers, and staff members have contributed greatly to making the long range plans a reality.
“The battlefield and new state-of-the-art exhibits located inside the visitor center started with a vision that will soon come full circle,” said Lynn. “We are beyond thankful and excited to offer visitors, schools, and groups of all ages a complete experience equal to the size and importance of one of the most important chapters in all of Oklahoma history!”
The exhibits will include a new 3–D theater that will show the documentary film The Battle of Honey Springs on a regular basis for visitors to immerse themselves in the story of the historic site. Honey Springs Battlefield is located east of US Highway 69 between Oktaha and Rentiesville. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contact the center at 918-617-7125 or honeysprings@history.ok.gov.
OTHER Oklahoma Holiday events include; December 10 discussion at the Oklahoma History Center of the excavation and transportation of the steamboat Heroine from the Red River; A Christmas Tea, December 11, at the Cherokee Strip Museum and Rose Hill School from 1:30 to 4 p.m.; Christmas at the Fort Towson Historic Site December 11 from 1 to 3pm; or the Fort Gibson Holiday Bake Day on December 17 at 11 am.

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=terry+zinn
https://realtraveladventures.com/?s=zinn
http://new.okveterannews.com/?s=TERRY+ZINN
www.martinitravels.com

by Greg Schwem

I saw him approaching the day after Thanksgiving, the Friday that sends even the most passive “athletes” scurrying to the gym, convinced that one 30-minute session on the Stairmaster will melt away the sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie they gorged upon the previous afternoon.
During my holiday meal, I gave thanks for good health. The next morning I was thankful for clothes, because I was wearing some. Not so for him.
He had just exited the shower and was all pink and naked. Seeing that I had just stepped off a scale (I also gave thanks for only gaining 2 pounds) he pointed at the number and then at me. My eyes stayed transfixed on his because I had no interest in looking elsewhere.
“You sure you want to do that the day after the holiday?” he asked, before emitting a wry chuckle.
“Yeah, probably not the best timing,” I replied.
And with that, he retreated to his locker and began to dress. But he’d made his presence known.
Every male locker room — even those in clubs that cost thousands to join, reek of body butter and hire attendants to pick up fluffy, terry cloth towels haphazardly tossed about by members — has one. He is that friendly guy who will start locker room conversations with fellow inhabitants, be they no-necked muscle heads, triathletes in training, Pickleball beginners or massage enthusiasts.
He will also do it without wearing any clothes.
He is usually in his late 60s or older. No need to describe any other characteristics. Maybe he’s a lonely divorcee or widower. Maybe he spent a career as a traveling salesman and has a flair for conversation and entertaining icebreaker statements. None of that is relevant; I only care that he clothes himself. Quickly.
I have never been in a female locker room, so I have no idea if women are comfortable chatting with their compatriots while bare breasted or in other stages of nakedness. My wife insists every woman is always wearing, at the “bare” minimum, a towel. Fantasies aside, I applaud their modesty.
Younger men, I have noticed, well not noticed, observed, glanced at, uh…forget it. Younger men seem to be more inclined to cover their private areas in locker rooms. Sexagenerians and above need to get that memo soon. And, because I recently turned 60, I need to read it as well.
You see, I briefly became a friendly old naked guy.
It didn’t happen by choice, but it still…happened. Shower completed, I was headed to my locker when I noticed a health club regular, a disabled man confined to a wheelchair but still ripped to the core, attempting to pick up a training glove he had dropped. I ran over to help and suddenly found myself quizzing him. I asked about his disability; he revealed he lost the use of one leg in a factory explosion. I complimented him on his tenacity in the weight room. I asked his age. He was also 60, which explains why he was only too happy to converse.
I wished him well, retreated to my locker and only then realized the cardinal rule I had just broken. I’m sure younger men in the locker room were silently mouthing, “Dude, cover that up.”
I have always been an extrovert and pride myself on being able to easily talk to people of all sexes, age groups and races. It’s a trait I was robbed of during the pandemic, and one I was only too happy to jumpstart after lockdown eased. People, and their stories, fuel my writing and my standup comedy routines. Don’t worry; a bit about talking to a disabled gym rat while naked will not be included in my Netflix special, should I ever be offered one. But I left my club feeling more inspired than if I had just dressed in silence.
Now I must remind myself that inspiration can come while fully clothed. In fact, I’m headed to the gym shortly. My bag contains the essentials: combination lock, Airpods and toiletries.
Also, for the first time ever, a full length robe.
I had better leave some space on my arm for a crudite tattoo.
(Greg Schwem is a corporate stand-up comedian and author of two books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and the recently released “The Road To Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate Comedian,” available at Amazon.com. Visit Greg on the web at www.gregschwem.com.
You’ve enjoyed reading, and laughing at, Greg Schwem’s monthly humor columns in Senior Living News. But did you know Greg is also a nationally touring stand-up comedian? And he loves to make audiences laugh about the joys, and frustrations, of growing older. Watch the clip and, if you’d like Greg to perform at your senior center or senior event, contact him through his website at www.gregschwem.com)

Launches aircraft on the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan

Courtesy Megan Brown, Navy Office of Community Outreach

Lt. Drew Wofford, right, from Oklahoma City, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) Airman Dylan Lekniskas, from Vero Beach, Florida, launch a C-2A Greyhound, attached to the Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 30 Det. 5, on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 18. VRC 30 is one of only two carrier-qualified logistics support squadrons, providing supplies, personnel, and logistics support to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of CSG 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dallas A. Snider)