Daily Living Centers Offer Veterans Opportunities For Social Engagement, Volunteer Events

Story by Van Mitchel, Staff Writer

Daily Living Centers Inc, a nonprofit Adult Day Service Provider that serves adults with developmental disabilities, senior adults, and veterans, based in Oklahoma City, previously celebrated Veterans Day in a meaningful way- giving back to their community.
Each Daily Living Centers location completed a service project to serve local veterans. DLC is a proud member of SHINE, Start Helping Impacted Neighbors Everywhere, a volunteer program created by Oklahoma County Commissioner, Brian Maughan.
The Bethany Center created thank you cards to give to the VA Living Center in Norman. The Bethany participants and staff had a cookie and punch party with the veterans at the VA Home in Norman while dropping off the cards.
The South Oklahoma City Center visited the OKC VFW, located at 4605 South Pennsylvania, to decorate for Veteran’s Day.
“Citizens for SHINE (Start Helping Impacted Neighborhoods Everywhere) encourages non-profits and businesses to recognize their employees, participants, or residents volunteer efforts. It is great to see members of Daily Living Centers giving back through SHINE. Every bit of litter pick-up, every flower planted, and every hour invested in a better community pays dividends for us all, stated County Commissioner Brian Maughan.”
In 2021, Daily Living Centers joined the Citizens for SHINE Program. Since then, their participants have completed over 60,000 volunteer hours.
“We have a volunteer SHINE program, and a lot of our veterans are a part of that where they can give back to the center or the community,” said Amanda Dirmeyer, Daily Living Centers President & CEO. “They can volunteer here in the center where some of them just help with rolling out the silverware or preparing for activities, or we actually will go out and clean up a park or maybe stock shelves at a food pantry. We have a Navy veteran who even started a choir here.”
Dirmeyer said Daily Living Centers is grateful to serve participants from all walks of life and to be able to meet their individual needs.
Since 1974, Daily Living Centers (DLC) has provided rest and hope for caregivers. They are Oklahoma’s first and leading non-profit adult day provider for senior adults and adults with disabilities ages 18 and older. There are three locations that offer nonresidential affordable day services for over 200 participants 246 days a year in an environment that enhances mind, body, and spirit. While attending DLC, “participants” enjoy healthy meals, exercise programs, socialization, activities, and outings that meet their individual needs.
Dirmeyer said they have a fleet of vehicles including limos and wheelchair accessible vans that provide door-to-door transportation and medical rides.
She said many of the participants have physical and/or mental limitations or suffer from isolation and depression.
Common diagnoses found in those DLC serve include dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury, autism, Down Syndrome, and other developmental disabilities. Caregivers often say that DLC services are “lifesaving.”
“Our populations are adults with developmental disabilities as well as senior adults,” Dirmeyer said. “We feel it is important for caregivers to know that veterans can attend our centers through VA funding. They need to be established with the VA and have a VA physician who will provide a consult in order to start attending a DLC center.”
Dirmeyer said DLC offers meals, exercise and art therapy, as wells as help with personal care if anyone needs assistance in the restroom or bathing services.
“We have breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack every day. A variety of different types of exercise classes are offered including chair Zumba, yoga, cycle classes, and more,” she said. “We do a lot with music therapy and art therapy. Our participants, they’re very creative, and so we can do things with painting, crafts, and puzzles. Games and reminiscing activities are great to stimulate the mind. Weekly community outings are planned for each center which include libraries, parks, museums, and big events such as the circus.”
Dirmeyer said the VA will pay for veterans to attend DLC.
“A lot of people are not aware that the VA will pay for our services, and they’re able to come here,” she said. “They build friendships and meet with other veterans and swap stories. It’s beneficial for them because we recognize them for their service.”
Dirmeyer said she has a passion working to help seniors.
“My passion has always been to work with seniors, and I’ve been in the senior healthcare field for about 22 years now,” she said. “My biggest goal is to spread the word everywhere because this service is so vital, especially to caregivers.”

For more information regarding Daily Living Center’s services, contact Ragan Franklin at (405) 792-2401 or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dailylivingcenters

Free Stroke Awareness
Community Education

A stroke happens every 40 seconds and is the number one cause of disability in the United States. A stroke can happen to anyone and the number of strokes are increasing in ages 20-55. BE A STROKE HERO! Free Training available. Simple, practical, teachable techniques for your community groups. Learn how to recognize the early warning signs of stroke in less than one minute. Learn what to do and what not to do in a stroke emergency. Learn simple, effective ways to lower your stroke risk. Please contact Stephanie Simpson, BSN, RN, Integris Health Stroke Community Educator at [email protected] or 405-673-2247 for fliers or to schedule a free 25 minute stroke awareness education session with your community group.

by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

When Casimir Sokolnicki came to Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living four years ago, nobody knew just how much of a story he had to tell.
And this December, he’ll have a few of those stories to share as he celebrates his 104th birthday.
Sokolnicki was recently honored by the Oklahoma Assisted Living Association as the oldest resident in Oklahoma.
Sokolnicki came to Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living about four years ago.
A couple of years later, Carrie McGovern started as the life enrichment coordinator.
“He is very polite, proper. I would say he’s soft-spoken and our oldest veteran,” McGovern said.
Sokolnicki’s story began on December 20, 1919, in Cleveland, Ohio.
That year, a pound of bacon was 34 cents, eggs were 55 cents a dozen, milk was 26 cents per gallon and a loaf of bread was nine cents.
He had two sisters and one brother, the latter who lived for three days before succumbing to the Spanish Flu.
He graduated from East Technical High School in 1938.
He married Lois Lorene Berry on Oct. 20, 1942.
Sokolnicki was married for 68 years. Two children, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren would follow.
He spent time in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He dedicated 20 years of his life as an aircraft maintenance and flight engineer.
In total, his government service spanned 44 years with time spent with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Sokolnicki was responsible for running flight inspections on B-25, B-26, and B-47 airplanes, keeping thousands of lives safe at home and abroad.
He has seen so much change.
“Computers,” Sokolnicki said when asked about some of the biggest changes he’s seen. “I don’t use one but it’s amazing. I remember crystals and cat whiskers, they called them, touching together to hear radio transmissions. Now my daughter’s iPhone does everything.”
With a more than century of experience, he’s a wealth of information.
“Don’t give up,” he said when asked for his piece of advice. “Things are changing but we can’t live in the past. Just try to keep up. People have to adapt. Always look for something over the hill to push yourself.”
Sokolnicki is a regular in the Rivendell dining area and to those special events that he enjoys, particularly National Ice Cream Day.
Seeing him and the history he carries has McGovern in awe.
“It is really cool,” she said. “Most of our residents are in their 80s and 90s. It’s so cool because they have seen so much development and technology has come so far. It’s walking history really. They’ve seen things change.”
According to the not-for-profit Centenarians of Oklahoma, there are believed to be 400-500 centenarians living in Oklahoma. That’s roughly one centenarian for every 7,413 people in our state.
The Oklahoma Assisted Living Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of dignity and choice for older Oklahomans and to the quality of their care in the senior living setting.
Closing in on 104 years, Sokolnicki thinks about what he would like to be remembered for. It’s something we should all strive for.
“Forgive people,” he said. “Because a lot of times they just don’t know what they’re doing.”
Legend at Rivendell Assisted Living is located at 13200 S May Ave in Oklahoma City. Come by Legend at Rivendell or visit https://legendseniorliving.com.

The brain has plasticity and can grow at any age – if you use it.
Seniors in Oklahoma City took this “use or lose it” message seriously all year long.
More than 55 people every month took advantage of free sessions called Senior LifeSkills Learning workshops. These are the people, age 50 and more, who take personal responsibility for continued learning. Senior LifeSkills Learning topics ranged from “How to Fall Correctly” to “Get a Grip on Improving Your Brain,” to “Insider Tips on Doctors Visits” and much more. All the presentations are based on approved and tested research, but presented for practical application and in “plain English.”
One of the popular workshops involved identifying and differentiating certain smells. This demonstrates strong brain activity. The sense of smell is one of the first things to change as Alzheimer’s disease takes root, even before other symptoms appear. The workshop offered a simple but valid standardized “scratch and sniff” screening to encourage intentional training of the brain to recognize smells.
VillagesOKC organizes and promotes these monthly 90-minute events in cooperation with Our Lord’s Lutheran Church which provides the space.
In order to circle the city with learning opportunities, VillagesOKC also created three Positive Aging days of learning at local campuses. The first Positive Aging was held at Rose State College, then in June one was held at Southern Nazarene University, and most recently Positive Aging: Love Your Brain was held at MetroTech Springlake campus. Combined attendance at the Positive Aging and LifeSkills Learning events totaled 839.
More than 220 individuals came for a day of learning from local professionals such as Bruce McIntyre from the Parkinson’s Foundation and Richard V. Smith, MD, Neurosurgeon at Mercy. Dr. Smith gave the latest in stroke information and prevention. Dr. Jonathan Vestal reminded attendees to “do what you did at first” – hold your head high, look straight ahead when walking, shake hands often and break bread together. He even had the crowd standing on one foot to improve balance. These daylong events were free and included a light lunch and a movie. All had one focus: improving the brain.
Everyone wants a better brain. The Netflix documentary, “Living to 100” illustrates how people around the world are living long and living well. And it all starts in the brain.
The brain represents who we are, which is why so many are eager to learn about ways to improve the brain. In the last Positive Aging event of the year, we watched the documentary, “My Love Affair with the Brain,” which is the story of Dr. Marian Diamond and her 60 years of brain research and teaching at the University of California at Berkeley. She succinctly summarized the way to keep the brain growing and improving: diet, exercise, something new, something challenging and love.
Here in Oklahoma, there are many organizations which do a magnificent job of helping when seniors are in need or in crisis. Although VillagesOKC members do help each other as good neighbors, VillagesOKC’s focus is uniquely education. We are in the business of prevention. Empowering the 370,000 adults 50 and older in greater Oklahoma City to first take personal responsibility and then help another as the very best way to provide for everyone. The village movement encourages learning so each can make the best personal choice. Learning leads to planning for the bumps in life and this leads to serving others.
In three words, VillagesOKC members: Learn. Plan. Serve.
To learn more about http://www.villagesokc.org/, call or text 405.990.6637 or email [email protected].

Across
1 Kilauea flow
5 Clear dishes from
8 Jammies
11 Hosp. figures
14 Longest, as odds
16 Like many Berbers
18 *Occasion to pin back one’s coif?
19 Like village roads
20 Mediterranean country
22 Mixed martial artist Rousey
23 Girl of the fam
26 *Catchy part of a virtuous song?
29 Shortly
32 Arboreal marsupial
33 “You betcha”
34 Garage door opener brand
35 Org. that includes the TSA
38 *People born during the Era of Good Feelings?
42 Digs in the mud
43 Battery measures
44 Biblical mount
45 Bernie in his mittens, Keanu playing with puppies, etc.
46 “Yeah, that’s old news”
47 *Evening spent downloading the latest OS?
52 Manhattan option
53 Mind
54 Qualifying events
57 Calm
60 Social climbers, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have
64 Brings in
65 “You can guess the rest”
66 Put away
67 Keystone bumbler
68 Mauna __
69 Monumental
Down
1 “Geaux Tigers!” sch.
2 High point of a trip to Europe?
3 YouTube clip, for short
4 Mine, in MontrŽal
5 Capital in the Levant
6 Many an election night graphic, for short
7 Direct
8 LAX setting
9 Yak
10 Limited autonomy, so to speak
11 Pipe cleaner
12 Internet stranger
13 Quarterback maneuver
15 The Colorado fourteeners, e.g.: Abbr.
17 Hana Airport greeting
21 Compares
23 Facial cavity
24 Unsuitable
25 Watched from the sidelines
27 Left
28 Locks
30 Letters in ancient history
31 “Tell me if this is too personal, but … “
34 Understands
35 Currency of Serbia and Jordan
36 White with frost
37 Biting
39 Large volume
40 Singer Campbell
41 Draw
45 Two socks, hopefully
46 Mississippi source
47 Linguistic practices
48 Violinist/singer Haden
49 Light rail stop
50 Slop
51 Aware of
55 Cell service letters
56 Appease fully
58 Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, e.g.
59 Super vision?
61 Set component
62 Tetra- minus one
63 __ bunt

Navigating the complexities of financial planning for later life need not be daunting. The keys to a secure future lie in understanding the available tools and making strategic choices that bolster your financial resilience. This discourse from Senior News & Living delves into some essential measures that can shore up your financial base, allowing for peace of mind as you look toward retirement and healthcare needs.
Ensuring Income Through Insurance
It’s prudent to lay the groundwork for financial stability by securing insurance against unforeseen health events. Disability and long-term care insurance are pivotal; they act as bulwarks that shield your savings from the significant outlays that can arise from health adversities.
These policies can be the difference between a protected nest egg and financial strain because they give you support when you need it most. Remember to check resources like Senior News & Living for recommendations on Insurance providers, assisted living facilities, and more!
Strategic Investment Choices
Allocating assets with sagacity can lead to financial growth that sustains you through your retirement years. A portfolio that spreads risk and embraces various growth potentials stands as a cornerstone for enduring prosperity. Engage a financial consultant to tailor an investment approach that echoes your future aspirations so you can balance growth with stability.
Leveraging Educational Advancements
Cultivating your professional capabilities can significantly enhance financial stability and set the stage for increased revenue opportunities as you move toward retirement. A strategic investment in education, especially in sought-after fields, facilitates a seamless transition into new career paths.
By opting to get an online degree in computer science, you can leverage the convenience of digital education to refine a skill set that is highly valued in the modern marketplace. This commitment to continuous learning can not only rejuvenate your career but also provide a competitive edge that translates into a more robust income trajectory.
Establishing a Health Savings Reserve
A Health Savings Account stands out as an intelligent mechanism for managing medical expenditures. Contributions to this tax-advantaged vessel not only prepare you for future healthcare costs but also provide immediate fiscal benefits. This strategic reserve is an instrumental part of a well-rounded healthcare financial strategy.
Professional Financial Planning Collaboration
Partnering with a financial planner can illuminate the financial landscape and allow for astute choices across investment vehicles, retirement planning, and fiscal management. Their expertise can steer you toward a secure financial journey, ensuring your strategies align with your vision for the future.
Establishing a Fiscal Buffer
Maintaining a robust emergency fund serves as an essential safeguard and mitigates the financial jolts of unforeseen expenses. Diligently accumulating this reserve provides a barrier against the temptation to disrupt long-term investments or resort to borrowing, thereby ensuring the integrity of your economic base. This proactive strategy instills a sense of financial security and helps you navigate life’s unpredictable fiscal waters with confidence.
Social Security Timing for Optimal Benefit
Strategically postponing Social Security claims can be a prudent exercise in patience, leading to a significant increase in the benefits you receive over time. By delaying these benefits until reaching the full retirement age—or even beyond—you position yourself to benefit from a more substantial financial cushion during the retirement phase of life. This intentional approach ensures that when the need for these resources peaks, they’re at their most robust, giving you greater security in your later years.
Daily Savings for Long-Term Security
Effective saving is a cumulative process; even modest daily efforts can lead to substantial fiscal reserves. By implementing mindful budgeting practices, eliminating non-essential expenses, and harnessing savings opportunities, you can gradually build a formidable financial bulwark without necessitating drastic lifestyle changes.
Building a dependable financial edifice for retirement and healthcare is an active process that demands forethought and consistency. Embracing a comprehensive approach that includes insurance coverage, informed investment, and savings strategies, alongside a partnership with a financial advisor, lays the foundation for a resilient financial future. Take steps today to cement your security for tomorrow, knowing well that your future is a reflection of the choices you make now.

RIVERMONT INDEPENDENT LIVING IN NORMAN ANNOUNCES THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS SERVED REACHES 999 … 1,000!

Rivermont Independent Living, a residence of Legend Senior
Living®, announced today that the number of residents who have made the community their home has reached 1,000. Residents 999 and 1,000 are husband and wife, Bill and JoAnn Oliver, so they share the title. Legend Senior Living, headquartered in Wichita, KS, owns and operates over 50 Legend and Windsor residences in six states.
The Olivers are lifelong Oklahoma residents who have been married for 66 years. They have two children, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Bill worked for the U.S. Postal Service at various places in Oklahoma, performing training. They settled in Norman when the postal training center opened here.
“What we like most about Rivermont is the atmosphere and the people,” said Bill. “All the people are accepting of others that come in. The food is good! And we enjoy the ability to sit outside and enjoy the outdoors.”
Joann cites going out to eat as their favorite activity and appreciates the Rivermont location, out of the hustle and bustle of the metro area but close to many good places to eat and things to do.
Plus, easy highway access takes them straight up the road to their church, the Alameda Church of Christ.
“We’re so happy to have Bill and Joann at Rivermont,” said Residence Director Rita Myers. “And we’re proud to have served many older adults with the Legend trademark of vibrant independent living. The Olivers make the most of it!”
“Our daughter was a big influence in our choice of Rivermont, and we’re so glad we chose so well,” said Joann. The Olivers have been avid travelers throughout Europe and Colorado on many off-roading and skiing adventures. Living at Rivermont allows them to maintain their active lifestyle minus the home maintenance.
Rivermont Independent Living is located at 800 Canadian Trails Dr, Norman, Oklahoma 73072.
Legend Senior Living® is a privately held senior housing and services company based in Wichita, Kansas. Legend grows the number of properties it owns and operates every year, now numbering more than 50 – independent living, assisted living, memory care, and personal care – in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.

For more information about Legend Senior Living® visit https://legendseniorliving.com/find-a-community/oklahoma/

Fifty years ago, immunologists were just beginning to understand a newly discovered type of white blood cell that would come to be known as the T cell. Decades of research have since shown these protective cells to be so crucial, we couldn’t survive without them.
Fast-forward to today, and research stands at a similar infancy with a closely related immune cell called innate lymphoid cells, or ILCs, says Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Xiao-Hong Sun, Ph.D.
The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Sun a $3.4 million grant to continue unraveling mysteries about these cells, including whether they may offer clues about the differences in immune reactions between children and adults.
“It’s far too soon to say whether we will someday discover ILCs play a role as profound as T cells,” said Sun, who holds the Lew and Myra Ward Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. “But I hope this research will begin to answer that question.”
Sun joined OMRF in 1999 and studied T cells until pivoting her research to ILCs when scientists discovered them about a decade ago.
Initially, researchers believed ILCs originated only in bone marrow. In 2019, Sun discovered the thymus, a gland near the heart, can also produce them. The thymus trains the immune system to distinguish friendly cells from invaders. It tends to shrink and become less active as we age.
“Our previous discovery was important because it may shed light on why immune reactions differ between children and adults,” Sun said. “Childhood onset of asthma and food allergies are just two examples. This new study may help explain the underlying causes and suggest new therapeutic approaches.”
“It took a half-century of painstaking work by scientists around the world to get to our current understanding of T cells,” said OMRF Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. “That’s often how science works. Dr. Sun is applying similar approaches to understand ILCs in an accelerated way. I’m excited to see where her research leads.”
Sun’s grant, No. 1R01AI178947-01, was awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH. Oklahoma City’s Presbyterian Health Foundation provided funding for Sun to collect preliminary data for this research.

The Oklahoma History Center Museum will have pieces of silver service from the USS Oklahoma on display starting Monday, November 27, to commemorate the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The complete set consists of 55 pieces. Only select pieces will be available for public view.
On December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma was one of eight battleships docked at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, when it came under attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The USS Oklahoma suffered 429 casualties, and the battleship capsized due to multiple torpedo strikes.
The tradition of creating presentation silver sets for American warships of the “first rank” began with the USS Maine in the late 1890s. Continuing this tradition, the Oklahoma Legislature appropriated $7,500 in 1913 to create a silver service to express the state’s pride in having a new battleship named for the state. It was designed by Walter Dean of Oklahoma City and executed by Gorham Silversmiths of New York. The USS Oklahoma was christened on March 23, 1914, and the service was presented to the ship at that time. The service was used on the battleship from 1914 until 1941 but was removed before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and stored at the Puget Sound Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. In 1946 after World War II, the Oklahoma Historical Society appointed a committee to find the silver service and return it to the state. In 1947 the U.S. Navy loaned the silver service to the Oklahoma Historical Society. After thorough polishing and repair, it went on public display.
The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. It is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Please call 405-522-0765 or visit https://www.okhistory.org/historycenter/ for admission costs and group rates.