Issue 7Volume 18

An Elder Care Publication July 2017

1223 Swan DriveBartlesville, OK 74006918-336-8500 www.abouteldercare.org

The Benefits of FitnessPage 3

DayBreak for VeteransPage 4

New Medicare CardsPage 6

Prime Times8

Doris Curtis focuses on her Physical Therapy exercises with Kelsey Kliewer, PT, DPT.

Physical Therapy WorksPage 2

Elder Care CalendarJuly 17-GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm 18- Caregiver Support Group, 10 am PWR! Moves, 11:15 am GO: Bunco*, 3 pm 19 -GO: Girouard Vine Winery Trip*, 10:30 am GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm

20- PWR! Moves, 11:15 am GO: Stretch & Tone*, 1 pm

21 -GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm

24 - GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm 25- Caregiver Support Group, 10 am GO: Stretch & Tone*, 1 pm GO: Bunco*, 3 pm

26- GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm

27- GO: Stretch & Tone*, 1 pm Golden Hour, 5:30 pm

August 1- Caregiver Support Group, 10 am PWR! Moves, 11:15 am GO: Bunco*, 3 pm 3- PWR! Moves, 11:15 am

7- Open House Tour, 10 am GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm

8- Caregiver Support Group, 10 am PWR! Moves, 11:15 am GO: Stretch & Tone*, 1 pm GO: Bunco*, 3 pm

9- GO: Enhance Fitness*, 1 pm

10- PWR! Moves, 11:15 am GO: Stretch & Tone*, 1 pm

*Enrollment Fees Apply

Elder Care appreciates your generosity in helping us provide services to seniors and caregivers.Private contributions play an important role in the success of Elder Care’s many programs and services. The

generous support of our donors enables us to serve senior adults and their caregivers throughout the community.For information about making a gift please contact: Deirdre McArdle, Director of Development, at 918-336-8500.

Thank You For Your Support

This art work “Through the Window #404” by Michi Susan is on display at Elder Care. Schedule a tour to see it and other works of art in person by calling 918-336-8500.

June 2017 Donors:

Central National BankConocoPhillipsPam CookGreen Country Pilot ClubEvelyn HelmJoel and Shirley MartinPhillips66Pilot Club of DeweyBettye A. Williams

Memorials:

In memory of Lois and Raymond RiceDora M. South and Julie M. Melton

In honor of Roger Skelly Sandra Waldo and Ken Dewey

In-Kind:

Don and Marilyn McBride

Golden Opportunities Sponsors:

Silver Sponsor Bartlesville Health & Rehab

2 Prime Times 7

Like most people, you have probably heard that exercise is good for your health. It increases strength, cardiovas-cular endurance, and can help you fight against multiple health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Physical therapists are trained move-ment specialists and can design a unique exercise pro-gram that addresses your areas of weakness and can help you fight against the aging process through physical activ-ity.

Studies show that we begin to lose muscle mass at a rate of 1% a year beginning at the age of 30. That means that by age 65, your muscle mass has the potential to decrease by 35%. We also know that bone density decreases as we age, leading to health conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. The combination of lost muscle mass and decreased bone density can be danger-ous, leading to a decline in functional mobility and a high-er risk of falls that can result in fractures and quickly take away your independence. This is why physical therapy is so important for seniors; weight bearing exercises and strength training can help fight against decreasing bone density and help increase muscle mass to improve any decline in function and decrease your fall risk. Falling is one of the primary concerns for the older popu-lation. Studies show that one in three older Americans will fall this year. We need to take falls seriously as they are the fifth leading cause of fatal injuries to the elderly population in the United States. These statistics can be scary, but the physical therapists at Elder Care are here to help you avoid these falls!

As physical therapists, we are trained to treat weakness and balance disorders that often lead to falls in the older population. We can identify areas of weakness and mus-cular compensations that have the potential to contrib-ute to painful joints and abnormal gait patterns that can cause you to have difficulty completing daily activities. We will design an individualized treatment plan to meet your needs and help you with any functional activity that you have difficulty completing.

Our goal is to help you remain independent and continue participating in the activities that keep you young at heart! Why wait until you have a problem to be seen by

By Kelsey Kliewer PT, DPT, Physical Therapista physical therapist? Come to our clinic for a free balance screen-ing to see if you are at risk of falling.

If you would like to discuss developing an individualized exercise program with one of our physical thera-pists, you can contact Elder Care Physical Therapy directly at 918-766-0391.

We provide a friendly and welcoming atmo-sphere and would love to get to know you personally while helping you stay young!

Why is Physical Therapy Important for Seniors?

Upon entering Elder Care on a Tuesday afternoon, you may hear dice rolling on a table, a bell being rung with enthusiasm and lots of laughter floating down the hallway as the weekly Bunco group meets from 3:00-4:30 p.m. The ladies have been playing Bunco once a week for over five years. Some of the ladies have been involved since the beginning and others have joined recently. Either way, the ladies become friends quickly.

The weekly social event started after a one-time offer-ing through Elder Care’s Golden Opportunities (GO) program. The ladies had so much fun they asked if they could get together more often. So, the weekly Bunco group was started and it has grown over the years. Now, on a weekly basis there are twenty ladies playing their Bunco game while sharing stories, laughing with each other and forming lasting friendships.

Bunco is a simple dice game consisting of six rounds. Players sit at tables with four players each, two people pair up as a team. There is a head table and then num-bered tables beyond that. Players take turns rolling three dice to try to score points. A Bunco occurs when all three dice match each other. Points are awarded.

After each round, players stand up and the winning team from each table moves while the losing team stays at the same table. After six rounds, everyone counts their wins, losses, buncos and tallies points.

The GO Bunco group has fun keeping track of who had the most wins, the most losses and the most Buncos on a quarterly basis and at the end of that three month period a “Bunco Queen” is crowned!

If you would like to try your luck at Bunco or, more importantly, if you would like to be a part of a wonderful group of ladies who like to have fun with friends, then call Elder Care and sign up for GO Bunco. Then when you come in Elder Care on a Tuesday afternoon, you will be one of the ladies laughing, rolling the dice and ringing the bell with enthusiasm when it is you who “Buncos”!

Bunco and FriendshipBy Stevie Williams, Director of Community Relations

Karen Blair, Gloria Cerwin and Joy Hensley show off their quarterly Bunco prizes.

Doris Curtis works with Kelsey Kliew-er, PT, DPT during her physical ther-apy session.

While Doris was focusing on bal-ance, strength and endurance, there was still time for laughter!

Call 918-766-0391 to schedule a free balance screening.

Elder Care June 2017 Volunteers: Cecilia BelfertanDan BoatwrightLinda BoudreauxDerek BransfordAnn DoughertyJaince DrummEmily FlorenceDebbie GrahamAnna HeidornMelvin Hildebrand

Laura JensenSpencer JensenFay Anne JonesGary KrepsJudy KrepsDelphi LoydNatalie MarnaTeressa MarshallScott MarshallTimmy MooreBecky Owens

Nick OwensYvonne OwensJoanne PayneRachel Richard-sonVicki SaylesPam SchultesCedale SmithRob StevensPaige TownsleyTaylor TownsleyAngela Wilson

Elder Care is in need of bathtub transfer benches to loan out to seniors in the community. If you have a transfer bench that you are no longer using, consider donating it to Elder Care, 1223 Swan Drive. 918-336-8500.

Board MembersVirginia Sawyer, President

Thad Satterfield, Vice PresidentRodney Deffenbaugh, Treasurer

Jamie Archer BennettTodd Cone

Glenda GarrisonWill Haskell

John HatchettDebbie Mueggenborg

Doug QuinnKay Sallee

Steve SmithElizabeth Thrash

Craig YochamBlythe Zielenski

Prime Timespublished monthly by

ELDER CAREExcellence in senior care

since 1983

1223 Swan Dr.Bartlesville, OK 74006

Tel. 918-336-8500Fax 918-336-8519

info@abouteldercare.orgwww.abouteldercare.org

A United Way Agency

Program ManagementMike Fogle

Executive DirectorChristina Bishop

Compliance DirectorFrank Danel

Facility ManagerSharon Davis

Case Manager SupervisorJerry Brad Jarrell, MD

W.R. Bohon Senior Health ClinicJosh Lindblom, PT, DPT

Physical Therapy DirectorDeirdre McArdle

Development DirectorAlan Phillips

Adult Day Health Director Stevie Williams

Community Relations Director

3Prime Times6

Reap the Benefits of FitnessThe majority of older adults report having at least one chronic disease and over half of older adults report having at least two chronic diseases. Common chronic diseases include but are not limited to hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, stroke and emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Physical activity is a proven intervention that can positively influence several of these threats to healthy aging. Physical activity may also relieve symptoms of depression, help maintain independent living and enhance overall quality of life.

Yet, 78% of older adults report they do not participate in the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.

When individuals participate in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly they begin to reap the benefits.

Regular Physical Activity Can:

• Decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.• Lower the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent diabetes.• Maintain normal muscle strength, joint structure and joint function. • Reduce the risk of falling. • Relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. • Improve health-related quality of life by improving physical functions.

To help individuals reach the recommended minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, Elder Care offers a fitness program designed for older adults called Enhance Fit-ness through its Golden Opportunities classes and through DayBreak Adult Day Health. Enhance Fitness is an evidence based group fitness class proven to increase strength, boost activity levels and elevate moods. Participants feel better physically and emotion-ally.

This fitness class is different from the start because it is based on scientific research and input from older adults. Enhance Fitness combines the three key components of fitness: strength training, flexibility and cardiovascular conditioning in each class. During class individuals can expect a casual atmosphere, an energetic trained instructor and a work-at-your-own-pace attitude to help achieve individual physical activity goals. At times, participants work with light soft-weights, work on balance exercises and perform moder-ate aerobics. All exercises can be modified to help participants start where they are and build strength and endurance.

To learn more about Enhance Fitness or to sign up for a class call Elder Care at 918-336-8500.

New Medicare Cards Coming SoonBy Sue Lee, Intake Coordinator and Medicare Assistance CounselorThe Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires Medicare to remove Social Security Num-bers from all Medicare cards by April 2019.

Beginning April 2018 Medicare will start mailing the new Medicare cards with the new numbers to all people with Medicare. The cards will automatically be mailed out to all 58 million current beneficiaries. You do not need to do anything to receive your new card.

The new cards will feature a randomly assigned Medi-care Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) made up of 11 letters and numbers.

This will help fight medical identity theft for people with Medicare. Often with changes also come scams. To avoid Medicare scams, please remember:

1. If you receive a phone call from someone tell-ing you they are from Medicare and asking for your Social Security number or banking information, hang up. Medicare will not call you or ask for your banking

or Social Security number—if someone does, please hang up!

2. Medicare does not charge for your new card. If someone asks for money, it is a scam---hang up!

3. The new Medicare cards will be mailed out auto-matically, there is no fee or changes to your benefits. If the caller tells you about any changes or cuts to your benefits, do not give out any information—hang up!

You can go to www.Medicare.gov, call Medi-care 1-800-MEDI-CARE, or call Elder Care 918-336-8500 and ask for a Medicare Assistance Coun-selor if you have any questions.

By Jennifer Ennis, Community Relations Coordinator

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A Healthy Lifestyle = Diet, Exercise, Sleep

Eating a healthy diet, exercising, and getting enough sleep are all important to a healthy lifestyle.

We’ve all experienced that lethargic feeling after eat-ing too much unhealthy food. When you eat a balanced diet your body receives the fuel it needs to manage your energy level.

A healthy diet includes: • whole grains• lean meats• low-fat dairy products • fruit• vegetables

Regular physical exercise also improves muscle strength and boosts endurance, giving you more energy, says the Mayo Clinic. Exercise helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and gets your cardiovascular system working more efficiently so that you have more energy to go about your daily activities. It also helps boost ener-gy by promoting better sleep. This helps you fall asleep faster and get deeper sleep.

Many older individuals are in need of options for social interaction, mental stimulation and physical fitness. Our country’s Veterans are no different.

DayBreak Adult Day Health provides just what is needed! There are several Veterans who attend Elder Care’s Day-Break on a regular basis and benefit greatly from the pro-gram. DayBreak provides a variety of activities for partici-pants, including: bingo, daily exercise classes, discussion of current events, brain fitness, art/crafts program, gar-dening, music, nutritious meals, and community outings.

Adult Day Health is part of the VA Medical Benefits; all enrolled veterans are eligible to apply. If the Veteran is already enrolled in VA healthcare, contact the social worker on the Veteran’s Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). Adult Day Health Care is for Veterans who are isolated or for their caregivers who are experiencing a burden and need a break. DayBreak Adult Day Health can provide respite care for a family caregiver and can also help Veterans and their caregivers gain skills to manage the Veteran’s care at home.

DayBreak participant and U.S. Army Veteran Melvin Barnes enjoys the camaraderie he has with other Veter-ans at DayBreak. “I’m proud of our Veterans that have served our country and have allowed us the freedom that we have.”

“DayBreak helps improve lives and create better futures. The employees really care about us and help show the Veterans how much they are appreciated.”

If you are a Veteran who would benefit from stimulating activities to fill your day or if you are a spouse of a Vet-eran in need of a break from caregiving, please give us a call and ask for Leah or Alan at 918-336-8500. You are also welcome to stop by and take a tour.

DayBreak Benefits VeteransBy Tracy Stuckey, Clinic Director Insufficient sleep can trigger a variety of problems. Aside

from feeling tired and sluggish, you may also feel irritable and moody if you don’t get enough sleep. Poor sleep quality may be responsible for high blood pressure, dia-betes, and heart disease, and it can also lower your life expectancy.

To improve sleep quality, stick to a schedule where you wake up and go to bed at the same time every night. Reduce your caffeine intake, limit napping, and create a comfortable sleep environment. Turn off lights and the television, and maintain a cool room temperature.

Bad habits are hard to break, but once you adopt a healthier lifestyle, you won’t regret this decision. Healthy habits reduce the risk of certain diseases, improve your physical appearance and mental health, and give your energy level a much needed boost. You won’t change your mindset and behav-ior overnight, so be patient and take it one day at a time.

By Alan Phillips, Director of DayBreak

Please join us on Monday, August 7 for Elder Care's monthly Open House at 10:00 a.m. Learn more about Elder Care's programs that help mature adults live happy, healthy, independent lives. 1223 Swan Drive. 918-336-8500

DayBreak partici-pant Melvin Barnes is also a Veteran of the U.S. Army. Mel-vin says DayBreak helps relieve his stress and makes his life better. Day-Break is open Mon-day through Friday for people like Melvin who enjoy the social interac-tion, art projects, games, fitness and delicious meals. DayBreak is also available for care-givers who need a safe environment for their loved ones during the day. For more information, call 918-336-8500.