Caregiver Corner

Long-Distance Caregiving Common Sense Approaches

Long-Distance Caregiving is as unique as each family. While school, careers and marriage scatter families around the country and globe, the need to support aging parents and siblings is innately human and constant. By Mickey Hinds, LIFE's Education Coordinator

Distance puts practical limitations on caregiving. The hope is that each family finds their way with as little stress as possible and utilizes the resources and support available.

Until there is a health crisis, such as a terminal diagnosis, fall or stroke, the support offered to aging loved ones is often done by phone and during brief visits together. After a medical event, caregiving from afar takes on new urgency and organizational skills. Long-distance caregiving is defined as caring for someone who lives an hour or more away and can present challenges that are specific to distance. There are some things that a caregiver can do to increase effectiveness. Consider the following:

1 Talk about it . Regardless of distance, family can discuss expectations for care, financial concerns and medical conditions. Ideally, these conversations happen often, and changes are observed and discussed. There are natural opportunities for conversations. For example, during a call, mom says she went to the doctor earlier in the week. This is a perfect opportunity for a caregiver to ask about why a visit was necessary (routine visit or other type), if any tests were performed or if there are any concerns, aches and pains, etc. Talking about and normalizing discussions about health (and life) issues are important aspects of caring. 2 A long -distance caregiver needs the same tools as one living close by . HIPAA releases, powers of attorney and other legal documents should be drafted and on file with doctors. Some long-distance caregivers keep these documents in files on their computer or phone for easy delivery to healthcare professionals via email or text when needed. Long-distance caregivers who have these documents in place are able to have conversations with doctors and staff about their loved one's condition and treatment. 3 Planning a visit can offer insight about the caregiving path . When visiting, observe the household environment. Are the surroundings clean? Is the food in the refrigerator going bad? Is the mail piling up? Are there dings or dents in the car? Are there fall risks in and around the home? Are there more medications than the last visit? Answering yes to any of these questions may be an indication that more support is needed. Additionally, the visit is an opportunity to connect with each other. Follow your loved one’s lead and do some fun things together. As caregiving responsibilities increase, these fun times spent together will take on more profound meanings. 4 Learn about resources . Each community has resources and services to help seniors and caregivers. These services can be delivered through nonprofit organizations, the federally-funded Area Agencies on Aging, faith groups, meal delivery and home care agencies. Learning what the community has to offer can aid in planning as needs change. 5 Plan ahead for an emergency . Identify a local person or agency who can act in the best interest of your loved one in an emergency. Depending on distance, several hours can elapse before a long-distance caregiver gets to the care recipient. Deciding ahead of time who to call can relieve stress. There may be a friend or neighbor who can step in or a long-time friend of the caregiver who is willing to help out in an emergency. Some home care agencies can be hired for emergency help for clients as well.

Source: National Institute on Aging

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• One-on-one and small group assistance in LIFE’s Adult Day Health Centers • Sharing your talents, like singing, painting, dancing or knitting with our Adult Day Health participants • Fitness or art instructors at LIFE’s Senior Centers • Small home repairs and handyman projects • Office/clerical support • Medicare Part D counseling • Income tax preparation • Special events and fundraising • Serving on an advisory council

To find out how you can volunteer with LIFE Senior Services, call LIFE’s SeniorLine at (918) 664-9000 or visit www.LIFEseniorservices.org

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Protecting Yourself from Enrollment Fraud

The Open Enrollment period for Medicare Advantage plans runs from January 1 through March 31 each year. Medicare has a marketing standard that dictates the way Advantage providers may contact you and market their services. Here are some pointers to protect yourself from fraud.

By Channing Rutherford Medicare and Tax Assistance Program

1 Know the rules about how plan providers can contact and market to you. Insurance providers can begin marketing as early as October 1 each year and are permitted to contact you through mail or email. Unless you are currently enrolled in the company’s plan, however, they are not allowed to call, visit your home or approach you in public to sell to you without your permission. Agents and brokers are allowed to have educational exhibits at public events, but they cannot try to enroll you in their plan at these events. But, if you sign up for a door prize, you are giving them permission to contact you after the event.

2 Know how to avoid potential enrollment fraud.

Enrollment fraud occurs when an agent or representative purposefully tricks you into enrolling in their plan, regardless of whether or not it is the right plan for you. They may do this by giving you misleading or false information to get you to enroll. • Watch out for people who pressure you with time limits to enroll in their plan. You can use the entire Open Enrollment Period to make your decision. You will not receive extra benefits for signing up early for a plan. Contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for trustworthy and unbiased counseling if you have questions about any of your plan options.

• Beware of people who ask for your Medicare number, Social Security number and/or bank information just to provide you with information. Someone can use this personal information to enroll you in a plan without your permission. Know that plans cannot request this personal information at an educational event and cannot call you to ask for a payment over the phone – they must send a bill.

• Watch out for people who threaten you with the loss of your Medicare benefits unless you sign up for their plan.

• Be cautious of people who offer you gifts only if you enroll in their plan. Everyone is eligible for a gift, regardless of whether they enroll in a plan or not, and the gift cannot be worth more than $15.

• Watch out for people who say they represent Medicare. Plans are never allowed to suggest they represent or are preferred by Medicare or any other government agency.

• To protect yourself from enrollment fraud, confirm everything that a plan agent tells you before making a final decision about a plan. Ask for everything in writing and call your doctors to make sure that they are in the provider network for the plan you want to join. Never give your Medicare information to anyone but your trusted health providers.

3 Report suspected enrollment fraud and marketing violations.

If you feel a plan provider or agent has violated Medicare’s marketing rules, you should save all documented proof, such as an agent’s business card, the plan’s marketing materials and your phone call records. Also, if you think you were enrolled in a plan without your permission, contact (800) MEDICARE or the Medicare Assistance Program at LIFE Senior Services to report it and request assistance. Medicare allows victims of enrollment fraud to makes changes outside of Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period. You can contact MAP at LIFE to learn more, (918) 664-9000, ext. 1189

Sources: www.medicarerights.org www.smpresource.org

FREE TAX ASSISTANCE

The appointment line is open for LIFE’s free tax assistance for seniors age 60 and older who make $56,000 or less annually. Appointments are filling up fast! Call now to reserve your spot at (918) 664-9000, ext. 1189.

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Four amazing trips are available including Luxury in Napa Vineyards, Broadway Weekend in New York, Three Rounds of Golf at Pinehurst Resort or a Tennessee Whisky Adventure. All trips include round-trip airfare for two.

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Raffle tickets are $25 each or $100 for five. Tickets are available online at www.lifeseniorservices.org or call (918) 664-9000.

Okie Fun Facts

On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory merged becoming the 46th state to enter the union. This beautiful state and its "Okies" are a uniquely interesting and bright bunch.

by Joey Mechelle Farqué

14 T-shirt artist of OKIE DIRT dying a shirt in a bucket of red Oklahoma dirt. Photo courtesy of www.iloveokiedirt.com

1

Red Dirt The bright red soil you can find in about 33 of 77 counties covers around 1 million acres in central and western Oklahoma. The color comes from the iron oxide present in the soil, which is the result of the weathering of reddish sandstones, siltstones and shale of the Permian Geologic Era nearly 300 million years ago. You can find numerous local vendors who sell “red dirt” merchandise, including shirts that have been dyed rusty brown using Oklahoma’s unique soil.

2 Good Eats Many Okies believe that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Did you know that Oklahoma has a state meal? And boy, does it sound delicious! Oklahoma designated its official state meal in 1988. It consists of fried okra, cornbread, barbeque pork, squash, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries (also the state fruit), chicken fried steak, pecan pie and black-eyed peas. Yep, sounds like a normal Sunday meal at my late, beloved nana’s house. The state’s official meal reflects the historic and present-day agriculture and cultural backgrounds of Oklahoma’s citizens.

3 The Sky is Falling In 1997, Lottie Williams, reported being hit by falling space debris while walking through Tulsa’s O’Brien Park. The chance of a person being hit by falling space junk is very slim – so slim that Lottie is the only person to experience this phenomenon. The debris was confirmed by the National Weather Service and NASA as a piece of Delta 2 rocket. Thankfully, postal worker Lottie was unhurt when she was struck on the shoulder by the piece of metal.

5 Canoodling with Catfish Pauls Valley is the home of the world-famous Okie Noodling Tournament. Noodling is the practice of getting up close and personal with catfish by wading into muddy lakes and fishing with your bare hands. The Pauls Valley Okie Noodling Tournament attracts visitors from around the world to experience the one-of-a-kind event. Contestants attempt to wrestle the biggest catfish from the muddy depths of area rivers and lakes. The catfish are hauled to the festival to be weighed and ranked. Food vendors, noodling clinics, catfish cookoffs, live music and fun activities line the streets of the festival each year. In 2019, Nate Williams of Shawnee won the big prize with his 85.05-pound catfish. 4 Please Leave a Message When Tulsan Gordon Matthews visited his business clients in the 1970s, he was concerned about the number of message slips he saw in the trash bins next to the receptionist desks. Soon, he developed a concept for an electronic way to store phone messages. A University of Tulsa graduate, Gordon used his engineering education and aviator and telecommunications background to design and patent the first voicemail system called “Voice Message Exchange.” He sold his first systems to 3M, American Express, Intel, Shell Canada, Kodak and others.

6 What ’s in a Name ? Oklahoma is home to 590 cities and towns. Most have average names, some only slightly unusual, but many are straight up odd, even funny. Some of our favorites include: Slaughterville, Rubottom, Moon, Lotsee (the smallest town in the state with only two citizens), Slapout, Nuyaka, Frogville (because at one time it had an abundance of large frogs “big enough to eat small ducks”), Cookietown, Okay, Bowlegs, Bushyhead, Wildman, Slick, Loco, Pumpkin Center and Whizbang. The stories behind some of the town names are quite interesting if you ever have a moment to research.

Tulsa Skyscrapers The Bank of Oklahoma building in Tulsa is a half-size replica of the former World Trade Center. It was designed by Minoru Yamasia, the same architect who designed the World Trade Center. Contruction was completed in 1976, just three years after the NYC landmark. The tower is almost exactly half the scale of the lost Twin Towers and has 31 steel perimeter columns per side.

This is a short list of a few fun Okie facts – there are thousands more to discover. It is quite enjoyable researching the fascinating and unusual intricacies that make our beautiful state a unique and lovely place to live. Next time you have a free afternoon, visit the Tulsa library or take a road trip and discover the Oklahoma you might be missing.

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Native American Cultural Sites

Over the years, 67 Native American nations have called Oklahoma home. You can visit some of these Native American cultural sites to learn more about the history, traditions and contributions of the tribes that call Oklahoma home.

By Emily Fox, Associate Editor

Cherokee Heritage Center 21192 S. Keeler Dr., Tahlequah (918) 456-6007 • (888) 999-6007 toll-free The Heritage Center contains numerous displays on 44 wooded acres, including the replica of a 1710 Cherokee village called Diligwa. Visitors can often witness live displays such as basketry, flint knapping and stickball. The exhibits include a moving commemoration of the Trail of Tears, where 5,000 Cherokees died on the arduous trek from their indigenous territory to new land in Indian Territory.

Chickasaw Cultural Center 867 Cooper Memorial Rd., Sulphur (580) 622-7130

Located on more than 100 acres of land, the Chickasaw Cultural Center is one of the United States’ largest and most expansive Native American cultural centers. It encourages visitors to see, hear and even taste traditional Chickasaw life. Interactive exhibits portray the tribe’s ancestors, lifestyles and include a Spirit Forest area where visitors can often watch a traditional stomp dance. No visit is complete without a stop at the Aaimpa Café where diners enjoy such Chickasaw favorites as corn soup, grape dumplings and fry bread.

Trail of Tears exhibit at the Cherokee National Museum. Photo courtesy of www.docsteach.org

Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center 701 N.W. Ferris Ave., Lawton (580) 353-0404

The museum opened in 2007 with extensive fine art collections, compelling exhibits and interactive displays of the “Lords of the Plains.” Some of the artifacts originated with the Fort Sill Indian School and the military. An exhibit on 17 Comanche code talkers shares the story of how Native Americans helped keep American battle plans and communications a secret and defeat Hitler during WWII.

Five Civilized Tribes Museum 1101 Honor Heights Dr., Muskogee (918) 683-1701

The museum represents the rich cultural heritage of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations. The museum is home to many artifacts, antiquities, fine art and more representing the tribes’ unique history in Oklahoma. It is also host to frequent art shows, lectures and workshops as it continues to explore the artistic and historical impact of the tribes on Oklahoma.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Council House 106 W. 6th St., Okmulgee • (918) 549-2434

After the devastation of the Civil War, the Creek Nation worked to establish itself in Oklahoma. The Nation selected Okmulgee as its capital and created a new constitution for governance over the tribe. The Council House was the seat of Creek Nation government. Fire destroyed the original building built in 1867, and the current stone structure was built in 1878. Like other Native American nations, the Creeks had to abolish their government in 1906, and the city of Okmulgee took ownership of the building until 2010. After reclaiming the Council House and much of their historic collection, a $2 million renovation project was completed in November 2018.

Osage Nation Cultural Center (Wahzhazhe Cultural Center) 220 W. Main St., Pawhuska • (918) 287-5632

The Cultural Center provides a perspective on the Osage Nation through educational programs and exhibits. The nearby Osage Nation Museum features examples of Osage artwork and hosts special events throughout the year.

Seminole Nation Museum 524 S. Wewoka Ave., Wewoka • (405) 257-5580

Artifacts, historic photos, interpretive exhibits, events and stories that shaped the Seminole history are chronicled in a captivating, educational and enlightening experience. Educational programs incorporate story telling and traditional stomp dance to bring the Seminole culture to life.

Sequoyah’s Cabin 470288 Highway 101, Sallisaw • (918) 775-2413

Sequoyah developed a written alphabet for the Cherokee language. The one-room cabin has been protected and preserved inside a stone memorial structure so visitors can see what it was like when Sequoyah lived there. Displays and exhibits explain the history and basics of Sequoyah’s syllabary and showcase early Cherokee life.

Shawnee Tribe Cultural Center 19 N. Eight Tribes Trail, Miami • (918) 544-6722

The museum opened in 2018 and takes visitors on a self-guided tour of the past, present and future of the Shawnee Nation. Rotating exhibits complement the permanent displays for an ever-changing look at Shawnee culture.

Standing Bear Park, Museum and Education Center 601 Standing Bear Parkway, Ponca City • (580) 762-1514 A 22-foot statue of Standing Bear pays tribute to the Ponca Chief who made a landmark speech before a U.S. District Court arguing for representation and protection of all Native Americans equal to that offered to white men. The 63-acre park contains the monument, a pond, walking trail and shaded memorial grove. The museum and educational center feature tribal displays, traveling exhibits, artwork and more.

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