e official newsleer of Broken Arrow Seniors, Inc. March 2020 • Vol. 30, No. 3 Broken Arrow Senior Center 1800 South Main St. Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918-259-8377 [email protected]www.baseniors.org @BrokenArrowSeniors Hours Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Annual Membership Broken Arrow residents • $30 Non-residents • $40 Discover, MasterCard, VISA and American Express are accepted for payment. President/CEO Sean Simpson Member Services Coordinator Ami Bucher Transportation Marion Hampton Facilities Donald Stockton Membership Assistant Jacqui Eller Physician Will Address Neurological Concerns As we age, we all notice changes in our hair, skin and joints that let us know we are getting older. Along with these visible changes, our brains and central nervous system are going through the aging process as well. This is one reason you are more likely to suffer from a neurological problem after the age of 65. Tania Reyna, M.D., board-certified neurologist with Utica Park Clinic, will discuss neurological concerns, including autoim- mune diseases, on Friday, March 27, at noon in Activity Room 3. Some of the more common neurological disorders that affect seniors include strokes, neuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Signs or symptoms of neurological issues can include headaches; blurry vision; fatigue; changes in behavior; numbness in the legs or arms; changes in coordina- tion or balance; weakness; and slurred speech. Neurological issues also include autoimmune diseases – in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. Some of the most common are type 1 diabetes; celiac disease; Sjögren’s syndrome; Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; Graves’ disease; Addison’s disease; inflammatory bowel disease; lupus; rheumatoid arthritis; and multiple scle- rosis. According to a recent study, women acquire autoimmune diseases at a rate of about 2 to 1 compared to men. The signs of neurological disorders can vary significantly, depending upon the type of disorder as well as the specific area of the body that is affected. In some instances, you might experience emotional symptoms, while in other cases physical symptoms may be the result. If you are concerned about a possible neurological disorder, it is important to seek professional medical assistance. A number of medical examinations can be performed to diagnose the presence of a possible neurological condition. Can neurological disorders be prevented? Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to minimize your chances of a neurological disorder. The first step is con- trolling risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and lack of exercise that can contribute to stroke and possibly other neurological issues. Even if you do suffer from a neurological problem, when you get older, the healthier you are, the better able you will be able to deal with it. Board-certified in neurology, Dr. Reyna has provided care since 2011. She earned a medical degree from the Universidad Mexico Americana del Norte in Reynosa, Mexico, in 1997 and completed an internal medicine (Continued on page 3) Health and Wellness Awareness In Partnership with Hillcrest Hospital South Dr. Reyna
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The official newsletter of Broken Arrow Seniors, Inc. March 2020 • Vol. 30, No. 3
As we age, we all notice changes in our hair, skin and joints that let us know we are getting older. Along with these visible changes, our brains and central nervous system are going through the aging process as well. This is one reason you are more likely to suffer from a neurological problem after the age of 65.
Tania Reyna, M.D., board-certified neurologist with Utica Park Clinic, will discuss neurological concerns, including autoim-mune diseases, on Friday, March 27, at noon in Activity Room 3.
Some of the more common neurological disorders that affect seniors include strokes, neuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Signs or symptoms of neurological issues can include headaches; blurry vision; fatigue; changes in behavior; numbness in the legs or arms; changes in coordina-tion or balance; weakness; and slurred speech.
Neurological issues also include autoimmune diseases – in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. Some of the most common are type 1 diabetes; celiac disease; Sjögren’s syndrome; Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; Graves’ disease; Addison’s disease; inflammatory bowel disease; lupus; rheumatoid arthritis; and multiple scle-rosis. According to a recent study, women acquire autoimmune diseases at a rate of about 2 to 1 compared to men.
The signs of neurological disorders can vary significantly, depending upon the type of disorder as well as the specific area of the body that is affected. In some instances, you might experience emotional symptoms, while in other cases physical symptoms may be the result. If you are concerned about a possible neurological disorder, it is important to seek professional medical assistance. A number of medical examinations can be performed to diagnose the presence of a possible neurological condition.
Can neurological disorders be prevented? Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to minimize your chances of a neurological disorder. The first step is con-trolling risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and lack of exercise that can contribute to stroke and possibly other neurological issues. Even if you do suffer from a neurological problem, when you get older, the healthier you are, the better able you will be able to deal with it.
Board-certified in neurology, Dr. Reyna has provided care since 2011. She earned a medical degree from the Universidad Mexico Americana del Norte in Reynosa, Mexico, in 1997 and completed an internal medicine (Continued on page 3)
Health and Wellness AwarenessIn Partnership with Hillcrest Hospital South
If you were thinking that the Broken Arrow Senior Center is experiencing an influx of people enjoying programs, activities and fellowship, you’d be right.
People make the decision to join the Center every day so they, too, can be physically active and socially engaged. They come to the Center to exercise their minds and their bodies. Histori-
cally, the majority of new members join in the winter – January, February and March – and summer – June, July and August.
I’m not sure what to make of these statistics. On one hand, it appears that people make New Year’s resolutions. Then, when the winter hibernation is over, it’s time to take stock and start working off those winter pounds. That’s pretty sound logic if you ask me.
“I can just exercise at home.” I’ve been there. I’ve been there many, many times. I’ve
often made the decision to take control of my health. But that’s just the start. Next is the follow through, which is the hard part.
At home, exercise is free, convenient and always there for you. But for many people that isn’t enough, probably because your options are to exercise at home by yourself, go jogging or join a crossfit/boot camp or health club – unless your spouse or partner bought you a Peloton.
That could be why more than 80% of people who de-cide to get in shape fail to achieve their goals. A key factor to success has to do with where people choose to exercise.
At home, I take a horizontal, non-moving, deep-breathing, silent-meditation, yoga class every day. It is delightful!
It is also a workout routine I can commit to complet-ing because exercising at home can be distracting. Be-tween my wife, daughter, dogs, cats, RING doorbell, TV, computer, smartphone, dinner dishes and laundry, it is hard to focus.
The BA Senior Center is a better option. Why? Sci-entific studies continue to show that participation at an activity center can have several significant health benefits. The fun and friendship are ever-present. People who work out with a group reach their goals more often than those who don’t. Working out doesn’t have to be just exercise classes. You can work out your mind playing cards or with crafting, puzzles, photography, crochet, guitar, ukulele, singing, creative writing and many other activities that are socially focused. There’s not much aerobic activity in going “all-in” on a poker pot or yelling “bingo.”
As I’ve brought up many times, active members can improve how their brain works. Continued on page 4
internship at the University of Oklahoma in 2007. She completed a neurology residency at the University of Oklahoma in 2011. During her time at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, she earned the Provider of the Year Award in 2018 from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“A multidisciplinary approach to include wellness and effective management of conditions can significantly im-
pact the patient’s quality of life,” Dr. Reyna said.While she is particularly skilled in multiple sclerosis
and autoimmune-related conditions, she welcomes the opportunity to help with any neurological concerns.
Plan now to attend this informative session provided by Hillcrest Hospital. Light refreshments will be offered. Seating is limited, so please sign up in the office if you are interested in attending.
Regular attendance at BASC can enhance your creativity, extend your life and improve your mental and physical vitality, not to mention your mental acu-ity. You can establish, maintain and foster relationships. If you’re not at the BA Senior Center, then you might spend up to 10 hours a day alone.
At home, I take a horizontal, non-moving, deep-breathing, silent-medita-tion, yoga class every day. It is delightful!
Yes, I know I already typed that line – just seeing if you’re paying attention.
I’ve made that statement several times in the past month. I usually get blank stares, but occasionally someone will recognize that I just described taking a nap or sleeping. Stats don’t lie – every time I participate in that activity I’m successful. And I always feel renewed, rested and relaxed.
Giving in to “mind over couch” syndrome is not the best example to set as the director of an activity center for older adults. That’s why being at the Center every day, I
find myself surrounded by like-minded people who have either found their happy place or are motivated to break
out of their comfort zone – including me.
Last month, I tried my hand feet at Line Dancing for Fitness. It was only for 10 minutes, but Peggy Day and Jewelee Houston saw me. By the time you read this, I might have given it another go. Maybe 20 minutes this time – but I’m having ice cream after: two scoops.
But could I do more?Fitness for Ladies meets three days a
week. Not being the right gender, I’m not sure what goes on in there. Maybe I’ll start a Fitness for Men class. As long as there’s coffee and an agreement never to discuss our feelings, I bet the activity would be popular.
I wonder if I put in a horseshoe pit or cornhole boards outside if I’d have members join me. If you’re interested, please let me know.
A Closer Look • Continued from page 2
“At home, I take a horizontal, non-moving,
deep-breathing, silent-meditation, yoga class every day. It is
Blood pressure checks . . . . . . . . Wednesday, April 1 • 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fitness RoomUniversity of Tulsa Nursing Program
Tuesday Beginning Line Dance members entertained residents at Franciscan Villa for Valentine’s Day. A drawing was held for a heart blanket crocheted by Victoria Fung.
Alan Parker of Mays Home Care is pictured with Char-lotte, the lucky winner of the company’s door prize at the February Birthday Luncheon.
Members and guests attending the February Birthday Potluck Luncheon each received a hand-crafted Valentine card made by the Paper Crafting Group. Betty Rasmusen, right, leader of the group, spoke to attendees about paper crafting. Patricia Finner is pictured left.
The Ukulele Jam Group entertained the lunch crowd at the Center in February.
Transportation represents a fundamental means of ac-cess to meet daily needs, which is essential for aging well. Older adults seek access to health care, grocery stores, pharmacies, work, houses of worship or their favorite senior activity center.
Driving is often the preferred mode of travel for older adults. However, the older we get, the more we limit our driving. Today, 20% of people age 65 and older report that they no longer drive compared to nearly 50% of people age 85 and older. The reason why could be re-lated to medical issues, financial concerns or just a lack of interest.
Broken Arrow is looking to significantly improve access to public transit in the coming years. Part of the
process involves asking the public to reflect on our cur-rent and future needs.
Have you ever thought about what would happen if driving your car was no longer an option? How would you continue to maintain your independence or continue with your daily routines? Who would you turn to for as-sistance? What is the top priority for future public trans-portation investment for Broken Arrow? How should we expand public transportation routes in Broken Arrow?
These are a few questions I’ve been asking as a member
of the commission conducting the Broken Arrow Transit Study. If you know me, you know I often say the thing other people are thinking. That’s why last month I said, “The current public transit options in BA aren’t cutting it, and, 10 years from now, if we maintain the status quo, we could see older adults struggle to meet basic transpor-tation needs.”
The way people shop, work and go to medical ap-pointments has changed, but our transportation system has not.
We want to know what our citizens already know about public transportation and what their needs are in Broken Arrow. This has never been as important as it is now, considering BA is forecasted to grow by more than
40% over the next 25 years, and the area’s transporta-tion needs should keep up with that growth.
The city of Broken Arrow and Tulsa Transit (MTTA) are in-terested in hearing from you to help
improve alternative transportation services in Broken Ar-row. Your opinions are valuable and help prioritize future services. All surveys are confidential.
This month you have an opportunity to voice your opinion. We will make the Broken Arrow transit com-munity survey available at www.baseniors.org as well as have printed copies to complete in our office. You can use the computers by the lounge to complete the survey while you’re at the Center. I hope you give your opinion so the voices of older adults in Broken Arrow are heard.
Voice Your Opinion On Transportation Solutions
The Center will be closed April 10 in recog-nition of Good Friday. The Birthday Luncheon will not be held in April.
The Circle of Readers book group gets together the first Monday of each month.
If you enjoy reading and discussing books, join the group at 10 a.m. in the
conference room. Here are the books they
will be discussing:• Monday, March
2: “The Woman Who Smashed Codes,” by Jason Fagone (non-fiction);
• Monday, April 6: “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk,” by Kathleen Rooney (historical fiction);
• Monday, May 4: “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean (non-fiction).
Are Books Your Thing? Check Out The Circle Of Readers BASC Will Close On Good Friday
Most, if not all, members of the BA Senior Center are enrolled or are preparing to enroll for Social Security ben-efits. If you don’t have questions, you should. Success-fully navigating the Social Security process means staying informed. The “Social Security Questions Answered Here” session scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, at 11 a.m. will educate and enlighten. Space will be limited to 24 attendees and lunch will be served. Sign up in the of-fice to attend.
4 Learn about the alphabet soup of Social Security – acronyms such as FRA, PIA, COLA and more;4 Dig deeper into survivor benefits;
4 Receive honest answers to the question “Just how is the Social Security system doing?”;4 Discover the relationship between Social Security and Medicare;4 What tools are available for managing my benefits?
The Senior Center has partnered with Humana, so licensed agent Chris Crawford, who is with Humana, will lead this valuable session.
“Chris is extremely knowledgeable in regards to Social Security and Medicare,” said Broken Arrow Senior Center president and chief executive officer Sean Simpson. “This session is not a sales presentation. Chris will educate even the most informed about Social Security strategies.”
Social Security Questions Answered Here
The 30th Annual Resource & Health Fair, the only event in Broken Arrow designed to help people 55+ and their families discover resources available to them, is set for Friday, April 24.
The Cen-ter’s largest fundraising event, the fair is attended by more than 1,000 people each year from Broken Arrow and
the surrounding area. The exhibitor registration form and information
sheet are on pages 7 and 8 if you know of a company that would ben-efit from exhibiting.
More than 100 volunteers are needed to ensure a successful event. Volunteering during the senior fair is a great way to support the Center and enjoy time with other members. If you are interested in volunteering, sign up in the office. A variety of vol-unteers are needed on Thursday and Friday and a choice of shifts will be available. Here’s how you can help:
4 Hostesses help vendors (requires walking the exhibit area); 4 Entry table volunteers - greet guests and hand out
information;4 Senior Center booth - providing information to guests;4 Electrical set up and tear down for vendor booths;4 Table set up and tear down - entry doors and lunch area;4 Trash removal - during and after the event;4 Various help on Thursday before the fair and at the conclusion of the event on Friday.Watch for it! More information
about the 30th Annual Senior Re-source & Health Fair will be available in the April newsletter.
Support The Center: Volunteer At The Senior Fair
The Center’s largest fundraising event, the fair is
attended by more than 1,000 people each year from Broken
The dance workshop featuring the country western waltz originally planned for February will be rescheduled in March. The workshop will be held each Wednesday in March, at 2 p.m. in Centennial Hall.
The country western waltz is a popular ballroom step updated to fit country’s faster tempos. The country west-ern waltz is a partner dance based on the classic ballroom waltz. It features a six-count step performed in three-quarter time.
This step gives the waltz family its distinctive one-two-three, one-two-three rhythm pattern. Like the ballroom
waltz, the country western waltz features a series of turns and spins that are performed as the dancers move down and across the floor. However, the country western waltz typically moves at a faster speed.
This workshop is an opportunity to learn and spend time with others who enjoy dancing. No partner? No problem. Having a partner is not required to attend this class.
Plan to attend all four weeks of this workshop to gain the most knowledge and practice possible.
Have you written a book? We would like to spotlight the talented people at the Center who have written and published books. An event featuring these authors may be scheduled in April. Published authors of fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, biographies and poetry should sign up in the office if they are interested in sharing their work with other members.
Country Western Waltz Workshop Rescheduled For March
Anyone who has ever eaten lunch at the Broken Arrow Senior Cen-ter has the fond memory of being welcomed, fed and loved by Kathy Nye, Tulsa County senior nutrition manager at the Center. Kathy retired at the end of February after 10 years of overseeing the program.
“Helping seniors has always been a passion of mine,” said Kathy. “The Nutrition Program has helped me fulfill that passion as a vocation.”
Kathy has always felt that the pro-gram was so much more than serving meals.
“We are feeding so much more than food,” she added.
The seniors who eat lunch at the Center would readily agree. Through her years of service, Kathy has pro-vided the gift of hospitality to each senior, offering affirmation and a
smiling face, filling a void for many. Prior to joining the Senior Nutri-
tion Program, Kathy and her special needs daughter, Tory, volunteered delivering meals to the home-bound. She was also employed in the Cen-ter’s office for several months prior to joining the Nutrition Program and helped set up the Center’s library. She’ll tell you that her passion for seniors has come naturally from having older parents and being close to an aunt who was a charter mem-ber of the Chow & Chatter Club, a precursor to the BA Senior Center.
Kathy notes that both she and Tory have received many blessings over the years.
“I was fortunate to work for a company and then the Center that al-lowed me to bring Tory to work with
me,” she said. “Tory has many grandmas and grand-pas as a result of growing up at the Center and being here every day.”
“I began to see people I went to school with at the Center and knew it may be time to retire,” Kathy said with a smile.
She and Tory are look-ing forward to spending more quality time together and plan on stopping at the Center to volunteer.
Thank you, Kathy, for your years of dedication at the Center. We thank you, too, for showing us all how the simple gift of compassion and serving others touches and changes lives.
Life drawing centers on drawings of portraits or people. Also known as figure drawing, it is the corner-stone of artistic training and is a centuries-old artistic tradition.
A life drawing class may be scheduled if there is enough interest. If you enjoyed taking the drawing workshop offered in the fall or have basic drawing knowledge, sign up in the office to express your interest in this type of class.
You will be contacted if a life drawing class is scheduled.
Are You Interested In Life Drawing?
Plan now to celebrate this month’s birthdays at the March Birthday Potluck Luncheon, set for Friday, March 13. A delicious sliced brisket entrée from Rib Crib will be provided by Clear Captions.
Registration will conclude by 11:20 a.m. You do not need to register ahead of time. Entry is free for those celebrating birthdays in March. For others, bring a dish to share or pay just $7.
The March Birthday Potluck Luncheon will also be your chance to learn about the Center’s “Bags to Mats” group. This dedicated group meets each Wednesday from 9 a.m. until noon.
You’ll learn about this activity and how they touch the lives of many outside the Center. Join us!