Elders fight the loneliness epidemic together at exercise summit

Written By: Braden Harper

(TULSA, Okla.) Tribal elders from around the Tulsa community moved and mingled at the Wisdom Warriors: Just Move It! event hosted in collaboration by Indian Health Service (IHS) and the Indian Health Care Resource Center (IHCRC) on July 25 at Veteran’s Park.

Read this story on Mvskoke Media here.

This was the third annual Just Move It! Event and the first hosted in Tulsa. The event featured experts on geriatric psychiatry, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and domestic violence intervention. Physical activities included Tai Chi, chair yoga, and round dancing. Medicine bag making and flower planting were also offered. 

Indian Health Care Resource Center CEO Carmelita Wamego Skeeter (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) believes these events are important to keep seniors active and engaged in the community. Skeeter made the point that staying active and agile prevents the risk of falling, diabetes, and obesity. She also spoke about loneliness- elders, like any other adult, can experience loneliness.

“I think that we are dealing with a lot of loneliness,” Skeeter said. “When children and grandchildren that have moved away, they don’t get to come back home very often. We would love for everyone here to participate in any type of activities that we have.”

Elders around the summit

Laverne Stone (Shawnee/Delaware) lives on the Mvskoke Reservation. Stone retired in 2002 from Centralift, a production plant in Claremore. She was excited for the Wisdom Warriors event, as well as the fellowship and activities that came with it. As someone with physical limitations, the event was a great way for her to get out of the house.

“I love meeting new people. We’re going to be doing some exercises. I do exercise at home because I had a knee replacement,” Stone said. “A lot of the elders have disabilities or have gone through surgeries like I have. This is a really good way to acknowledge them and give them good information. I don’t have internet, we rely on things like this to help us.”

Elders like Stone rely on the intertribal healthcare services provided by tribal health clinics and the IHCRC. The MCN Koweta Indian Health Clinic is a one-stop shop for Stone, providing primary and dental care as well as pharmacy services.

Janice Edmiston (Choctaw/Sac and Fox) said the Wisdom Warriors event was not her first time attending an IHCRC event. Previously she attended events regarding heart health and has volunteered with youth programs. Edmiston’s favorite part about being socially active is seeing fellow IHCRC program members around the Tulsa community.

“You will see them at a pow wow or maybe you’ll see them at a run, Indian Health Care may not have organized the run, but participants are there that are part of the running group,” Edmiston said. “In terms of Indian Health Care what I have enjoyed the most is the medicine wheel experience where people exchange ideas after reading part of a book. There’s no right or wrong way how people interpret it, it’s just an exchange of ideas. It helps build the interspirituality that a lot of us miss from an Indian point of view.”

Edmiston retired from Oklahoma State University Medical Center where she served as the Foundation Director. She said she hoped to find “enthusiasm for life” at the Wisdom Warriors summit. In particular, Edmiston finds enthusiasm by being around fellow elders and engaging in activities. Even if she can not do every activity other elders can like running, she remarked that she enjoys participating by walking or keeping pace as much as she can.

For IHCRC Elders Council Member Arglenda Jean Friday (Msvkoke), events like these are part of her normal routine. Friday and fellow members attend events like medicine bingo, dinners, and Tea and Topics, a monthly get together that discusses health topics. While Friday is satisfied with the programming designed for elders, she wishes to see more age diversity in future events.

“Hopefully we can do more for intergenerational activities,” Friday said. “I’ve been to a number of workshops. We’re losing the younger generation, they’re being more influenced by social media. I’m not saying they’re losing their ties with the cultural traditions and practices, but it is a concern I have.” 

Since her retirement Friday has kept busy volunteering at various organizations and learning as much as she can in order to serve her community. Originally born and raised in Tulsa, Friday has lived in California, Florida, Kansas, Texas, and Washington D.C. Friday’s advice for young people is to stay grounded in your community and venture out to see what is happening in the world. 

Stone, Skeeter, and Edmiston agree that events where elders come together have health benefits. According to Edmiston, there is no activity too simple that is not beneficial to elder health. What is most important is simply engagement.

“You will lose all your capacities: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual if you don’t use it,” Edmiston said. “The thing about interacting with elders is we understand how important patience is and how much old times mean to us because we talk about ‘do you remember when?’. People reminisce, but what that allows us to do is to carry that oral tradition on and we can talk to other young people.” 

To learn more about healthcare and program services provided by IHCRC, visit their website, ihcrc.org. To stay up to date on events, visit their Facebook page, Indian Health Care Resource Center.