Today, the schedule was light compared to what we’ve been doing the rest of the time on our Working Across Oklahoma tour.
Our stop today was especially meaningful to me. I worked at Sunset Estates nursing home during the summers while I went to Oklahoma State. And later, my mother was a resident in that same nursing home and I spent a great deal of time visiting her there. It was such a relief to me to know I could trust the staff to care for my mother and that the staff genuinely cared about her well-being.
Today, I visited the Tuscany Village Nursing Home in the Oklahoma City area and was able to speak with the staff and some residents. Tuscany Village is spectacular and I can tell the staff really works to attend to the physical needs of their residents as well as their emotional needs. In fact, the Tuscany Village staff sits down and eats every meal with their residents.
With an increasingly aging population, it’s important we take care of our seniors and treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. We also must ensure we provide them with the health care they need. As governor, I will support programs that protect our seniors and enrich their lives.
But it’s disappointing to consider that the recently passed federal health care bill devastating cuts to the Medicare program, which many Oklahoma seniors depend on for their health care. I voted against this bill and as governor of Oklahoma I will lead the charge to see its repeal.
Tomorrow, I’ll be in the Oklahoma City area again for three work stops! I’ll be working at a non-profit organization, at an accountant’s office and as a UPS delivery person.
