Chickasaw Nation CHR Stories

JERILENE UNDERWOOD — I have been a CHR for two years. When the pandemic hit, more and more things were accessible only online. We worked with the elderly and tried to assist them daily with limitations with technology. One elder in particular became interested with online grocery shopping, so he put in his grocery order, and we picked up. This limited exposure to COVID for the CHRs and the client. This client is a veteran, a diabetic, and is wheelchair bound. He is very independent but we help him with ordering and making sure he gets his meds and with doing small household chores. Providing emotional support is also within our scope of services. He likes to visit and talk about family or the dinner he made the night before. Most of the time elders just enjoy the company so we try to visit with them often.

CAROL FOX — I am a community health representative for the Chickasaw Nation and have been for over 25 years. My story is about a young client who lost his battle last month. He lost all his family members, so it was just him and his young son who needed help. He had a lot of health issues: stroke, diabetes and heart problems. So I was his eyes, ears, and feet for him since he could not walk too far, his eyes were affected, and was hard of hearing. Health education was a big thing for both of us, finding new information and counseling. I would monitor his vitals and home situation, and I made sure he was taking his meds properly because he would tend to forget. He had some mental health issues because he couldn't do a lot of things anymore. He felt very alone at times. He would always say to me, “Dang Mrs. Foxy, I sure like it when you come around. You always make me laugh cause I just sit here looking at the walls.” He could no longer care for himself. After his last stroke really tore him up, he told me about how his granny would use different stuff when he would get sick cause they didn’t have much money in those days to run to the doctor to get mediation. He said she would make do. Even today, I miss him, but I thank the good Lord that he took him in his sleep.

SUSAN GAINES — Our clients look up to us and sometimes we are all they have so they depend on us for resources. I have a 76-year-old client with health issues. I have worked with her for seven years. She has many health problems, along with raising a disabled daughter. They had 30 days to move out of their home due to family issues, but was told that there was a waiting list for other housing. Family asked if she wanted to rent the home of a family member who was going into a nursing home, so she called and was very excited. After about a year she ended up in and out of hospitals. She has chronic health issues that prevent her from even getting out or going to the doctor. She is very obese and gets out of breath just walking to the restroom. As of this week, she is back in the hospital with more severe health problems. She never complains about her health or pains, she only thinks about her daughter and getting stable enough to get her own place. She was in ICU and still called me to tell me even though she couldn't breathe well and talk. I chose this story for how much we do for our clients and how much they depend on us for a lot of things.

LINDA ANDERSON — I have worked for the Chickasaw Nation as a CHR for 28 years. I worked with an 88-year old Chickasaw elder mother and her 63-year-old Chickasaw elder daughter. The daughter still works and takes care of the mother after work, but has macular degeneration disease, blind in one eye and the disease has starting to affect the other eye. The mother has chronic heart disease, dementia, thyroid, incontinence, and arthritis . The daughter had COVID-19, and was staying at home, unable to visit her mother. I was notified to check on the mother daily. I would check twice a day to make sure she took her morning and evening medication and got her breakfast and evening meals ready for her for the week. The mother started to get depressed and would not eat. I contacted the client's sister and she stayed with mother until the daughter recovered from Covid. The following Monday, I made a home visit to the client and she was eating and was no longer depressed. The client now has home health care and the sister comes to stay with the client during the week.

TAJUANA JOHNSON — I am a Chickasaw Nation CHR with a success story about a client I help. After my client had her first brain aneurysm, I helped her sign up for Social Security disability but she was denied. I quickly signed her up for Social Security disability after she had the third aneurysm and stroke in August 2021. On February 2022, she got Social Security disability. The client had a hard time getting any help with physical therapy or with incontinence supplies. So I reached out to the clinic and talked with the most helpful and down to earth nurse, a very caring person. She helped my client with most of her needs. My client had another aneurysm, her fourth, but she’s doing well and she has Medicaid now. She will be able to get physical therapy, and maybe she will be able to walk again someday. As a CHR we help with anything and everything to help meet the needs of the native people. I know my role as a CHR is advocating and building strong relationships with other resources. We work with departments like mental health services, get transportation and deliver medication. We are a resource that other departments count on to reach the native population.

TONI STEVENSON — I have worked for the Chickasaw Nation for 6 years. For the last 3, I served my community as the CHR in Stephens County. CHRs are the link between our clients and whatever it is that they may need to sustain and/or improve their quality of life. Just a few months after becoming a CHR, I had a client that was familiar with our office but new to me. I had heard that she could be a handful at times, so when her granddaughter called saying that she had fallen and was injured, I knew that I had my work cut out for me. Because she did not want any visitors, I spoke with her on the phone, and knew she was in pain and needed to be seen by a doctor. On the day of the appointment, the family asked me to go with them to speak to the doctor and help my client understand what was going on. My client’s injury made it difficult for her to get into her son's truck, but I was able to get her in my van and drive her to the doctor, which was much more comfortable for her. Turns out my client had a dislocated shoulder and needed immediate surgery to repair it. Once we knew what that would entail, I made sure to put in the referrals for a hospital bed and all the things that she would need for home after surgery. The surgery went great and she had to do a few weeks of inpatient therapy. I called her family every day to check on her and see if they needed anything at all. Today is she doing awesome! The one client that I was most nervous about meeting ended up being the one that needed me the most. Every time she calls the office, she only wants to speak with me and tells me how grateful that she is for all that we do. She never hangs up the phone without saying, "I love you." Our job as a CHR is to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw People. I strive every day to do this and it is an honor to be of service to the community. Being a CHR is an unpredictable position as every day has a new challenge. I am very blessed with a supportive tem that makes sure we meet all of our client’s needs.

RESENDA LOPEZ — My success story has to do with a client who had a kidney transplant 9 years ago and has gone back into kidney failure. We have been meeting with a nephrologist seeking another kidney transplant. We have to have blood work a week before the appointment scheduled, and coming up with a plan of how he would get there if a kidney is found! The client is refusing dialysis if is needed. We have counseling on refusing dialysis and maintaining a good diet to keep in control. Since counseling, we received a bladder function test for the client so he can keep on top of his readings and know if he needs to eat or take his insulin to stay in range. Currently it has worked to keep his blood sugar in great standing. We are waiting to hear back for a good donor and we are prepared today if a kidney shows up! The client is in good spirits, we talk when he gets overwhelmed and it seems to calm him down. He is a very good client and has been patient doing he needs to keep everything in order and prepare. He is mentally and physically ready for the transplant and he has been exercising.

BEVERLY REYNEN — I have a client whose grandson was trying to get her evicted from her home so that he could sell her home and get the money. She called me so scared of losing her home. I immediately called Adult Protection Services and they helped her get a lawyer and are now going to court to prosecute him. He may even do time for what he tried to do. I have seen this happen to elders before, and it breaks my heart to see family members take advantage of my elders, and by the time we find out, its already too late. But this time, we found out in time to get her help. She is a very private person, so to protect her privacy, I will not send a picture or reveal her name.

KYLA LYDA — I became a CHR 10 years ago and have had many clients over the years. One stands out the most as a success story. When as I was first being introduced to all of the clients in the counties we serve, I met a Chickasaw elder from Lexington, Oklahoma. She has many chronic conditions and mobility issues which led her to being homebound. It took many years and many home visits to build a relationship with her. She has always been very prideful, very shy and quiet, and very uncertain of people coming into her home due to past experiences. Her home, built by her father many years ago, was in poor condition. I quickly took notice of home safety issues. Letting her know that assistance was available was hard for me because I knew she was so prideful that it was hard for her to accept any type of assistance. I started to visit her more frequently and over time she started getting used to me coming by to do in-home visits. I started slowly building her trust in helping make things easier for her by delivering her medications instead of having the pharmacy send them by mail. It became a monthly thing and over time, with consistency and dependability, I became a friendly face. I would chat with her and provide emotional support anytime she needed to talk about anything. Once I offered to help her with a pest control issue. She gladly accepted the offer with a smile on her face because it had been a problem she had been facing alone with no success for a long time. She was very relieved, and even more, very grateful. Over the years of being her CHR, I have assisted with advocating and filling out applications for utility assistance and home improvement grants. She has since then had a handicap ramp and new flooring installed in her home, and a new handicap accessible bathroom put in, and a lift recliner, and durable medical equipment. We have a very close bond now and I believe she has full trust in me and never hesitates to ask me for help with anything. She has told me over time that she feared judgment by the condition of her home and it was hard for her to let me in, but is forever grateful that she did.

CAROL HUNTER — I have a client that has taken me years to build a solid trusting relationship. She is very reserved and private. She is 104 years old. She no longer has relatives that can assist her. I have helped her with a reoccurring leg wound that has needed frequent inspection. I believe that CHR services have prolonged the quality of her life.

HALI ARMSTRONG — A client of mine was losing her vision and needed extra help going to appointments, she needed someone that could stay with her the entire visit. I received a call one morning that she had lost all vision in one eye and most vision in the other. They had already called her eye doctor, and she was referred to Oklahoma City. Before this happened we went over her health and things she could do to help improve it during our visits, and through this we built a bond and she trusted me. This helped with the drive and appointment that would end up in an overnight stay in the hospital due to a stroke in her eye. When she returned home, I continued our home visits which helped her mental health as well. I was able to help make sure he blood pressure stayed under control and that her vision was not getting any worse. She ended up going into a nursing home after it was determined that she needed the round the clock care. We talked about going to the nursing home and the positives that would come with it which helped put her at ease. The success in this is the relationship and trust we built.

CHERYL WILLIS — I had a patient with cancer that had spread from her throat to lung, and got her to understand how chemotherapy worked and the effects it would have on her body so she could make an informed decision in her care. I would try to be there on day four after Chemo, when the effects would be worst, to care for her and remind her that she would start feeling better tomorrow. She would fight through that day and the next would feel better. She appreciated the comfort that gave her. I was able to support her during this and coordinate care between the Pulmonologist and otolaryngologist in Oncology for treatment. I also made sure all referrals were received before we arrived for appointments so she wouldn't have to wait. She was able to quit drinking and smoking and survived two more years. Except during active chemotherapy, she had a good quality of life. For mental health, I have a client with severe schizophrenia. I call in her refills two days before her appointment to get her monthly injection so everything will be ready. I pick her up and take her to these appointments and then grocery shopping. I support her by showing compassion to what she deems her reality and don't try to correct her, but empathize. That usually calms her, knowing she has someone to support her. I also make each follow up appointment and remind her a couple of days in advance because I know that surprises agitate her. All of this is only due to the relationship that has formed over two years. I try to always be respectful of my client's ideals and history, while I am not fluent in our language, I am able to communicate and help them to feel supported and confident. I have been a CHR for 19 years and have had one client all that time who is developmentally delayed. She reads on about a second grade level, and had very high cholesterol and hypertension, and was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Now, she walks daily and vital signs and blood work are at a normal levels due to education and constant support. I assist her each month with her bill paying, which takes a lot of anxiety off of her – she doesn't have to wait for a check to clear – and she is able to concentrate on her health and social life.

SHAYNEE REYNEN — One client that comes to my mind would have to be full-blooded Chickasaw elder woman who was 100 years old. She recently passed away, but had been my client for the past year. She was one of the most incredible people I had ever met, the kindest and purest soul. She had renal kidney disease, and once her kidney capacity got under 15% she was put on oxygen 24/7. Even with her health being so bad and hard on her, you could tell she was by far one of the toughest around, and she was most definitely a fighter. She could speak fluently in the Chickasaw Language and loved using terms or phrases or even words so you could pick up on them. I now know my animals, colors, numbers and a few other words such as sit, water, hell, and goodbye. It is such an honor getting to meet every Chickasaw elder, meeting their needs in the areas we are able to help them. It truly means a lot to them and seeing how grateful they are for some of the simplest things we do is so worth it. One of my favorite things about being a CHR is meeting each elder and getting to know and build a relationship with them and sometimes even their families. I have met so many people in this last year and learned so much about the health field and found ways to better myself and my knowledge.

AFRA HARPER — I met an elderly disabled client in 2011 when I became a CHR. He is a traditional Native Chickasaw living by himself and very much depends on our tribe and our CHR program for his wellbeing and safety. Our relationship is built on trust, which built slowly because he is very much a traditional Native. My client lives a very frugal and simple life. I have to remind him that it is okay to use his propane when it’s cold. I recently found a propane leak that we were able to get fixed quickly for him through our tribe so that he can remain safe in his home. Through monitoring him and doing his vitals, we were able to address several health issues including high blood pressure and colon cancer, which was found early by taking him to his doctor visits and explaining the different diagnostics tests that were needed to monitor him. By our combined effort, our client is cancer free, blood pressure stable and his house is safe. Every time I see him, he is happy and never without a smile. He has taught me that we really don't need a whole lot in this world to be happy, just a close relationship with our creator.

MICHAEL IMOTICHEY — I've been a CHR for 25 years. I have transported clients to doctor appointments, assisted with applications to help elders get their propane or electric bill paid. I had a client with stage four kidney disease and on dialysis. We would discuss the dietitian kidney-friendly diet and following instructions from her nephrologist to help keep her swelling down and start building her support network who reach out to people who care about you and can encourage you. I delivered food to a client so she could have something to eat on days when she couldn’t get out of bed and provided education on kidney disease. I delivered medicine to the client, and she talked to her doctor about the kidney transplant. Her doctor informed her about certain factors with blood pressure and diabetes, to and made sure of any adjustment to medication that the client needed to get her kidney transplant. Before passed away in July, but she told me when she got to heaven, she was going tell my mother what a good son she had raised. I told her thank you, it means so much to me and I’m glad I got to meet you.

RACHEL COOPER — When I became a CHR, I met a Chickasaw Elder who had been one of my home bound clients, who I delivered and commodities to. Later, he was placed in Hospital for his right leg amputation. I was able to assist his sister in finding home health care for him. I called several places and found one that I was able to set up for his return home. I also submitted a request for a chore service to assist him in minor household duties to help his day-to-day living. A short time after being at home, he had to return to hospital for more of his leg to be amputated. During all of this, he has shown me how much of a Chickasaw warrior he is, and his traditional belief is fighting to the end. I admire his willpower.

JUHREE REID — I became a CHR in 2012. I have numerous clients, but some are home bound, and as a CHR, we help them more often. One client I helped was a disabled Chickasaw elder who had been having trouble communicating with people. His personality could come off harsh, and he was banned from the clinic and other facilities because some people didn’t how to take a full-blooded native. I took the opportunity to explain he was not being mean or rude, that is just the way he was. I talked to him about how people took him, and he made some changes, and everyone realized how he was just misunderstood. He wasn't banned any more, and we were able to get him some help with his health issue. I took him to his doctor appointments, and I explained what the doctor was saying and what he wanted. One health issue we both learned a lot about and made sure that we stayed on top of. When I took him to get his food and supplies, we made sure that they were good for his health. He was a traditional native, and he taught me so many things like Chickasaw words, and about eagle feathers and food. He was a great client, and I was grateful to have met and served him.

JOANNA MACCOLLISTER — I visited and supported the client, I explained treatments and instructions, and provided transport to doctor appointments and stayed to assist the patient as needed. The patient had chronic disease, and I helped him see a doctor when he wasn't doing well, made sure he had enough food, was comfortable and treated with care and courtesy. Before the client passed, he would talk about healing the old First American ways (herbs, oils, tobacco) etc. He found the old ways of life more rewarding.