story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer
Jerry Almufleh still remembers getting out of school in the afternoons and heading to the dialysis center to sit with his grandmother while she received dialysis.
There would be good days and there would be bad days while Almufleh watched his loved one go through renal failure.
And he always wished there was something more he could do to make things easier.
“Doing that, sometimes three days a week, I got intrigued. I wanted to learn more and I built relationships with the nurses and the doctors,” he said.
Eventually, that curiosity would be rewarded at age 19 with a job on the dialysis unit. Positions in long-term care, home healthcare and hospice would follow, but his driving focus was always helping make life easier for those battling health issues.
That’s why he and his wife, Alison, started SilverLeaf, a cannabis and CBD dispensary that takes a person-centered approach to making everyday life better.
The passage of State Question 788 in 2018 paved the way for medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
For more than two years Oklahomans have turned to the licensed and regulated industry for treatment of a variety of conditions.
But while new stores seemingly pop up every week, none have taken an approach like SilverLeaf. (story continues below)
“I would love to see this model flourish because we hear the testimonials. Not only the medicine, because we know what we’re looking for but just the experience overall,” Jerry said. “Really all it is is to treat people like they’re humans, empathize, sympathize with them, listen to them and always do your very best. That’s where we’re getting a lot of the trust.”
Customers coming to SilverLeaf are greeted by their first name. It’s just the tip of the iceberg as Jerry and his wife take the time to find out exactly what their client needs are.
“I get to help them in a more natural way,” said Alison who previously worked in admissions in long-term care. “Working in long-term care you see the downgrade, someone come in and decline. But being there every day they become part of your family.”
“Now when I get to be with the patients they walk in and they’re happier.”
Cannabis enjoys the distinction as one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, dating back several thousand years.
But the discovery of its vast medicinal purposes has only occurred in the last half-century.
“It’s hard to believe that just the last 60 years we got it right,” Alison said. “We’re finally figuring it out.”
SilverLeaf operates more like a clinic than a store.
Having spent the better part of their lives working with seniors, both Jerry and Alison know the importance of establishing trust especially when it comes to helping customers who are struggling with chronic issues.
Jerry estimates more than 60 percent of his time is spent in teaching.
“The education is understanding the background of whatever diseases they’re battling, understanding the side effects and the pros and cons,” said Jerry, who frequently provides presentations to independent and assisted living facilities. “This is not what they were taught back in the day. The main message we want to get out is there is a more natural, safer way.”
In the realm of constant pain or anxiety, there’s little argument now that cannabinoids provide safe, natural symptom relief.
“(Constant pain) shouldn’t have to be that way. What quality of life is that,” Jerry asked. “We have a passion for seniors. I feel seniors should live their life to the fullest to the last day. They shouldn’t have to succumb to sedation and seclusion.”
Silverleaf Dispensary specializes in senior care and dosing. It is very important that you know the correct delivery methods and dosage to consume, that’s why Silverleaf is a Certified Cannacian and can walk you through the process of obtaining optimal health through CBD and Cannabis.
The working relationship between Almufleh and physicians often results in customers being able to decrease dosages or even go off of pharmaceutical medications entirely.
In some instances, evening prescription medications designed to sedate patients for the purpose of sleep can be replaced by quality CBD products.
“We understand we may be ahead of our time in terms of (medical marijuana),” Jerry said. “It’s now that we’re starting to see those poles shift. We have a whole demographic counting on us.”
“There needs to be an atmosphere and a place where people can come down and truly get what they need instead of being rushed through dispensaries like cattle,” he said. “We feel like we needed to develop that place and here we are.”
For more information visit: https://silverleaf-ok.com or go by and say hello at 5300 North Meridian Avenue Suite 12 in Oklahoma City.
