Enhancing Seniors' Safety with Technology

by Christian Schreiber, staff blogger

You may have noticed in our newsletter articles and previous blogs that Providence Life Services appreciates technology. We are not a technology company, but we understand that technology is a powerful tool. We get especially excited when we find ways to use technology for enhancing relationships.

So when a company called Status Solutions developed a Situational Awareness and Response Assistant — SARA — Providence saw the benefits. So far, we've installed SARA in three of our communities: Palos Heights’ Providence Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center and Zeeland’s Royal Park Place retirement community and Royal Atrium Inn Assisted Living community. SARA allows residents of these communities to alert caregivers whenever they need help — in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

As a result, seniors are safer and their families worry less — and that kind of peace of mind helps make relationships less strained.

Providence of Palos Heights is one of our skilled nursing/rehab communities, and Royal Atrium Inn is our Assisted Living community in Zeeland. "Wander detection" is important in these communities because people with memory issues tend to want to roam. At Providence, we want to provide as much independence as possible, without opening up anyone to danger. SARA has an egress monitoring system that frees us to keep doors unlocked, because it sounds an alert when the doors are opened or left ajar, it triggers magnetic locks on the exit doors, and it sends calls and emails to staff. The SARA system gives us a beautiful balance of freedom and safety.

Royal Park Place is our retirement community in Zeeland. Their needs are different from the needs of a skilled nursing or Assisted Living setting, but SARA has capabilities that benefit them as well. SARA’s wireless emergency call capabilities will enhance not only safety but also efficiency. We set it up to send voice and text alerts to people's pagers, email, telephones, cell phones, radios, and CCTV, and — so both staff and residents can be notified of important events at any time, wherever they are located. A wireless pendant (pictured above) will be available soon as well. Having all these communication options available means staff members will be able to address safety concerns or environmental problems before they turn into emergencies.

And SARA is easy to maintain and support. Our in-house technology experts, ProviNET Solutions, are the first line of support for any technical issues that may come up. In fact, with remote access, ProviNET staff can log into Royal Park Place’s SARA server, diagnose, and resolve a problem without ever leaving their office.

Technology is exciting, and it's fun to have the latest gadgets and gizmos. But the real excitement comes when that technology makes life better for everyone.

Do you agree? Or do you think that most seniors find technology to be a hindrance rather than a help? Post a comment to let me know what you think — and share examples from your own experience to illustrate your point!

Seniors, protect yourself against this phone scam

by Christian Schreiber, staff blogger

How closely do you look at your phone bill each month? A lot of the charges listed have names you might not recognize, and your tendency might be to assume they are legitimate. But an article in the Spring 2009 CUB Voice warns readers against a phone scam called "cramming."

"Cramming" is when a company other than the phone company adds a charge to your bill, usually after contacting you via junk mail or a telemarketing call. Often the charges are given vague names, like "Enhancement service," "Voice mail," or "Membership fee." Consumers who don't read their phone bill simply pay the total without questioning any specific charges.

The article in the CUB Voice describes the experience of Dorothy Denton. When she noticed a $16.00 "Enhancement service" charge, she called her phone company. They put her in touch with a separate company who had levied the charge. Dorothy tried for months to get more information about the charge. Finally, she called her phone company and told them she had contacted CUB (the Citizens Utility Board) and was planning to file a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General if the charge wasn't removed. That did the trick. The charge was removed.

Dorothy was vigilant enough to not only notice the charge, but also investigate it, and get tough when she needed to! But she worries about senior citizens who might not look closely at their phone bills or might not know what to do with an unknown charge. If the charge is small enough, like Dorothy's, many people would rather simply pay it than question it.

If you'd like more information about "cramming," download the free fact sheet from CUB, "What is Cramming?" Don't let these companies line their pockets with your money!

The Power of Prayer

by Christian Schreiber, staff blogger

Arlene Horn kneels at her bedside every night, in her hand a list of 27 names. It's a class list from a local grade school, and Arlene has agreed to pray for them. "I don't know how to pronounce all their names," she laughs, "but I figure the Lord knows who I'm talking about!"

"I felt led to do it," Arlene shrugs. "Maybe it was the Holy Spirit. I don't know. I just felt led." Arlene lives at Holland Home, the Providence community in South Holland, Illinois. She has never thought of herself as a particularly gifted pray-er, but when she heard that kids at neighboring Calvin Christian School needed prayer partners, she signed up for the program.

Dora Boomstra -- a 16-year Holland Home resident -- also signed up for the program. Dora has been matched with Mrs. Otte's first-grade class. The 25 first-graders sent Dora a class photo and their class list, along with a card they had all signed. Dora prays for one student by name each day. "I don't always know what they need, but if something particular comes to mind, I make sure to pray about that -- because I believe God is leading me to pray that way." On the "extra" days of the month, Dora prays for the teacher, for the class as a whole, or for Calvin school in general.

The prayers go both ways. Dora wrote a letter to her class, asking them to remember her in prayer as well. She included a photo of herself -- "so they can see that I'm perhaps somewhat like their own grandmas" -- and she's hoping to visit the class in person later this spring.

In addition to Dora Boomstra and Arlene Horn, three other Holland Home residents signed up for the prayer partner program immediately. Gladys Kooy was partnered with the eighth-grade class at Calvin; Anna Bakker was paired with the seventh-graders; and Cleo Sanders agreed to pray for the fourth-grade class.

What a terrific program! It gives the seniors a chance to do something significant for the South Holland community; it teaches the students the value of prayer; and it involves both groups in each other's lives. Dora has already told me that she plans to sign up for the program again next year, and she wants to keep the class that she has now -- she wants to pray them all the way through graduation! I think that's sweet.

Still Making a Difference

by Christian Schreiber, Staff Blogger

Last Friday I was at Holland Home, the Providence Life Services campus in South Holland, Illinois. It just so happened that this was the day of their quarterly Town Hall meeting, at which residents receive updates and ask questions about topics like the dining program, upcoming outings, and rules about the freight elevator.

At this particular Town Hall meeting, in addition to the above, Community Manager Deana Wilson reported on "Chapel Donations for 2008." Apparently, at the chapel service every week, a collection plate is passed. That money is gathered throughout the year, and at the end of the year the total is divided evenly and sent to 12 worthy charities. This year, Holland Home residents donated $175 to each of the following:

• Back to God Hour

• Bethshan

• The Bible League

• Christian Reformed World Missions

• Christian Reformed World Relief

• Elim Christian School

• Reformed Church Missions

• Reformed Church World Service

• Restoration Ministries

• The Salvation Army

• Words of Hope

• Young Life

Wow! These little grandmas and grandpas are evangelizing college kids, funding radio broadcasts, housing mentally handicapped adults, planting churches around the world, responding to disasters, rebuilding communities, and spreading the Gospel -- all from their retirement community in South Holland, Illinois! These senior citizens are still making a difference -- in their own community and beyond.

What an example. What a lesson. What a great reminder that we can all make a difference. We just have to choose to do so!