Author: Tim Brinkley
Petersburg Home for Ladies remains committed to its unchanging purpose to satisfy the human for security, companionship, care and love, and to be an agent of blessing to all whom we touch. Though the methods of accomplishing this goal may change with the times, this message remains at the core of who we are as an organization.
Methods of long distance communication have changed throughout the years. Culture that once thrived on posting flags, sounding trumpet blasts, or lighting fires became connected by roads with couriers, mass transit and even networked by wires sending Morse code messages. Telephones that were once four digit numbers have become seven digit numbers, and e-mail is now an accepted platform of business communication.
Growing up watching the Jetsons, and the occasional episode of Dick Tracy, we believed that one day it would be possible to talk to people through our television screens or speak to people privately through our wrist watch. We just did not think we would be the ones doing it. A growing need, in the assisted living community, is for residents to remain familiar with contemporary methods of communication.
The Biblical leader Moses, first wrote the words, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen.2:18) which would later be echoed by John Donne in his Meditation XVII when he stated “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” Petersburg Home for Ladies is a community, and as such it is part of our mission to help our residents connect with each other, their family and friends, our staff, and our community. It is of primary importance, to the soul of an individual, that they have meaningful connection with others.
Total wellness is tethered to the human need for companionship. Petersburg Home for Ladies has adopted and developed multiple methods, through its existence, for connecting individuals in meaningful ways; the most recent of which is the launch of our Engagement Technology Program. Through the use of technology, residents have the opportunity to have meaningful connection through platforms like Zoom and engage with live online content such as the live stream of their home church service.
Residents who opt in to the Engagement Technology Program are provided with a personal iPad, email address and zoom account. Our residents are incredible. They have embraced the party line, chat rooms, smartphones, and now Zoom, as forums of meaningful connection. Technology is not here to replace human interaction, but it is here (and has always been here) to both support and enhance human interactions. As with any other daily need, our staff is here to ensure that the meaningful connections, between our residents and those they cherish, are a complete success. This is all part of our continued commitment to Elegant Living With Exceptional Care.