Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Social Media Journey
I had the opportunity to participate in a session on social media at our American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging's Future of Aging Services conference in Washington, DC last week. I presented with AAHSA's Craig Collins-Young, Eric Schubert of Ecumen, and Larry Zook from Landis Homes. My part was primarily about Facebook. You might find it interesting, at least to know how we're thinking:
I am intrigued by technology, and now by social networking. In 1996, we had three shared computers in the NF where I served as administrator. They were used for accounting and care planning. I had decided I needed a computer so I could get with the program. At the same time, my uncle decided he was old enough to not need one, and he made it to retirement. I was 20 years younger, and didn’t think I could make it to retirement, and that was before the quantum changes we’ve seen in technology. I asked my boss for a computer and he told me NHAs didn’t need a computer. I went out and personally bought a $4,500 top of the line laptop. In just a few months I was using it to draft the verbage for a certificate of need application. It turned out I had a better computer than any in our organization. I never regretted the purchase. And they bought me my next computer.
Think where we’ve come in the last 14 years: cinder block heavy laptop, slow as smoke dial up, frozen software, delicate hardware, no battery life, etc. Remember the executive that said there was no place in business for a personal computer?
Many don’t see the need and don’t participate in social networking like Facebook. It’s not a necessity of life, and it’s not for everyone. But many people need community and communication.
We stay in close contact with our spouse, children, best friends. That’s usually by telephone, email, and now text. There’s a second tier of family and friends that seem well suited for Facebook: the tier one people plus neighbors, friends from work, school friends, etc.
I am not a Facebook expert, just someone who is involved in it and agreed to share my story. I consider myself a novice and not even a huge Facebook fan.
I signed up for Facebook about a year ago for one reason, my granddaughter. Our daughter was in Monterrey with our only grandchild and stopped emailing pictures. When asked, she told me all photos were on Facebook and she wasn’t sending multiple emails and posting in multiple places. Since they have been in Monterrey and now San Antonio, my need for community and communication pushed me into Facebook.
If they weren’t on Facebook, I don’t know that I’d be there today. But have did get interested in how many people I connected with. Not life-sustaining, but interesting and enjoyable.
I’m also a minimalist when it comes to Power Point, so I have three slides of 3 Facebook pages.
At LSA, we talk about development in terms of raising friends and funds. Facebook is a great way to raise friends. We just recently set up a Facebook page for LSA, which now has 145 members. Not huge, but people interested enough to follow us. We are raising friends.
Our marketing person, Mary Ann Johnson, has been tireless in pursuing a social networking strategy for LSA. For her birthday, she asked our Facebook friends to donate money to LSA in honor of Mary Ann’s birthday. She raised over $400 due to one little Facebook post. That’s about a one-minute post to produce $400. When I considered that return, I began to see Facebook in a whole new light.
Our LSA page is generating some interest and helping us make new friends. One gentleman from the Midwest has taken a liking to our ministry, and now just randomly and occasionally sends us $25 or $50. Again, Facebook is bringing us friends and funds.
Somewhere in the process I saw another very important role for Facebook. I have become friends with a fairly large number of staff from across our org. It has been fun and important to learn about and share family moments. Much of my life I have heard managers talk about personal problems being left at the front door, and don’t bring your personal problems affect your work. That sounds good and is impossible. When we work with a person, we get the whole person.
AAHSA doing good job of making friends and communicating.
That brings me to my last point, policies and procedures. LSA has not added any additional policies. Our policies allow staff to use LSA computers for personal use, as long as it doesn’t affect their work and our speed. We haven’t worried about porn or the like since our policies reference actions unbecoming an LSA employee.
Some orgs. deny all outside computer access so it’s not an issue. But I was talking to a person in mid Feb. whose husband works at a company that blocks all social networking sites. But he was Facebooking from his Blackberry from his desk.
Harvard Business Review article of 2-3-10 encourages orgs to allow social networking. They say it creates a better work environment for employees which will yield better productivity than trying in vain to stop social networking.
Some orgs. worry that staff will speak ill of them or the org. I’ve decided I’ll just have to get over it. You can’t stop it. Our policies on confidentiality and on employee standards would apply. But you can’t stop people from talking and you may not even know who it is if someone wants to be anonymous.
Allison Fine wrote Momentum – Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age. She writes that communication is no longer a one way street. The internet allows people to talk back and say whatever they want, and that’s whether we like it or not.
I am reminded of the advice: if one person calls you a horse’s rear, ignore that one person. If two people call you that, you might need to buy a saddle. My hope is that I’m not the horse’s rear, and that the lone voice of discontent will be drowned out by the overwhelming majority who are on board supporting the org.
Facebook addresses our need for community and communication. It’s amazing that it’s only been around since 2004. More amazing, it may not be around next year. The next big thing might be Google Buzz or something that doesn’t exist yet.
We’ve decided to join the journey. We don’t know where we’re going, but we are having fun and doing some good along the way.
Thanks.
I am intrigued by technology, and now by social networking. In 1996, we had three shared computers in the NF where I served as administrator. They were used for accounting and care planning. I had decided I needed a computer so I could get with the program. At the same time, my uncle decided he was old enough to not need one, and he made it to retirement. I was 20 years younger, and didn’t think I could make it to retirement, and that was before the quantum changes we’ve seen in technology. I asked my boss for a computer and he told me NHAs didn’t need a computer. I went out and personally bought a $4,500 top of the line laptop. In just a few months I was using it to draft the verbage for a certificate of need application. It turned out I had a better computer than any in our organization. I never regretted the purchase. And they bought me my next computer.
Think where we’ve come in the last 14 years: cinder block heavy laptop, slow as smoke dial up, frozen software, delicate hardware, no battery life, etc. Remember the executive that said there was no place in business for a personal computer?
Many don’t see the need and don’t participate in social networking like Facebook. It’s not a necessity of life, and it’s not for everyone. But many people need community and communication.
We stay in close contact with our spouse, children, best friends. That’s usually by telephone, email, and now text. There’s a second tier of family and friends that seem well suited for Facebook: the tier one people plus neighbors, friends from work, school friends, etc.
I am not a Facebook expert, just someone who is involved in it and agreed to share my story. I consider myself a novice and not even a huge Facebook fan.
I signed up for Facebook about a year ago for one reason, my granddaughter. Our daughter was in Monterrey with our only grandchild and stopped emailing pictures. When asked, she told me all photos were on Facebook and she wasn’t sending multiple emails and posting in multiple places. Since they have been in Monterrey and now San Antonio, my need for community and communication pushed me into Facebook.
If they weren’t on Facebook, I don’t know that I’d be there today. But have did get interested in how many people I connected with. Not life-sustaining, but interesting and enjoyable.
I’m also a minimalist when it comes to Power Point, so I have three slides of 3 Facebook pages.
At LSA, we talk about development in terms of raising friends and funds. Facebook is a great way to raise friends. We just recently set up a Facebook page for LSA, which now has 145 members. Not huge, but people interested enough to follow us. We are raising friends.
Our marketing person, Mary Ann Johnson, has been tireless in pursuing a social networking strategy for LSA. For her birthday, she asked our Facebook friends to donate money to LSA in honor of Mary Ann’s birthday. She raised over $400 due to one little Facebook post. That’s about a one-minute post to produce $400. When I considered that return, I began to see Facebook in a whole new light.
Our LSA page is generating some interest and helping us make new friends. One gentleman from the Midwest has taken a liking to our ministry, and now just randomly and occasionally sends us $25 or $50. Again, Facebook is bringing us friends and funds.
Somewhere in the process I saw another very important role for Facebook. I have become friends with a fairly large number of staff from across our org. It has been fun and important to learn about and share family moments. Much of my life I have heard managers talk about personal problems being left at the front door, and don’t bring your personal problems affect your work. That sounds good and is impossible. When we work with a person, we get the whole person.
AAHSA doing good job of making friends and communicating.
That brings me to my last point, policies and procedures. LSA has not added any additional policies. Our policies allow staff to use LSA computers for personal use, as long as it doesn’t affect their work and our speed. We haven’t worried about porn or the like since our policies reference actions unbecoming an LSA employee.
Some orgs. deny all outside computer access so it’s not an issue. But I was talking to a person in mid Feb. whose husband works at a company that blocks all social networking sites. But he was Facebooking from his Blackberry from his desk.
Harvard Business Review article of 2-3-10 encourages orgs to allow social networking. They say it creates a better work environment for employees which will yield better productivity than trying in vain to stop social networking.
Some orgs. worry that staff will speak ill of them or the org. I’ve decided I’ll just have to get over it. You can’t stop it. Our policies on confidentiality and on employee standards would apply. But you can’t stop people from talking and you may not even know who it is if someone wants to be anonymous.
Allison Fine wrote Momentum – Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age. She writes that communication is no longer a one way street. The internet allows people to talk back and say whatever they want, and that’s whether we like it or not.
I am reminded of the advice: if one person calls you a horse’s rear, ignore that one person. If two people call you that, you might need to buy a saddle. My hope is that I’m not the horse’s rear, and that the lone voice of discontent will be drowned out by the overwhelming majority who are on board supporting the org.
Facebook addresses our need for community and communication. It’s amazing that it’s only been around since 2004. More amazing, it may not be around next year. The next big thing might be Google Buzz or something that doesn’t exist yet.
We’ve decided to join the journey. We don’t know where we’re going, but we are having fun and doing some good along the way.
Thanks.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Lot to Learn from Elders
The Salisbury Post was nice enough to print the below for me as a column on 2-15-10:
My mother forwarded an email from a friend, 95-year-old Grace, formerly of North Carolina and now living close to family in Sacramento. Grace was accidentally in the Sacramento Marathon a few months ago. She and her daughter-in-law had to dodge runners while crossing the road after church. In the email, she also reflected on Dec. 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1941, Mrs. Cloninger and the church choir were in a radio station in Billings, Montana performing a Christmas concert when their performance was interrupted with the news. Mrs. Cloninger wrote her email in such a light, happy tone. The telling of new and old news and current events indicates a woman who is keeping up better than I am. Oh, and she’s emailing!
That reminds me of 104-year-old Pauline Iddings, a friend who lives at the Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury. A Catawba College student and I visited Mrs. Iddings in mid-November. She graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1926, me a few years later. Mrs. Iddings and I snickered over LR beating Catawba at football, but the student, Dana, noted that hasn’t happened very often lately. To carry on an enjoyable conversation with a 21-year-old and a 104-year-old is a treat.
Remember in the ‘60s when the hippies said never trust anyone over 30? Now where do we draw the line: a hundred and five? Every person has so much to share, regardless of age. There are so many home-bound elders with wisdom to give, and so many others who need that knowledge. This is what I call a chocolate and peanut butter moment. Their wisdom (the chocolate) and our need to know (the peanut butter) combine to create something that is even better! Can you tell I like peanut butter cups?
One of the most enjoyable and important things I’ve ever done was to join two friends from church in visiting a home-bound man from our church. We called in advance. His wife was thrilled at the opportunity, and she told us his favorite ice cream. On the appointed day, we three arrived with a pint of homemade butter pecan. He was not very talkative until the ice cream was gone, but then we learned things about him, our church, and our community we’d have never known. I need to do more of that, as do most of us. It’s good for all of us, chocolate and peanut butter!
A retiree approached me years ago about volunteering at one of our Lutheran Homes. He had determined that men don’t have enough man stuff to do. For over ten years he has adopted every male resident in one of our facilities. He comes weekly to visit every male resident. What a blessing for each person he visits! What a blessing to him!
Our elders have a lifetime of memories, experiences, and life lessons that we can enjoy and learn from,…if only we would take the time to stop and listen. How do you go about doing this? Just look around. You have a neighbor that rarely gets out. You see an older couple at church. Every nursing home and assisted living in the area has people that need you right now. You can walk into any nursing home and assisted living and in a snap be paired with a person who needs you. Almost everyone loves company, even if it’s just to sit and visit. But let me warn you of one dangerous side effect. Visiting your elders is addicting! The more you give, the more you get. Before you know it, you have a whole new family, a whole new set of friends!
Go visit an elder this week. Ask him where he was on Pearl Harbor Day. Ask her where she was on New Year’s Eve when she was 21. Ask her what her favorite Valentine’s Day was. Ask. You’ll be amazed, entertained, and entertaining!
My mother forwarded an email from a friend, 95-year-old Grace, formerly of North Carolina and now living close to family in Sacramento. Grace was accidentally in the Sacramento Marathon a few months ago. She and her daughter-in-law had to dodge runners while crossing the road after church. In the email, she also reflected on Dec. 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1941, Mrs. Cloninger and the church choir were in a radio station in Billings, Montana performing a Christmas concert when their performance was interrupted with the news. Mrs. Cloninger wrote her email in such a light, happy tone. The telling of new and old news and current events indicates a woman who is keeping up better than I am. Oh, and she’s emailing!
That reminds me of 104-year-old Pauline Iddings, a friend who lives at the Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury. A Catawba College student and I visited Mrs. Iddings in mid-November. She graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1926, me a few years later. Mrs. Iddings and I snickered over LR beating Catawba at football, but the student, Dana, noted that hasn’t happened very often lately. To carry on an enjoyable conversation with a 21-year-old and a 104-year-old is a treat.
Remember in the ‘60s when the hippies said never trust anyone over 30? Now where do we draw the line: a hundred and five? Every person has so much to share, regardless of age. There are so many home-bound elders with wisdom to give, and so many others who need that knowledge. This is what I call a chocolate and peanut butter moment. Their wisdom (the chocolate) and our need to know (the peanut butter) combine to create something that is even better! Can you tell I like peanut butter cups?
One of the most enjoyable and important things I’ve ever done was to join two friends from church in visiting a home-bound man from our church. We called in advance. His wife was thrilled at the opportunity, and she told us his favorite ice cream. On the appointed day, we three arrived with a pint of homemade butter pecan. He was not very talkative until the ice cream was gone, but then we learned things about him, our church, and our community we’d have never known. I need to do more of that, as do most of us. It’s good for all of us, chocolate and peanut butter!
A retiree approached me years ago about volunteering at one of our Lutheran Homes. He had determined that men don’t have enough man stuff to do. For over ten years he has adopted every male resident in one of our facilities. He comes weekly to visit every male resident. What a blessing for each person he visits! What a blessing to him!
Our elders have a lifetime of memories, experiences, and life lessons that we can enjoy and learn from,…if only we would take the time to stop and listen. How do you go about doing this? Just look around. You have a neighbor that rarely gets out. You see an older couple at church. Every nursing home and assisted living in the area has people that need you right now. You can walk into any nursing home and assisted living and in a snap be paired with a person who needs you. Almost everyone loves company, even if it’s just to sit and visit. But let me warn you of one dangerous side effect. Visiting your elders is addicting! The more you give, the more you get. Before you know it, you have a whole new family, a whole new set of friends!
Go visit an elder this week. Ask him where he was on Pearl Harbor Day. Ask her where she was on New Year’s Eve when she was 21. Ask her what her favorite Valentine’s Day was. Ask. You’ll be amazed, entertained, and entertaining!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Wilmington Update
John Frye is LSA's Wilmington construction manager and will operate the Lutheran Home in Wilmington when he gets it built. He has agreed to occasionally send us an update, which I will post here. So here is John's update for today:
I wanted to share an update on the progress of the new facility in Wilmington.
After the bids were opened in July, and the contract was signed with McKinley Construction of Wilmington in September, 2009, then the lengthy process of dealing with the permitting agencies began. The plans have been reviewed and approved by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and permits were applied for from the NC Dept of Environment and Natural Resources for our water main extension, and also for storm water management, from the Dept of Transportation for driveway and access permits, from the US Army Corps of Engineers for wetlands delineation and discharge permits, from the New Hanover County Department of Engineering for plan approval, special inspection coordination, and for a permit for a “land disturbing activity” to maintain soil erosion control. We thought we had everything we needed in hand when we discovered that the New Hanover County Division of Environmental Health had to complete a plan review in order to issue a permit to operate a food service establishment prior to the issuance of our county building permit. This involves evaluating everything from our prospective menus to who will be servicing our dumpsters, and has not been completed and awarded as of this date, but we are working diligently to make it happen.
We have been able to do site work, however, and have been installing the underground infrastructure to prepare for the actual beginning of construction. As is usually the case, some unexpected issues have been discovered that have caused a delay in our overall progress and have complicated our path toward completion. The most critical issue in the discovery of a layer of unsuitable soil on the building site, which is not uncommon in New Hanover County. This resulted in some redesign to the foundation plans and some additional expense for removing and replacing the unsuitable soil. But the solution has been within our ability to accomplish and we are again on the way toward construction.
Next week marks the beginning of the excavation of the stormwater retaining pond, which will be a milestone in site preparation. Some of the soil from the pond will be used to build up the construction site, and soon thereafter we will be ready to pour the foundations and building concrete pad.
More news on our progress will be shared as we reach new milestones, and we eagerly anticipate this journey toward our new Wilmington Home.
I wanted to share an update on the progress of the new facility in Wilmington.
After the bids were opened in July, and the contract was signed with McKinley Construction of Wilmington in September, 2009, then the lengthy process of dealing with the permitting agencies began. The plans have been reviewed and approved by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and permits were applied for from the NC Dept of Environment and Natural Resources for our water main extension, and also for storm water management, from the Dept of Transportation for driveway and access permits, from the US Army Corps of Engineers for wetlands delineation and discharge permits, from the New Hanover County Department of Engineering for plan approval, special inspection coordination, and for a permit for a “land disturbing activity” to maintain soil erosion control. We thought we had everything we needed in hand when we discovered that the New Hanover County Division of Environmental Health had to complete a plan review in order to issue a permit to operate a food service establishment prior to the issuance of our county building permit. This involves evaluating everything from our prospective menus to who will be servicing our dumpsters, and has not been completed and awarded as of this date, but we are working diligently to make it happen.
We have been able to do site work, however, and have been installing the underground infrastructure to prepare for the actual beginning of construction. As is usually the case, some unexpected issues have been discovered that have caused a delay in our overall progress and have complicated our path toward completion. The most critical issue in the discovery of a layer of unsuitable soil on the building site, which is not uncommon in New Hanover County. This resulted in some redesign to the foundation plans and some additional expense for removing and replacing the unsuitable soil. But the solution has been within our ability to accomplish and we are again on the way toward construction.
Next week marks the beginning of the excavation of the stormwater retaining pond, which will be a milestone in site preparation. Some of the soil from the pond will be used to build up the construction site, and soon thereafter we will be ready to pour the foundations and building concrete pad.
More news on our progress will be shared as we reach new milestones, and we eagerly anticipate this journey toward our new Wilmington Home.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Snow Thanks
I received what may be a first. Joni, the weekend RN Supervisor at Lutheran Home - Winston-Salem sent me a letter praising the LHWS maintenance staff of Bo, Willie, and Keith. They worked long hours to get adequate nursing staff transported to the Lutheran Home in the snow, so our residents are cared for. As you know, we don't close for snow! When they weren't transporting staff, the three were shoveling snow, salting sidewalks, and generally keeping everyone safe. Joni commented this was all done cheerfully and courteously!
Bo, Willie, and Keith would not be considered by some as essential care providers. I have said and written many times that it takes every staff member in every department on every shift to fulfill our mission. In this case, where would our residents be if staff couldn't get to work. All of a sudden, Bo, Willie, and Keith took their place at the top of the list. And as always, behind them are over one hundred fellow staffers that are cleaning, cooking, washing laundry, providing activities, providing care, paying the bills, and on and on! Every job is vital!
This Winston-Salem story is played out at every one of our facilities, with the same dedicated, vital staffers.
Oh, one more thing, it is rare that a staff member takes the time to write a letter to her administrator and copy me to praise other staffers. It is refreshing and lots of fun. Thanks Joni!
Thank God for all our faithful saints across LSA!
Bo, Willie, and Keith would not be considered by some as essential care providers. I have said and written many times that it takes every staff member in every department on every shift to fulfill our mission. In this case, where would our residents be if staff couldn't get to work. All of a sudden, Bo, Willie, and Keith took their place at the top of the list. And as always, behind them are over one hundred fellow staffers that are cleaning, cooking, washing laundry, providing activities, providing care, paying the bills, and on and on! Every job is vital!
This Winston-Salem story is played out at every one of our facilities, with the same dedicated, vital staffers.
Oh, one more thing, it is rare that a staff member takes the time to write a letter to her administrator and copy me to praise other staffers. It is refreshing and lots of fun. Thanks Joni!
Thank God for all our faithful saints across LSA!
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