Regency Retirement Village of Huntsville is helping seniors find new ways of connecting with family when they can’t visit as frequently as residents would like. Technology is often viewed as cold and efficient, but it opens all sorts of doors for human interaction that did not exist just a few years ago.
Here in the Rocket City, we know a few things about technology!
“We provide free wireless Internet throughout the building and have an internet café so that anyone without a computer can still access the internet and/or email,” said Dana Hill, Marketing Director for Regency Retirement Village in Huntsville.
“Many of our residents Skype — either using their iPads or via the computer in our internet café, as we have a house Skype account. Last quarter, we did a class on Skyping. One of our residents turned 95 and his family threw a big party here. His oldest son was unable to attend, but was able to be a part via Skype. Awesome!”
Dana also taught one of Regency’s residents how to text last year. She had a very good reason for wanting to learn.
“Her son who lived in another city had throat cancer and was unable to speak. They texted many times each day through the several months before he passed away. Can you imagine how important that was to her?”
Interactions can be made even more impactful by shared activities such as suggesting a book that can be read with a grandchild at the same time, a TV show that they can converse about or a hobby like gardening that can turn into a friendly competition.
Video conferencing adds a whole new dimension to online communication, allowing us to see expressions and body language that do not always come across in voice calls, emails or text messages.
Regency Retirement Village of Huntsville understands the importance of preserving relationships with family and uses technology to help our residents reach out to those who matter most. For those eager to learn new communication skills, the rewards are many.
See our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Regency-Retirement-Village-Huntsville/162455057120492