National Assisted Living Week (NAWL) is an opportunity to celebrate those serve in assisted living and educate the public about long-term care. This year’s Assisted Living Week, September 11-17, had a “Keeping Connected” theme to recognize the expanding and exciting opportunities technology offers to residents and staff. Belmont Village communities across the nation celebrated the week and its “Keeping Connected” theme, acknowledging both technology and human connections.
Keeping Connected Through Technology
Younger generations are growing up with technology that’s much different from what our residents experienced as children. However, today’s innovations play a big role for all generations.
Belmont Village Geneva Road celebrated technology’s influence on everyday life by dedicating each day of the week to a different technological breakthrough. Starting with email, the week kicked off with a “Grandparent Memories” essay contest. Grandchildren wrote in to instantly share their favorite memories and at the end of the day, we have to say that all of our residents were winners! Each subsequent day included a “how to” activity to teach residents the ins and outs of tech gadgets like iPhones, FitBits and Wii. Residents, families and staff finished the week by using technology to give back with a bike-a-thon benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association. They took turns riding Belmont’s stationary bikes for more than 12 continuous hours and raised $800!
At Belmont Village Burbank, residents and staff gathered for a party to commemorate the week. The main attraction was a modern photo booth that prints on the spot, a new experience for many of our residents. Residents and staff members came together to test the new technology, creating some surprising new looks and loads of lasting memories in the process.
Keeping Connected Through Relationships
While gadgets like iPhones and Kindles can teach us new things, we can’t forget to stay connected through relationships. We value our friendships with fellow community members and organizations, especially our relationships with those who play such an essential role in the safety of our communities, our first responders.
For NAWL, Our two Houston Belmont Village communities and Belmont Village Buffalo Grove in Chicago each took time to show local first responders their appreciation for their service. Belmont Village Hunters Creek and Buffalo Grove residents presented the teams with hundreds of care packages that they created. Each was filled with essentials to get police and firefighters through a day in the field, plus a few extra goodies. Residents from Buffalo Grove even wrote and sang a special appreciation song at their presentation. Belmont Village West University residents held a pancake breakfast at their community, inviting their first responders to share some time around the table with them.
Whether through human interaction or technology, Belmont Village staff and residents know the importance of staying connected. National Assisted Living Week gave us a great opportunity to try new things and find new ways to connect to the people and causes that matter most to us.