Effort Virtually Connects Residents of Senior Facilities to their Families
Cedar Rapids, IA- June 17, 2020 – Involta, an industry-leading hybrid IT, cloud computing and data center services company, announces Operation Linking Loved Ones, an effort to power the connections between residents of senior care facilities and their loved ones in the wake of the COVD-19 pandemic. The senior population is among the most vulnerable, according to health officials. Even as social distancing guidelines begin to ease nationwide for their own health and safety, elderly residents have not been able to have the one-on-one personal connections that are so important to their quality of life. Involta is helping to provide those connections virtually, by donating the tablets and infrastructure needed for video chats.
Currently in three Involta markets, Cedar Rapids, IA, Tucson, AZ and Youngstown, OH, Operation Linking Loved Ones is enabling virtual visits with family members who cannot enter elder care facilities for the health and safety of residents. Tablets mounted on mobile carts can be sanitized and moved between patient rooms. The effort includes training staff and residents on the use of virtual meeting platforms.
“The sheer joy on the faces of residents and their family members who are able to connect in this way is priceless,” comments Bruce Lehrman, CEO of Involta, “It’s a small thing that we can do that makes a huge difference in the lives of these residents.”
Operation Linking Loved Ones is connecting families at Evergreen Estates in Cedar Rapids, Shepherd of the Valley in Youngstown, OH and Devon Gables Rehabilitation Center in Tucson, AZ. An added benefit of virtual connections is that residents can connect with family members despite distance.
“One of our residents was able to video chat with one of his granddaughters who lives in Scotland,” relates Katie Gregorio, Marketing Director of Evergreen Estates. “It’s incredible to be able to provide that to our residents. They are just so happy to see family members and interact.”
Operation Linking Loved Ones emerged organically among Involta employees who had a desire to help connect family members. In Cedar Rapids, the effort was sparked by former Involta employee Tami Pierson, whose father resides in Evergreen Estates. Involta employee Ron Latessa made the connection to Shepherd of the Valley, in the Youngstown, OH area. In Tucson, Devon Gables Administrator Heather Friebus and Involta Sales Development Representative Porsha Martinez, friends for more than 35 years, brought the project to life.
“We both got our first jobs together at Devon Gables as teenagers. Since then we’ve spent countless hours volunteering throughout the decades. When we learned of Involta’s campaign to connect isolated residents with their family members, there was no question that we wanted to get involved,” states Martinez.
As a result of the positive reaction, Involta decided to combine efforts with other organizations in the tech infrastructure community who had been focused on similar initiatives. Cedar Rapids based MobileDemand was among the first to join forces with Involta on the expanded program.
“We are proud to have had the opportunity to provide rugged cases and mounting hardware to LA County healthcare facilities,” comments Matt Miller, President, MobileDemand. “We jumped at the opportunity to be able to extend our offer to assist the older population in our local market of Cedar Rapids.” MobileDemand will contribute numerous tablets and rugged cases (with the additional benefit of being mountable on IV stands, rolling tables and bedside safety bars) to the Operation Linking Loved Ones effort.
“We hope to expand this initiative industry wide, challenging our colleagues and peers to enable tech in ways that power those personal connections that are so difficult today,” adds Lehrman.
To learn more about Operation Linking Loved Ones and join the effort, please inquire at marketing@involta.com. For more information about Involta, visit the all-new www.involta.com.
