Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
September 2015
‘When afraid’ Residents take advantage
By Jerroll Martens, chaplain, Newton Presbyterian Manor
“When I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3. Note, the writer is not saying if he has fears, but when he fears. Fear is common in the human experience. On a personal level we can identify with the ancient man, Job. His own words indicate his fears. He was afraid of material loss. Indeed, the fear of job loss, physical incapacity, or the elderly in concern for money to last for life, can bring real fear. Second, there was the fear for his family. Would they experience loss of life, or health, or have their needs met? Third, there was fear for the loss of health. What would happen to him or perhaps his family? Indeed, Job did experience much loss but he found God’s presence with him. These fears are probably common to many of us. The Psalmist directs us to trust the Lord when fears come to us. God is surely great enough to care for us. His love assures us of His concern for us. His presence is promised, His understanding is assured. And, always, if we have fears about our eternal state, we can go to the Lord trusting His promises for forgiveness and acceptance. Fears are real. Let’s trust in our Lord when they come.
of ongoing tech training
Mary Kessler had just connected to Newton Presbyterian Manor’s wireless Internet, or WiFi, when her iPad starting chiming. Wellness director Alex Ramos told her, “Someone wants to FaceTime with you.” In other words, she was getting a video Irene Isaac works on her laptop with call. It was Kessler’s grandson, Jessica Drum, WSU intern. who had just gotten married. “She got to see and meet her grandson’s new bride,” Ramos said. Kessler is one of about 20 residents who participated in a class to learn more about using their computers, mobile devices and the Internet. The class was an offshoot of the KeepInTouch training offered earlier this year, in which graduate students from Wichita State University taught residents basic computer skills to study whether technology can help seniors overcome feelings of isolation. WSU student Jessica Drum offered to teach the class with Ramos. “We were amazed at how many residents showed up,” Ramos said. “We found out right away everyone was at different levels. We listened to what they wanted to learn.” That included using email, search engines like Google, and even social media sites like Facebook. Many had questions about Internet safety, so they also discussed how to safeguard credit card and Social Security numbers. Ramos said it was especially gratifying to see more experienced residents jump in to help others. Touchscreen technology has made computers easier for many seniors, because it’s easy to enlarge pictures and text, and it’s more intuitive than using a mouse. Headphones make it easier to hear the sound from videos. Ramos said he and Drum also discovered that many residents didn’t know they could connect to Presbyterian Manor’s WiFi signal, so they weren’t getting much out of their mobile devices. Mary Kessler said she TECH, continued on page 2