Connecting Our Precious Ones in SW Indiana

My name is Courtney Vennekotter, and I am currently a pre-medical student at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana. I have been a life long resident of Dubois County, and plan to practice medicine here for years to come. Recently, amongst the COVID-19 outbreak, I’ve seen an article in the newspaper concerning communication between nursing home residents and their families. It was heartbreaking to see them having to talk through windows in this digital age. I have formulated the idea to start a program to distribute iPads /Chromebooks among the nursing homes of Dubois County and perhaps surrounding counties if the funding is great enough. All funds will be strictly put towards the electronics and hardware for these nursing homes. Any person who donates will receive an updated newsletter showing the outcomes of their donation. I encourage you to please share this amongst your colleagues. There is no reason for an elderly person to have to communicate with their family via dry erase boards. I want elders to have the opportunity to feel at home without having to be at home by possibly seeing their grandkid’s birthday parties, weddings, visitations, etc. Ultimately, we cannot isolate the people we are trying to save.