society snapshots Valentine NE
Staff mentoring The Good Samaritan Society –
Beatrice in Beatrice, Neb., is implementing a peer mentoring program for staff members to help caregivers ease into what can be an emotionally and physically exhausting job.
Through the program, mentors introduce new staff members to people and resources that can help them in their jobs. They act as role models and provide a source of encouragement and support.
Julie Vitosh, human resources director at Good Samaritan Society – Beatrice, Wymore, Samaritan Springs, says mentor programs help reduce turnover and absenteeism, and improve employee morale. They are an example, she says, of how the Good Samaritan Society recognizes staff members as one of its greatest assets and seeks to support them.
Beatrice
Born to sew A resident at Good Samaritan
Society – Valentine shows his passion for life through sewing. Ninety-two- year-old Earl Heigh has his own sewing room set up at the center in Valentine, Neb., where he makes quilts, potholders, lap robes, rugs, pillowcases and other items. He also repairs clothing. Earl says his mother taught him to sew when he was 5, and he’s been sewing ever since. His creations have made it to several states including Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado and California.
Senior College participants discuss at Good Samaritan Society – Kissimmee Village, in Kissimmee, Fla.
Senior learning Residents and community members
of Good Samaritan Society locations have an opportunity to have fun and learn new things, free of charge, through the Society’s Senior College program. Each spring and fall, the Good Samaritan Society offers several Senior College courses to its locations across the country. The courses are taught by experienced faculty members, whose lectures are provided electronically to centers.
Colombia mission Seventeen Good Samaritan Society
Earl Heigh displays his quilt.
New look A facelift at the Good Samaritan Society’s center
Belington WV
in Belington,
W.Va., is turning living spaces into neighborhoods that are designed to help residents feel more at home. The Good Samaritan Society – Barbour County repainted each hallway, added new artwork and redecorated the solarium and dining room. Changes also were made to make life easier for residents, such as the addition of touchless towel and soap dispensers and new bathroom cabinets. Administrator Mark Nesland says the center wanted to remove the institutional look of the building and replace it with one that was warmer and more homelike.
staff members spent a week in Colombia recently as part of a Project Outreach mission initiative. While in Colombia, the volunteers repaired homes, worked in a soup kitchen and ministered to the spiritual needs of impoverished people in Bogotá, Soacha and Tunja. The mission trip was led by the Rev. Greg Wilcox, the Good Samaritan Society’s vice president for mission effectiveness.
The Good Samaritan • 2011 • Vol. 45 • No. 1
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