Getting old isn’t for sissies

“Getting old isn’t for sissies” that’s a favorite saying among our clients and we’re here to make it just a little bit easier. Our mission has shown broad success due largely to TechSoup and our recent conversion to Microsoft products.

Microsoft technologies and TechSoup have been instrumental in our development since 2003. At that time we had Microsoft programs on only a few computers and were continually dealing with conversion hassles. We realized, however, just how superior the programs were and finally converted to Microsoft products exclusively in 2008.

Not only do we serve seniors but many of our employees are not of the “computer generation” and were reluctant to let go of the comfort level they had finally achieved with programs such as word perfect and print shop. However now that the conversions have been made even the most computer shy employees have realized how user friendly the Microsoft programs truly are. For example, they’ve found that the Excel worksheets practically do the work for you once they are built.

Becky Huff took over as our activities coordinator in January 2009. Let’s see what she has to say about Microsoft Products.

“Microsoft Publisher has opened up a whole new world for me. As a new Activities Coordinator, I initially borrowed from old files to help with printing for events, news etc. With Publisher, I’ve found how easy it is to produce a weekly flyer and a bi-monthly newsletter. The graphics are so easy to use and very crisp. Our circulation is up and we hear a lot of positive feedback from our clients. Folks approach me and thank me for a newsletter that asks to be opened and read. The layout is clear and easy for the seniors, even those who may have some trouble seeing. Now it is easier to start from scratch than to borrow from old issues.”

“All of our events and activities are so well advertised because of the new colorful flyers and announcements that participation is up in many of our planned activities. Every day I learn something new that I can do with Publisher. It’s easy and fun to come up with new things however, the best part is all of the positive comments from our clients that have noticed a big change in our printed material. It is the most used software on my computer now.”

Not only has Microsoft made Becky’s life easier particularly with the setting up, printing and mailing some 1300 newsletters, but it has freed up time for her to spend with our seniors planning activities and seeing to their needs.

The biggest and best news we have is that our conversion to Microsoft was so inexpensive thanks to TechSoup and has cut our labor costs so much that we have been able increase services in our in-home care division. This division benefits the neediest of our Senior Citizens. This division provides a wide range of housekeeping services, will help with chores such as lawn and garden care, and offers personal care provided by qualified CNA’s. They also provide respite care which gives brief relief to often overwhelmed caregivers.

The assistance provided to our elderly clients by our In-home service division along with our transportation and nutritional departments is absolutely crucial to our mission objective. Regardless of whether we receive this grant or not we wanted to take the opportunity to thank Microsoft Corporation for providing such superior programs and to TechSoup for making them available to Non-profit organizations such as ours at such reasonable prices.