Sometimes technology can be frustrating. From Error 404 pages to pop-up ads, simply logging onto the internet can open up a giant can of worms. Fortunately for the residents at the Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay life plan community, they had the tech-savvy “WCB Geeks” at their fingertips.
Because of the Geeks and their strong connections to the internet and community residents, Westminster-Canterbury was awarded Gold in the Keep It Super Simple category in the Senior Living track of the 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards.
The Geeks are a small group of former technology industry executives who launched the program at the Virginia Beach, VA, community in 2021. They assist the IT department by helping their fellow residents and neighbors with the less complex technology problems. Residents contact them directly via email or through an IT help desk referral.
This year, the Geeks set up hundreds of Westminster-Canterbury residents on a resident hub so they could access a digital portal to current events, virtual engagement, dining services and more.
“We were honored to receive this prestigious award for our WCB Geeks program,” said Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay Senior Director of Information Technology Ed Lawson. “The heart of this program is residents with technology experience who volunteer their time resolving common ‘how to’ questions. Each month, they save our IT department 30 to 60 hours of staff time. Our residents enjoy the peer-to-peer assistance, and the members of the WCB Geeks feel great personal satisfaction in helping their friends and neighbors navigate technology, particularly for those who didn’t grow up with it.”
Other award winners in the Senior Living track’s Keep It Super Simple category:
- Silver: Asbury Communities, Frederick, MD for its use of sensor technology to improve outcomes
- Bronze (tie): Brookdale Senior Living, Brentwood, TN, for their restructuring of onboarding technology and Social Call, a Front Porch Community Service, Glendale, CA, for its use of technology to connect volunteers with residents
Read about the Keep It Super Simple category winners in the Skilled Nursing track on the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News website and in the Home Care track on the McKnight’s Home Care website.
See a list of all 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards Senior Living track winners here.
The Platinum sponsor of the 2022 McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit is KARE. Gold sponsors are iN2L + LifeLoop, IntelyCare and Saiva.
To view the virtual awards presentation and recordings of the Summit webinars, visit mcknights.com/100422techawards.
