John O'Connor

If I’m going to be truthful about my Catholic School education, many of the lessons remain less memorable than the nuns who delivered them.

Suffice it to say, assault and battery charges have been filed for encounters involving far less physicality.

Despite the occasional bruises, it should be noted that the Dominican Sisters were trying their best. Which is probably more than can be said for many of their charges. And to their great credit, the nuns did open our eyes to the wisdom of the Good Book. One of my favorite passages was and remains Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

When it comes to senior living, it can seem like bad news never goes out of season. Sadly, it’s a rare week where we are not reporting on an unfortunate development of one kind or another.

So the occasional prospect of good news tends to be more than welcome in these parts. Fortunately, you are in a position to not only read some good news, but to make some of your own.

As you may have heard, the 2018 McKnight’s Technology Awards contest is now underway.

Before you zone out, please know that entering this contest is easy and rewarding.

First, it may bring your organization some POSITIVE exposure. And the recognition will be for something you are doing already: harnessing technology to make things better.

Second, you have more options and chances to win than ever. That begins with a dedicated track just for senior living. We have expanded the categories this year from five to 10. The new options are Marketing, Activities, Training, Safety, and KISS (which of course stands for Keep it Super Simple). This is in addition to our classic categories: Quality, Dignity, High Tech/High Touch, Transitions and Innovator of the Year.

Surely, your organization must be doing something technology-related that applies to one or more of these categories.

Finally, entering has never been easier. Simply go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VSNY2YB and follow a few prompts. For more information about the awards, visit www.McKnightsAwards.com.

Yes, for everything there is a season. Maybe this will be the season when you make some good news. And it won’t leave a mark – provided the award doesn’t land on your foot.

John O’Connor is editorial director of McKnight’s Senior Living. Email him at [email protected].