Maintaining Connection, Education, and Support
By Ruth Ann Pendergrast
Hello GAPNA Members. I am Ruth Ann Pendergrast, the new Great Lakes Chapter (GLC) President, following in the footsteps of Nina Ganesh Nandish.
I thank Nina for all her encouragement and direction. Through her mentorship, Nina provided me the knowledge to embrace this position and preform my duties to the best of my ability. I intend to serve this organization with enthusiasm and excitement, loyalty, and communication. We want to further our causes, increase our membership, connect with the geriatric community for greater understanding, and support our members.
Embracing virtual meetings!
The pandemic has not made anything easy. We have had to work harder and smarter and learn a lot of new technology. I have not been able to figure out how to use my TV remote at home, but I have embraced Zoom and Microsoft Teams successfully.
We held our quarterly meeting on June 11 via video conferencing. We had a dynamic presentation brought to us by ConvaTec. The speaker was Kevin Bonikowski, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Regional Clinical Specialist, who presented “Perfect Partners with More than Silver Technology.” We all have encountered patients with wounds that won’t heal.
His informative presentation discussed the physiology of wounds with real-life scenarios in conjunction with technology to aid in wound healing. This meeting was attended by more than 20 of members, a fantastic turnout!
After this clinical presentation, our chapter experienced more exciting news. We held our quarterly meeting with an election. We welcome Imaoboong Vanderpool, DNP, AGPCNP-C, as GLC President-Elect, and Brock Willett, DNP, FNP, as Student Director-at Large.
Ima has been instrumental in orchestrating and obtaining much-needed PPE in the metro Detroit area for many extended care, senior homes, and assisted living facilities. This community was forgotten by many, but not by Ima. We applaud her for her efforts.
In addition to our first virtual quarterly meeting, we held our monthly planning meeting for our annual conference in November 2020 via video conference. It was nice to see faces instead of masks. Yes, smiling faces were present as we continue to plan our upcoming conference.
Currently, we are surveying our members regarding whether to conduct a live conference with appropriate social distancing or a virtual conference. Many upcoming conferences have gone virtual. In addition, our members are reporting that funds from their workplace may not be available to attend an in-person conference. GLC will consider all options.
While we continue to learn about our senior community, GLC is partnering with our local Area Agency on Aging 1-B to get closer to the problems faced by our geriatric population. We now receive updates on community events and food drives around the metro area for these seniors. In the fall, Tom McConnell, GLC Conference Planning Committee Chair, and I attended an Area Agency on Aging 1-B Caregiver Champions Appreciation and Awards Luncheon.
On a somber note, MJ Favot’s husband passed. She is truly a remarkable person and one of the original founding members of GLC. We extend our sympathy, peace, and love to her and her family.
On a personal note, my goal for 2020 – master that TV remote. Keep the faith!
Ruth Ann Pendergrast, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-C, CWOCN
Chapter President
ruth.pendergrast@beaumont.org