RE/MAX Properties and RE/MAX Renaissance agents were moved to act when they learned about the high number of COVID-19 cases reported at NHC HealthCare in Rossville.
Not knowing what the residents’ needs were, Brenda Purcell, community relations liaison for the two RE/MAX firms, placed a call to the nursing home’s social service director and asked, “What can we do to help?”
“Our goal was to lift spirits and boost morale,” Purcell says.
The director shared the need for iPads and specially designed head phones for the hearing impaired, which could be used to allow residents to read their daily devotions, play games and have Facetime visits with clergy and families.
“The technology could open up the outside world and allow more seniors to communicate,” Purcell says. “We knew time was of the essence, so our agents quickly contributed to this cause.”
Longtime Realtor Sheila Cross, whose husband recently suffered a stroke and rehabbed at a few nursing homes, saw the loneliness residents feel. So, she donated funds to the project.
“I’m glad the company saw the need and responded,” she says.
Broker Jennifer Cooper’s grandmother was a resident at NHC HealthCare in Rossville several years ago, so the project allowed her to give back to the place that once cared for her loved one.
“There’s a saying that goes, ‘When you don’t know what to do, just do something,’” Cooper says. “We will continue to look for ways to make a difference and meet needs in the communities we serve.”