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A message from Bob Franko, CEO

Dear Friends and Supporters of the VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana:

I was getting ready to log onto a Zoom call this morning and had to get up to close my door, not so much for privacy but because of the noise in the halls. It occurred to me as I sat back down how happy that noise made me. It was only a couple of years ago that I sat in my office in an otherwise empty administrative building while everyone worked remotely. It was quiet and dark, and at the time I thought it was kind of nice to not have all of those distractions so I could really focus on work.

We learned a lot of things during the pandemic, including how to be more efficient and effective using technology, things we still do today. But one thing I learned is that all those inner-office connections and what I sometimes thought were distractions are really part of the work. Not only are we social creatures by nature, the work we do in and around end-of-life care is heavy and having others around helps with that burden. Not only for our amazing staff but for our volunteers as well. The laughter and cackles coming from our volunteer room this morning, in fact, were so boisterous that instead of making me want to shut my door and hone in on some spreadsheet—it made me want to get up and go join in for a few minutes. To enjoy being around others. To have a moment to laugh and share some story and hear about their lives.

We talk all the time about Making Best Days Possible and I think we’d all agree that every Best Day has at least a couple of good laughs in it. It made me think about social isolation and what many seniors who have lost mobility or being able to drive or leave their home must feel. Get up from that computer once in a while, put down that phone and go connect with someone even for just a few minutes. Knock on that neighbor’s door, make that call, take that trip across town, send that note—just connect. Find a reason to have a good laugh and there will be a good chance it turns into a Best Day.

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