The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Forever InTouch

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

29 March 2000

These days, its hard to hide. We have telephones, cell phones, beepers, e-mail, UPS, Fed-Ex, intercoms, call waiting, and now the Palm. Dick Tracy never had it so good.

As I was enjoying lunch Monday, my friend's phone rang which was sitting on the table. Someone had found my friend, even during a relaxing lunch break.

Just that morning I was thinking to myself, how could I ever keep up with all I have to do without my cell phone, the e-mail, and the FAX? When they first came out, I thought I needed them about as much as I first needed the dishwasher, and the microwave. Now, I can hardly do without them.

All of these modern convenience are suppose to help us be more efficient so we can relax. Right?

Actually, a phone call in the middle of lunch is rather stressful, but let me tell you how wonderful they can be.

There are many single parents and lots of working mom's cell phones are lifesavers. I have found them to be a blessing when I go from place to place yet have home responsibilities. At least I can keep in contact with my children and they with me - no excuses.

I especially like this advantage if I am running late, or if my children are running late meeting their curfew. A quick call relieves worries of an accident or other problems.

My daughter Darci, who lives in Las Vegas, had her car break down one evening coming home from a meeting on the ramp of an Interstate there. She didn't have a cell phone and had to walk to a gas station to phone her roommate to come and get her. Some shady characters at the station were making her nervous as she waited for Deena to come and she phoned me? I was so glad when Deena arrived as we talked, and I am especially glad she now has a cell phone.

My husband, who farms, had used my cell phone for a while and then found he couldn't do without it, and purchased his own. He uses it to call in from the field or the cattle lot, or to check on the status of the next ball game Matt is playing in or to order a sandwich or pizza so it will be ready for him to pick up on a busy day.

There is really no excuses that we can't keep in touch these days.

I received an e-mail from Troy and Erica with Noah Jayne's picture at her first school music program at age 1-1/2. She was smiling sitting on her caretakers lap with a cute little hat on. It was almost as if I were there when I got her photo and little note telling of her fun day.

They live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a 9 hour drive, and it is impossible to keep up with them.

Although my daughter Tami has two young children 5 and 7, she still doesn't have a computer, but she has gotten an email address on my computer to keep up with the rest of the family, who all have one.

To keep in touch, we write one letter then send it to each family member with the stroke of one key. Now that's pretty great.

Damon, a computer analysis for Pioneer International in Des Moines, Iowa has the new PALM. He has his addresses on it, his grocery lists, his messages, a calculator, and can even open the Internet on it and send e-mails. No matter where he is he has his hands on a lot of information. When he was home, his work called his cell phone to ask him for help taking care of a problem at Pioneer. He plugged in his labtop computer at my house the night he arrived, logged into his work in DesMoines and put in several hours of work for Pioneer, while we slept. He has found, like I have, all these modern conveniences, still do not assure that you won't be working long hours way into the night.

Troy and Tami are better at time management, than I am. When they get tired, they turn everything off and take a nap. But wait until they have teenagers who are driving. Their cell phones will be on at lunchtime, too.

I remember Beulah Robbins who lived in the country northwest of Stronghurst saying she took the newspaper after she could no longer see well enough to read it, just so she would have mail in her mailbox.

Today, there are many ways people can keep in touch and it is going to advance even more.

With the opening of The Great River Medical Center on Tuesday, April 4th, an infrared overhead paging-system that allows for zone and room paging of nursing staff will be in place. The system allows one to find a clinical and support staff member without waking the sleeping patients. The beepers will vibrate rather than beep. Extra beepers will be available in some departments even for families as needed.

Nurses on inpatient units will use a different system called the Nurse Locator System. It tracks nurses through a locator badge attached to their name tags. When a patient pulls a cord to summon the nurse, the system will locate the nurse and direct the call to the nearest two-way intercom box. Each patient room will have a box and the nurse can respond to the call without having to leave the room.

At one time it was only the rural communities who were close, but now we are close friends to those in other towns and counties, even in other states.

Keeping in touch, and informed, just keeps getting better and better.