SKIP STREAMS…
is a program we developed back in 2014 after noticing the Visitation program suffering greatly during the winter months due to facility lock down because of outbreaks, and seniors who could not physically visit with students were longing for connection.
In partnership with RTO/ERO and Rotary-Sunrise, we launched live stream visits, and invited facilities to consider their broadband capabilities. With many not having enough to host we quickly adjusted to providing mini iPads for smaller senior care residences to participate. The excitement grew among the seniors who never thought they would experience this new way of communicating, and educators were happy to be a part of online education and impact the lives of the elderly in our community.
SKIP Streams opened a world of storytelling, music, and many other activities that met the abilities of both student and senior.
Looking back at our initial launch of SKIP Streams and the challenges we faced onboarding the educators and facilities make us believe that our role was to prepare the way for the season our world is in today. A global pandemic is new to many of us, however the social isolation piece is not, especially when our mission is to connect generations.
We applaud the LTC and Retirement communities that have weathered this pandemic. The professional leads run a tight ship, and we have worked with amazing facilities. Our only regret is that if only back in 2014 we were more successful in securing broader bandwidth within the schools and facilities, SKIP Streams would not have missed a beat during this pandemic.
As hope lives within us, we are confident that this program will be utilized in ways where not only seniors will benefit greatly, but communities as a whole will.