With the help of generous donors, the Olivia and Howard Geller Foundation for Patient Safety DELIVERED 252 WI-FI ENABLED TABLETS to hospitalized COVID-19 patients so they could communicate with their families. We are still seeking donations, however, to enable us to continue our work. Any donation you can provide will be greatly appreciated. While the need for tablets has decreased with the availability of a vaccine, we are currently in the process of determining whether there is a need for, and how we might be able to provide, “granny cam” cameras to patients who would like to use them in a hospital or long-term care facility.
YOU MAY MAKE A DONATION DIRECTLY THROUGH PAYPAL BY CLICKING ON THE “DONATE” BUTTON FOUND ON THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE HOMEPAGE. IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND A CHECK, PLEASE MAIL IT TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:
The Olivia and Howard Geller Foundation for Patient Safety, P.O. Box 11967, St. Paul, MN 55111-0967
Your support will allow patients and nursing home residents to see and speak to their loved ones if hospitals and nursing homes must again restrict visitors. Even when a patient is too ill to speak to their family members and are likely to pass away, being able to see and hear each other, even on a video screen, will allow loved ones to say goodbye and offer prayers or words of comfort. However, the tablets are not just for saying goodbye. They are also a way for patients and nursing home residents to stay in touch with their families and often can be a source of entertainment for them while isolated.
I started the Olivia and Howard Geller Foundation for Patient Safety several years ago after my mother died under suspicious circumstances while hospitalized. I became very concerned about the safety of hospitalized patients, especially elderly patients, and began providing educational and advocacy resources to patients and their families. I was researching the possibility of providing “granny cams” for patients in hospitals and/or nursing homes when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Being able to provide one of these cameras to patients who want them is still one of our goals.
It was devastating to hear about seriously ill COVID-19 patients who were unable to even have family members visit them in the hospital. It was even more heartbreaking to hear about families who were unable to say their goodbyes to loved ones who passed away from this virus.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and for your willingness to provide some much-needed comfort to those in need. If you have any questions or would like more information please feel free to contact me.
Linda Geller Axelrod
gellerfoundation@gmail.com / 651-688-6699
