While visitor restrictions have eased at Hillcrest Nursing Home, valuable lessons have been learned over the past year because of the pandemic which will carry on into the future.
One hurdle staff at the McCook nursing home faced early on was how to connect the elderly residents to outside events and to maintain contact with visitors. That is where technology has come into play.
With many events being live-streamed or families visiting over Zoom, Hillcrest staff saw an opportunity to connect nursing home residents to the outside world using updated televisions - or smart TVs.
Using $40,000 in grants from the Nebraska Community Foundation’s Connecting Elders with Family program, Hillcrest was able to install smart TVs in the residents’ rooms. While the new unites may look like a standard TV, a smart TV uses the internet to provide streaming video and services through the TV.
The funding for the new TVs came through a collaboration of sources. McCook Community Foundation Fund and the Hillcrest Nursing Home Foundation each provided $10,000 for a total of $20,000, which was then matched by the Connecting Elder with Family grant through the Nebraska Community Foundation. This meant $40,000 was available to purchase and install the smart TVs throughout the facility, bringing the residents closer to their family and friends via technology.
“The world is going more and more digital,” Foster said. “With the new smart TVs, the residents can even access newspapers that are now online from the comfort of their room.”
The smart TVs are also made possible because Hillcrest offers high-speed internet, which is needed for the technology. “Hillcrest is one of the few - if only - nursing homes to be a 1-gig facility,” Foster said.
Another bonus was standardizing the brand of TVs throughout the facility, which allows staff to better able to pinpoint and fix problems. Previously, residents brought their own individual TVs to the facility, meaning staff had to learn how to program or fix a variety of TVs.
“The new TVs will make it much easier on the staff,” Foster said, “dealing with just one type of remote, one model of TV.”
The project may not have happened had the three entities not come to together to pool their resources.
McCook Community Foundation Fund chairperson Cindy Huff said this project and the grants used to fund it demonstrate how working together can provide greater benefits for everyone.
“Through a collaboration between the Hillcrest Foundation, the McCook Community Foundation Fund, and the Nebraska Community Foundation and its affiliates, we were able to increase opportunities and positively impact each resident's life,” Huff said. “Hillcrest residents will be better connected with friends and family for years to come while also easily accessing personal entertainment.”
Foster added that this project benefits not just McCook but the entire region because Hillcrest serves so many across Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.
“This collaboration is just a great example of multiple entities working together,” he said.
The Connecting Elders with Family program began just as the pandemic was forcing facilities such as nursing homes to close its doors to outside visitors and prohibit residents from venturing out.
So in the spring of 2020, the Nebraska Community Foundation announced the Connecting Elders with Family funding opportunity, a collaboration between the Alice DeVoe Donor-Advised Fund—an affiliated fund of NCF—and another anonymous donor. The opportunity provides matching grants to NCF affiliated funds to connect and engage elders with family and friends, including electronic devices and complementary equipment.
Even though the facilities such as nursing homes are now welcoming visitors, the new technology will continue to benefit the residents. The new TVs will allow residents who may not be capable of attending activities outside the nursing home to watch from the comfort of their rooms or visit with family members who don’t live near by, face to face via the TV screen.
And the new TVs add to the quality of life at Hillcrest, opening up other opportunities for residents, who are thrilled by the new additions.
Cathy Lubben said, “I think it is great! I have more channels, movies and still have my music!”
The MCFF portion of the grant was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Andy and Geri Anderson’s Endowment Account. MCFF and the Hillcrest Foundation are both affiliated funds of the Nebraska Community Foundation.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
August 2025 Volunteer of the Month Bruce McDowell can be found walking around McCook for his health, to be helpful or maybe even attend a meeting.
It takes work and effort to be social but its vital to our community.
McCook's young people are shaping their hometown through a various projects.
MCFF Summer Hometown Intern Natalie Roberts shares how her perspective on McCook changed over the past few months.
With the McCook Aquatic Center closing soon for the season, another tradition - Mr. Bill and his 25-cent snow-cones - will likely be coming to an end soon too.
McCook among five Nebraska communities in Revitalize and Thrive Program
Getting Outside of National Night Out Nearly everyone can tell you their last interaction with the police or the fire department. And unfortunately because of the nature of the organizations, it is usually not at a positive moment. My last contact with the McCook Police Department was just a few weeks ago, when I was pulled over on B Street in McCook…on my scooter. I pulled into the wrong lane when making a turn, which is illegal. But in my defense, it was an act of self-defense to just get through the intersection of East B and Sixth streets alive. Since the drivers haven’t seen a stop-light since Holdrege, cars and semis regularly run the traffic light, which makes me a wee bit vulnerable as I pass through the lanes. I got off with a warning but the true punishment were the texts throughout the day from everyone who saw me with my scooter and the police officer. Since most exchanges with police and fire are not on good terms, National Night Out was created to have an evening of positive interactions, to remind the public that the police and fire departments are just normal people, doing their jobs, looking out for their friends and neighbors, trying to create a safe community for everyone. National Night Out is designed to simply join your friends and neighbors for an evening of fellowship and fun. It is an opportunity to meet local law enforcement, creating safer and more caring neighborhoods. McCook is joining thousands of other communities across the country in hosting National Night Out, which typically takes place on the first Tuesday of August every year. Planned for Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. in and around Norris Park in McCook, the night includes a bike parade, a walk, awards for bike decorating, desserts and more. In other words, it is simply a block party to hang out. Numerous organizations have come together to make the evening possible. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the McCook Rotary Club are hosting a bike parade that starts at 6 p.m. Linda Maiden with State Farm, a bicycle helmet advocate, will also be in Norris Park. The streets around Norris Park will be shut down to provide a safe area to ride, as well as more space to cruise around the block. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bike, scooter, roller skates or anything on wheels. This could mean streamers, pompom balls, markers or even the old classic - playing cards in the spokes of your wheels. Some supplies will be available at the park for use if you show up and realize you are the most underdressed person at the party. If your bike has an inch of dust on it, this is a great time to get it out, wipe it off and get it rolling. And if your bike needs minimal fixes like a flat tire or a brake adjustment, bike tools will be on hand along with myself and my hubbie, who know just enough about bike repair to be dangerous but did manage a 300-plus mile bike ride last week so we must be doing something right. But let’s say you don’t have a bike or biking isn’t your cup of tea? Then you are still encouraged to join the “Walk in the Park,” hosted by Community Hospital. Designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle, walkers will stroll around the park and the neighborhood at whatever pace you feel like with strollers and dogs on leashes welcomed. And perhaps most importantly, there will be a chance to meet members of the McCook Police and Fire Department, getting to see police cars and fire engines close-up in a non-emergency manner, always the best way to see them. And if the weather cooperates, there may be a fire hose, water and spraying involved. If you have been at the Culbertson Fourth of July parade, you know it is up to you to stay out of the line of fire if you want to remain dry. We all have excuses for why we don’t want to go out at night, especially after a long day at work. But National Night Out in McCook on Aug. 5 is a great reason to get out your bicycle and lace up your walking shoes. Hang out with your friends, get to know your neighbors and meet your first responders. That is what makes our communities just a little bit better.
Judy McCune named July 2025 McCook volunteer of the month
Joyce Anderson named June 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
