Humble, Faithful Service and Support
For 33 years Edward Pence was a schoolteacher in Mt. Vernon schools. He completed his career by serving as a school principal for eight years. In retirement, he worked in the admissions department of Deaconess Hospital’s School of Nursing.
Dorothea Pence worked as a librarian and storyteller in the school system. Her life was full of volunteer activities, serving as the first woman moderator of the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ. She was also a charter member of the Good Samaritan Home Auxiliary in 1962.
These humble servants left a remarkable legacy through their long lives of service to students and the wider community. Their last wishes were recognized through the founding of the Edward A. and Dorothea D. Pence Endowment Fund at Trinity United Church of Christ in Mt. Vernon, Indiana.
Their impact lives on – in scholarships for students and a wide variety of philanthropic causes in the Tri-State area. Our beloved Good Samaritan Home benefits from their thoughtfulness each year.
Many thanks to Edward & Dorothea Pence, and to Trinity UCC for their faithful stewardship of the Pence Endowment.
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Vote for The Good Samaritan Home in the
Courier Press Readers' Choice Awards!
 The Home has been nominated as Evansville's best in four categories:
- Assisted Living Facility
- Independent Living
- Nursing Home
- Retirement Community
Be sure to vote for The Home in all four categories!
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COVID-19 has once again become prevalent in the Tri-State. However, with the protections The Home has in place, we have avoided an outbreak within the facility.
- Everyone in the Home wears a mask when they are in contact or could be in contact with our residents.
- Hand sanitizer is readily available and is used when entering and exiting rooms and at other times.
- Frequent hand washing is encouraged.
- The Home is testing unvaccinated staff and volunteers at least weekly.
- Unvaccinated staff must wear face shields at all times to protect themselves from the virus.
- The Home is requiring staff to be vaccinated as of September 30th, except for those with a valid medical or religious exemption.
The results of these measures are impressive. Since January of this year, there have been a total of thirteen people in the Home (twelve staff, one resident) with positive COVID-19 tests out of more than 7,000 tests we have performed. In each of those cases, the virus has been isolated to that individual and not spread to anyone else in the Home.
Please keep the Home in your prayers. What happens in the community directly affects the safety and protection of our residents. Wearing a mask in public and getting vaccinated are the two best ways you can help keep the Home safe.
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The Samaritan Society is a special group of donors who make a legacy gift to the Good Samaritan Home.
If you would like to learn more about leaving a gift to the Home in your will or estate, please contact Rev. Michael Erwin for a FREE information packet, merwin@goodsamhome.org, or call (812) 759-0457.
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And the Survey Says...
The Indiana State Department of Health recently completed their annual survey of the Home. The survey is an in-depth look at how well we care for our residents. When concerns are raised, the state will issue a “tag.” Our goal is to have zero tags.
The Home has made tremendous progress in the past several years:
- 2017 – 19 tags
- 2018 – 16 tags
- 2019 – 10 tags
- 2020 – skipped due to COVID
- 2021 – 4 tags!!!!
Our vision for the Home is to have zero tags and to be a 5-Star quality rated Home. The survey just completed is a significant step toward accomplishing that vision.
Kudos to the Board, staff, and volunteers who made this successful survey possible!
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Just What Dad Needs
New Men’s Memory Care Unit is a Success
The Good Samaritan Home became a pioneer in memory care once again by opening an all-male Memory Care Unit in April. Although two-thirds of people diagnosed with dementia are women, the number of men needing memory care is growing in our community.
 Located in the Pathways 2 facility, the benefits of the unit include:
- A secure area designed for men with dementia
- Meaningful activities geared toward men’s interests
- Caregivers that understand how to care for men with dementia
- Advanced services that support men through end-of-life
- An environment that promotes independence & life enrichment
Nine men now reside in the unit and enjoy enrichment activities that are male-oriented. Men with dementia often have special needs. Whether that is a simple desire for male camaraderie or behavioral challenges, an all-male unit is a good solution for them.
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 Support the Home through Amazon Smile. If you order from Amazon, use https://smile.amazon.com/ch/35-1065494 to find and purchase your items, and a portion of your purchase may go to the Home.
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God Will Take Care of You
There are times in every life when the path we walk is steep and rocky. At such times we may feel inadequate to the challenges we face. Worse than that, we may feel that we are traveling alone.
The teachings of the great religions of the world assure us that no matter what, we are never truly alone. The loving Creator of us all stands ready to hear our struggles, our complaints, and our cries for help, to give us guidance, to bless us, to work miracles in our lives, and to comfort us.
When we need help, God is there for us.
Consider these words from the Jewish faith: “I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the God above, the Maker of all that is.”
Or from Islam: “When you appealed to your God for help, God answered, ‘I am reinforcing you with one thousand angels, ranks upon ranks.’”
Or from the Christian scriptures: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
No matter who you are, no matter where you are in life’s journey, no matter what you’re struggling with today, as the old song says:
God will take care of you
Through every day, o'er all the way.
Blessings,
Rev. Michael
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