KaLex Retiree Gladly Returns to Kendal in New Role

Just a few days shy of her one-year retirement anniversary, Becky Edmondson returned to the workplace she holds dear. It wasn’t a tough decision, according to the former Kendal at Lexington assistant to the executive director.

“I fell in love with this place,” she said, citing the beauty of Kendal’s surrounding mountains and pasturelands and the honorable values and practices it upholds.

New CATIE Web Coordinator Position

This time, Becky is providing part-time support for CATIE (Communication and Access To Information Everywhere), a web portal that residents and staff can enter with personal credentials and access via computer, tablet or smart phone.

“When I told my children I was going to provide tech support, they laughed,” said Becky, who concedes that while she was nervous at first about administering the campus communications tool that keeps users in the loop about everything from menus to meeting minutes and more, she has quickly come aboard in a position that suits her well.

“I thought I would be a good fit. I already know all the residents and how things work,” said the woman who served in her previous Kendal position for 10 years and, before that, in administrative roles across several industries.

Relieving resident volunteers who elevated CATIE to a new level of operations when the pandemic put tremendous strain on staff, Becky has two primary goals for the system that centralized vital communications in an unprecedented time.

Goals & Expectations

One is for staff, that they would become accustomed to inputting information relating to their own departments. The other is for herself: to learn all the intricacies and capabilities of CATIE in order to best serve the entire community. “I want to find out what else we can do with it.”

Currently, those in independent living are the most active users of CATIE, but Becky wants residents in all levels of care to reap its benefits. For instance, she envisions a digital scroll of the day’s news, activities and other information for those in assisted living… “like what you would have in your cabin on a cruise,” she explained.

While not all residents are comfortable with computer technology, most have willingly utilized the tool that tells them everything need to know, including the weather, and also lets them report an issue with one click. Chief among those residents is John South, a member of the CATIE steering committee whose technical savvy would rival a young person’s.

IT, Gardens & Harp

When she is not categorically implementing each facet of CATIE, Becky enjoys tending her flower and vegetable garden. “I live in the woods, so I’m constantly beating back the jungle!” she jokes. She also plays the harp, piano and stand-up bass.

While she could be pursuing full-time retirement, Becky has no regrets about returning to Kendal.

“I’m delighted to be back. I really love the people who live and work here!”