Technology advances have created improvements in electronic communications that could not have been imagined a generation ago. At Perry Wellness Center, most peers and staff carry smartphones today, but they are encouraged to manage their usage responsibly.

“We all can get caught up in the time that is spent with electronics,” says PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry. “We encourage staff to not use their apparatus when they are on the clock. Peer cannot talk on their phones during groups or any time that we are having center communications.”

While electronic communications are discouraged as a substitute for face-to-face interactions, they are recognized as having a place in peers’ lives, both as a means of communication with others and a source of entertainment and learning. At Perry Wellness Center, Eric Cannon has done his own recent survey of current telecommunication technology. It’s a lot to keep up with!

“I know about the flip phone, the larger smart phone, and other devices,” he explains. “But now I have discovered the smart watch and the palm phone. You have to have a smart phone to use the palm phone, but you have two phones at two sites with the same number.” 

He continues with a smile, “The smart watch that I bought last week proves again that we need more than two hands to communicate in our world today.”

Eric, it certainly feels that way!