The notion that a long-term care provider has extra time is laughable, especially to anyone in the field.

Yet it’s time to get serious about taking a pause — and do it for a very worthy cause: To collect richly deserved praise.

That’s right: Keep the lights on, the coffee warm and the services flowing. But for Pete’s sake, give yourself a break. And your teammates too.

There may be no better way to do that than to head to mcknightstechawards.com. Once there, have a trusted scribe among you describe how the team has executed some successful aspect of care or administration.

Then you’ll be entered in the cost-free 2022 McKnight’s Tech Awards 

Your colleagues will thank you. And you should soak up the satisfaction as well. After all, you’ve likely earned it more than you realize. Help us show that.

At McKnight’s, we know there are plenty of outstanding efforts, operations and caregiving practices in play. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be recognized for them. (It’s been that kind of year — we know.)

The premise is simple: Virtually no caregiving, no administration, no employee programs take place without some type of technology involved. High tech or low tech, it doesn’t matter.

Here’s a list of last year’s provider finalists, if you want to see how diverse the players are for something like this. There’s no reason you and your colleagues shouldn’t be represented on this year’s list.

But you have to get things in gear to be a player. The entry period closes June 30 — that’s next Thursday. You need to get the wheels turning, and soon. 

Your only cost will be a little time to fill out the freeform entry blanks.

If your community used tech during this past year, whether simple or advanced — and who hasn’t? — you’re primed to enter.

The annual contest is a joint program of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. All providers are eligible. (Interested vendors or inventors should find a provider who can act as a suitable entrant.)

Winners will be recognized in three separate tracks: Skilled Nursing, Senior Living (AL/IL) and Home Care. Each track has four categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards being presented in each.

The categories:

Quality – Winning providers will describe the technology involved and how it was applied to improve the quality of care or services.

Innovator of the Year – Winning providers will describe how technological innovation was key to the entry’s success and how it made a difference in the provision of care or services or the bottom line.

KISS (Keep It Super Simple) – Winning providers will describe a simple but effective application of technology that improved the provision of care, services or operations.

Building Bridges – Winning providers will describe the ways in which an operator has used technology to improve connections between staff members and residents and/or their families.

Nominations will be judged by a panel of experts. The awards program is open to care/service providers only (not vendors).

Scroll down in here to see what last year’s winners looked like.

Once again, the awards program will be part of the virtual McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit, to be held this year on Oct. 4. 

In addition to the announcement of the winners, the accompanying summit will offer educational webinars. Winners also will be recognized at an in-person celebration Oct. 17 in Denver. Stay tuned for additional information about all of these events.

For additional information on this year’s contest, or to enter, visit https://www.mcknightstechawards.com/.

Get yourself or some colleagues entered — it will be good for more than just a few laughs. And rightfully so.

Gold sponsors of the McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit include iN2L + LifeLoop, IntelyCare and Saiva.