March 26, 2026

Excitement Around PockeTalk Translation Devices 

On March 26, 2026 by Shelli Bakken

A recent visit to member site Our Lady of Peace Hospice (OLP) occurred on the day the team had gone through training on their recently deployed PockeTalk translation devices. These translation devices can deliver amazing results to teams in member settings.

These handheld Pocketalk translation devices can strengthen onboarding, training, daily communication, and sense of belonging for New American staff. By bridging language gaps, it boosts confidence for employees and enhances the overall care experience. These handheld, HIPAA-approved devices provide instant two-way translation in over 90 languages—helping your staff feel confident, connected, and set up for success from day one.

To say they were excited may be an understatement.

Supporting Employees

The intended outcomes have the clinical and operations teams so pleased to have been one of the provider sites who received these devices through the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation.

• Improve onboarding for staff who are still building English proficiency 
• Eliminate miscommunication in daily care tasks 
• Boost confidence and retention for New American employees 
• Improve safety with automatic translation of safety information.

Clinical leadership at Our Lady of Peace, Denise Borglund and Lindsey Pelletier, also believe there will be times when a resident could revert to a language they learned when younger and this could help staff understand resident requests.

Of the 90+ languages the PockeTalk devices can translate, one is a little-known language of Malayalam. This is a language spoken by the sisters who reside in the onsite convent space at OLP. The sisters also work as aides with those who reside at the hospice. This great resource will likely have a far reach in bringing meaningful and immediate language support to workforces and residents.

If you have stories on how this resource has impacted your community, we’d love to hear them.

Denise Borglund, RN I Director of Clinical Services - Residential Hospice
Shelli Bakken | Director of Housing Policy and Expert Support
Lindsey Pelletier RN, CHPN I Director of Community Hospice and Home Health Care