Jessica Pickens
Staff Writer
Hugh Chatham Nursing Center residents are buzzing with excitement.
This Friday night the senior citizens will be donning evening clothes and going to a formal dance.
“We brought a formal dress to one resident’s room, and she said she loved it and wanted to keep it forever,” said director Lindsay Smith. “When we asked her why, she said, ‘It makes me feel beautiful again.’”
The formal dance is just one of the many activities the Hugh Chatham Nursing Center is hosting for National Nursing Home Week.
This is the second year the nursing home has celebrated its residents and caregivers.
“I grew up in nursing homes, because my father worked in one,” said Smith. “I wanted to bring life back into the facility. All of the residents here have lived life to the fullest and we want to celebrate that as well as our staff.”
The week was kicked off with a Starmount High School jazz band playing big band and jazz songs for the residents. The week continues with petting zoos, hayrides, musical groups, such as locals Beyond the Blue, and Friday’s formal.
“We have provided all the women with evening gowns,” Smith said. “Everyone is very excited about the formal dance on our final evening.”
Smith said several of the activities are a response to the residents’ bucket lists and requests.
“Everyone was so excited last year, and I loved hearing the stories the residents had to share,” said Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital CEO, David Loving. “This week has touched me so much as I see the enjoyment everyone gets from the activities.”
Reach Jessica Pickens at 835-1513 or jpickens@heartlandpublications.com
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