Often it is the wish of caregivers and families that their loved ones participate in the simplest of everyday events. For some clients, fragility and memory-loss behaviors make even a short trip to the beauty salon impossible.
Caregivers at a local senior residence struggled with this quandry. A Life Celebrated volunteer Lisa Merrill was getting her haircut at Donoven's, a local beauty salon, when she mentioned her wish that senior residents with memory care issues could have a day of beauty. Stylist Kim Smith accepted the challenge! At first she thought to schedule a one-time styling session to get the residents ready for the holidays. The celebration spirit caught hold, however, and the stylists have been visiting the residence on a monthly basis.
"Stylists are often intimidated by the behaviors of those suffering from memory-loss," Merrill explained. "And tranporting the resident is quite an obstacle, so providing the service in a familiar environment makes the experience better for both the resident and the hair stylist."
Sometimes problems seem insurmountable, but in this case the generosity of local hair stylists made the solution simple: stylists from Donoven's will visit the residence monthly to give residents hair cuts, styling, manicures and hand massages.