DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - As a 93-year-old hospice patient, Georgia Leefers hadn’t had many opportunities recently to leave her room at Fair Havens Christian Home.
That changed Monday, when she received a makeover with special surprises, lunch at a nice restaurant and, best of all, time with her friends.
“I love my friends,” she said.
One of the people Leefers enjoys spending time with is Shontrale Williams, a Safe Haven Hospice aide who looks after her. Williams’ busy schedule limits her time with her patients, which can be difficult for Leefers. “She doesn’t let me leave,” Williams said with a fond smile.
One day, Williams suggested a day out for lunch, but Leefers didn’t feel she looked appropriate.
That sparked an idea.
Williams and hospice registered nurse Amy Masterson contacted Ulta Beauty in the Hickory Point Mall. They were hoping the cosmetic store would be able to style their patient’s hair and add a little makeup.
The Forsyth store jumped at the chance to help.
“Anytime we have an opportunity to reach out to our community, we love that,” said Claire Lantz, Ulta Beauty general manager. “And we haven’t been able to do something like that.”
A day out was new to the hospice staff as well. They weren’t sure what to ask for or what to expect.
The Ulta staff curled Leefers’ hair and applied makeup to her face, all for free. “Whatever she wanted to do,” Lantz said.
Lantz and her staff added details to make the day extra special. They found out Leefers’ favorite flowers, roses, and made sure a vibrant yellow-and-purple arrangement that included them was waiting for her when she arrived. Paula Knacknuhs, retail operations manager for Ulta Beauty, offered a silvery flowered necklace from the collection of jewelry she makes.
“She reminds me of my grandmother,” Knacknuhs said. “And I know my grandmother would have loved that necklace.”
Leefers was appreciative of all the attention she received and thanked all involved.
“The flowers were so pretty, and the necklace is gorgeous,” she said.
Special days like the one for Leefers stand out for the staff at Safe Haven Hospice, too.
“It is hard sometimes because you get bogged down with all the paperwork and regulatory issues and all of the that,” said Ernie Harvey, Safe Haven director. “This can make our day.”
The organization provides hospice care to people who have received a referral from their primary doctor and the hospice medical director. Staff members focus their efforts on increasing the patient’s quality of life versus the quantity of life, Harvey said, taking to heart the saying, “because every moment matters.”
“That is what we live and breathe by,” Harvey said.
Leefers has been a hospice patient for nearly six months. The staff at Fair Havens Christian Home, where she lives, cooperated the hospice agency in creating Leefers’ day.
Any time the patient leaves the facility, medical care joins the group.
“A nurse accompanies them in case something were to happen. And she is my patient,” Masterson said. “They are mine and I adopt them. I don’t really have patients. I have extended family.”
“She is like my grandma,” Williams said. “She makes me feel so good, I had to do something for her to make a difference.”
After she was finished with her makeover, Leefers and her crew ended their time out with a lunch at Olive Garden where the day of luxury continued as the restaurant paid for her meal.
She appreciated the new look after the Ulta staff had finished her hair and makeup.
“Not bad for a 93-year-old lady,” she said.
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Source: (Decatur) Herald and Review
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Information from: Herald & Review, http://www.herald-review.com
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