
By Lourdes Nursing Students
Photos by Deanna Dunaway, Development Assistant
Photos by Deanna Dunaway, Development Assistant

Over the past few months, we have been blessed to have nursing students from Lourdes University here at our Home, completing some of their clinical course work. The students have been learning about caring for the aged, while sharing their gifts and talents with our Residents.
Recently these nursing students had a very special treat for our Residents. They transformed our auditorium into a beautiful Day Spa, and treated our Residents to a wonderful afternoon of relaxation. The students shared with us some of their thoughts on this experience and in caring for our Residents.
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I had the opportunity to go to Little Sisters of the Poor for Clinicals. I enjoyed going there, the staff was wonderful and the Residents were amazing. I have learned a lot from the Residents and I hope to work with them again in the near future.
My time at Little Sisters was very enjoyable. My favorite part was sitting and enjoying the company of someone with more life experiences, a person with stories of the war, growing a family and life experiences. I am very appreciative of the people at the facility for letting us in, and teaching us the importance of communication.
All the Residents had smiles on their faces. Nobody complained. The Residents enjoyed themselves and were truly appreciative.
Being able to participate with Spa Day at Little Sisters of the Poor was magnificent! The Residents loved every bit of it! They smiled and thanked all of us repeatedly and expressed how grateful they were that we hosted it for them. The manicure station was a hit. They all loved how pretty we painted their nails and how awesome the hand massages felt. Spa Day also provided an opportunity for us to communicate and get to know a little more about the Residents who love to tell stories. I loved every bit of today because I was able to make everyone I served smile.
The spa day was a big hit with the Residents, many had said they haven’t been pampered like this in years. It was nice to see the Residents smiling and enjoying all the extra attention. I think special days like this are important to the Residents because it gives them a chance to receive services they otherwise would not be able to get.
My spa day experience made my heart feel very warm. I was there to do massages, there were three women who told me they had never had a massage and they were excited that we were there to pamper them. I spent the most time with Terry. I didn’t use a whole lot of pressure while I massaged her simply because if she tried to voice that it was too much I would not have been able to understand her. There was such a difference of the tension in her back from when I started and when I finished. I can’t say for certain but I think she appreciated my attention yesterday. Thank you so much for letting us be there to do the spa day.