Here at the Homeplace of Henderson, we always try to keep our residents’ lives the same as what they were, or as much as possible, before they came to us. That effort takes on many different forms. We’ve recently written about having staff and protocol in place so that residents can continue to walk as much as possible because that mobility allows them to continue to do many of their favorite activities. And some of those activities include cooking, fishing, walking, or simply chatting with friends.
Chatting with friends is an important one, and something we take seriously. Residents need that interaction. For many women, chatting with friends throughout their lives often took place at a beauty salon and was one of the highlights of her week. We want that to continue at Homeplace. We plan to build partnerships with hair stylists who will provide their services two or three times each week in a licensed beauty salon on-site. Cut, wash, perm, color—whatever a resident wants, she’ll be able to get it at our beauty salon.
We also will build a partnership with a nail technician, who will be scheduled to come to Homeplace once a week. But if there is more demand, we can schedule her for more visits each week. And we haven’t forgotten the men. A barber will also come to fix them up, too.
The overall impact is easy to see. When you feel good about yourself, it makes a difference. We see it in our residents’ eyes and smiles when they come back from getting their hair done.
Some family members might be wondering if it is a requirement for an elder loved one to stay on-site to get her hair done. Certainly not. If she still wants to go to the beauty salon she’s always gone to and her transportation can be provided, then we certainly want her to get out and have that day on the town. But if she can’t get out, we have our on-site option so that we can try to recreate the look of those beauty parlors—and hopefully the way she feels after she’s got her hair done.
Residents can pay the cost of the services directly to the hair stylist, nail technician, or barber. We are currently developing payment options if a family doesn’t feel comfortable about their elder loved one handling money anymore.
This is yet another amenity we offer that ties in with our person-centered approach to taking care of our residents. Although it may feel like a small thing, it truly does bring joy to our residents. It’s one more service we offer that helps our residents maintain a healthy, happy outlook on life.
To contact the Homeplace of Henderson, email Jessica Beaven at jessica.beaven@homeplaceofhenderson.com or call at (270) 577-0534.