Blue Ridge Assited Living & Memory Care residents got a surprise when Jeff and Ryan Pierce showed up waving and carrying painted signs a couple of weeks ago.
The two traveled from Denver, Colorado just to cheer up their mom, Carolyn Pierce, from afar because she and the other residents of the facility are unable to receive visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They walked outside our dining room windows during lunch waving and encouraging everyone,” Senior Lifestyle Counselor Cindy Querry said. “Our residents were delighted.”
Receiving visitors is not the only thing that has been affected by the virus. Residents are also unable to enjoy many of their weekly activities.
“As you might imagine many of our residents enjoy their hair services, many of them on a weekly basis,” Querry said. “Last week Lyndsay Davenport our Activities Director and myself washed and styled hair for many of our residents.”
According to Querry, local business owners Melissa White from Dazzle and Sheila Welch from Miracles donated many of the items and tools the facility needed to complete the residents’ hair styles.
Querry said,“We played fun music and washed and styled hair, we told them ‘results were not guaranteed but the services were free.’”
The facility has also received “much needed” fabric masks donated by The Blue Ridge Community Theatre and their own Maintenance Director’s wife, Tara Dearman.
“We are very grateful for the love and concern all of these people have showed our residents and staff,” Querry said.