May 27, 2022
Purposeful activity, a creative pursuit, brightening someone’s day…these are but a few aspects of the Blanket Buddies Project. First described in the December 20, 2018, blog entry entitled “Spreading Joy this Holiday Season,” this cozy outreach that started small has grown into a manifold blessing. Care partners, care receivers, and the community have all benefitted from involvement with the colorful, no-sew blankets with the clever designs, but perhaps none so much as our beloved Lucille.
Lucille, a vivacious, retired RN known for her beautiful dancing and her “light-up-the-room” smile, was quietly living with dementia. She was not receptive to having help in her home. Her kind and generous nature, however, caused her ears to perk up at the mention of a “volunteer position.” An “Ambassador for the Blanket Buddy Project,” one of our well-trained Engagement Specialists, explained to Lucille that she would learn how to make no-sew blankets, and that those blankets would be donated to local children’s hospitals. It touched Lucille’s heart to imagine providing a special, soft, hand-crafted blanket to a sick child in need of a pick-me-up. This project also tapped into Lucille’s long-term memory, for she had crafted elaborate quilts, known as “LuLu blankets,” for friends and family over the years. So, although her dementia demanded a simple approach to making the blankets, Lucille was still able to pursue her passion for blessing others in this manner. Encouraged and assisted by her Engagement Specialist, she proceeded to make not just one but twenty-seven unique and beautiful blankets! In the process, Lucille, known to friends and family as “Lulu,” received the gifts of “fun with purpose” (one of LIFE Home Health’s core values), activity, and many “moments of joy.” This amazing lady, who was now “Lulu” to us as well, began to blossom and inspire in another purposeful form of creative expression and benevolence, but this additional path in Lulu’s journey deserves a blog entry of its own (be on the lookout for it!).
Perhaps you or your loved one will get involved? Contact LIFE Home Health about the opportunity to create blankets or the opportunity to sponsor a blanket.
