West Lake employees pamper female residents for Mother's Day
Tuesday May 13, 2008 -- Natalie Miller
Restorative care aides at West Lake Terrace took the time to provide extra TLC for the home's female residents recently.

From applying makeup to primping their hair and helping residents select their finest clothes, staff at the West Lake long-term care home had 20 women looking their best. The pampering was in part a Mother's Day treat for the home's female residents, but also involved a photo shoot to provide family members with up-to-date photos of their loved ones.

Life enrichment co-ordinator Julie Clarkson says families look forward to receiving the photos, noting the activity was a hit when West Lake conducted the photo shoot two years ago. With families on the Internet, Clarkson has already e-mailed some families photographs and the others will receive prints soon.

To honour the women at West Lake, the long-term care home held a Mother's Day tea on Saturday. Entertainment was scheduled and families were welcome to visit with their loved ones.

On Sunday, residents who are able, typically go out with their families for the day, Clarkson says.

Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. According to Wikipedia, the tradition began as a result of a campaign by an American woman named Anna Marie Jarvis. After her mother died on May 9, 1905, Jarvis “devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an international, holiday.”

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