Beckley nursing students create valentines for long-term care residents

For the second year in a row, Lauren Harrah, a junior at the WVU School of Nursing Beckley Campus, led the Student Nurses' Association in creating Valentine's Day cards for long-term care residents.

Harrah was joined Feb. 9 by Madison Perdue and Keylie Alexander, both juniors, to create the cards. In total, they created 40 hand-made cards, which Harrah delivered to a local long-term care facility.

"I thought of this idea because the elderly are an important part of community," Harrah said. "I know especially during COVID times, the elderly population were very isolated due to the precautions we had to implement to protect ourselves from the virus and to protect them."

Harrah said without visits from family members or friends, this population was especially impacted mentally and emotionally.

"So, I figured by giving them cards on Valentine’s Day, it shows them that someone is thinking of them and lets them know that we care for them," Harrah said. "Some elderly people may not have very many family members or any at all and may not be visited by anyone or receive anything from anyone. Hopefully, by doing this for them it will put a smile on their faces, brighten their spirits and make their day!"