You could call Kara Ball the fairy godmother of Cambridge Place Skilled Nursing Facility in Lexington, KY.
Ball, the marketing and admissions director, is the driving force behind the new “Making Memories” program, which grants residents wishes. No wish is too big.
“We go to the residents and we say ‘OK, what if you could do anything in the world, what would it be?’” Ball says.
In July 2015, the first granted wish allowed a motorcycle fan to go out for a day of riding, complete with wearing Harley-Davidson gear.
In September, the facility hosted a formal wedding for two residents in honor of their 50th anniversary, with a white dress for the bride, autumn-hued floral arrangements and a wedding party made up of Cambridge’s staff.
The program also arranged for one resident to meet her grandsons, who lived more than 900 miles away, for the first time.
“I told them when I started this program I don’t care what it takes, if somebody wants something, I’m going to make it happen,” Ball said.
The resident who received Making Memories’ first wish has since died, but Ball says the knowledge that she helped fulfill one of the woman’s last wishes reminds her what the program is all about.
“Honestly, it’s a God thing,” Ball said. “Everything we’ve done so far has worked out.”
From the January 01, 2016 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
