Arkansas Hospice offers way to send sentiments to seniors
Arkansas Hospice has launched a “Cards of Kindness” program as a way to promote “Arkansans helping Arkansans” during the coronavirus pandemic by sending positive messages to seniors in quarantine, media manager David Edwards said.
“The purpose of ‘Cards of Kindness’ is to let our fellow Arkansans who are maybe, in a sense, isolated right now,” Edwards said. “… We just want to let these people know they’re appreciated, they’re remembered, they’re being thought about, they’re being prayed for; it’s just Arkansans helping Arkansans.”
According to a news release, the program invites members of the community to send messages of “kindness and companionship” to isolated nursing home patients through cards, poems, paintings, drawings and art.
“Nothing takes the place of a person to person visit, but since that’s not possible everywhere right now we just wanted to come up with the next best thing,” Edwards said, “which is giving them an expression through words, art, poetry, any way that someone can creatively express to another person ‘You’re an Arkansan, we’re in this together and you’re going to make it and we’re rooting for you
here on the outside.’”
Edwards said residents in these facilities look forward to visitors because they don’t have the ability to get out.
“They have to wait for the outside world to come visit them, and when that is taken away from them it’s bound to leave a void, so we wanted to create a program to help meet that need,” he said.
The program will include
AH’s coverage area of 43 counties, which includes Garland. Edwards said it “took off like a rocket” on Monday with responses from the community.
“We want to see this continue just as long as social distancing practices are still in place,” he said.
Sentiments made by the community can be dropped off in a collection bin located in the lobby of the Hamp Williams Building, 510 Ouachita Ave., or can be mailed to “Cards of Kindness c/o Arkansas Hospice” at 508 Ouachita Ave., Hot Springs, AR 71901.
Before sending off cards or art, participants can also email pictures of it to arhospicefoundation@gmail.com for it to be displayed on the Arkansas Hospice website.