NURSING HOME RESIDENTS MAKE PILLOWS FOR HOSPITALS

Making pillows is good therapy for residents of Heartland Care and Rehab Center. But since February, residents and volunteers at the skilled nursing home have made nearly 200 pillows with another goal giving them away to patients at Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center.

Today, more than 100 of the patchwork pillows will be donated to the two hospitals. The remaining pillows will be kept by the center to be distributed to residents on Mother's Day.

The residents work as a team, some cutting material, some stuffing and others stitching. Some residents who are unable to do either just come down to the activity center to watch.

Resident Mary Ward has helped with the pillow project almost every day. Judy Tezzaras sews pillows despite having the use of only one arm. Other helpers on a recent day were Cleta Wilferth, Virginia Sample, Harlan Weber, Molly Magee and Pam Johns.

Genny Ferguson, activities director at the center, says the project gets the residents out of the rooms but also has another effect. "This makes them feel they are still part of society," she said.

Heartland is a brain injury and rehabilitation center as well as a skilled nursing home. The center is located at 2525 Boutin Drive.