Some residents at Finlandia had their wishes come true Friday, thanks to a two-year effort from members of the long-term care facility's Hoivakoti Family Council.
Lima Grasis said her mother passed away five years ago, but she's still committed to helping residents as a member of the council. Grasis said a member heard about a similar make-a-wish initiative in southern Ontario and suggested they bring it here.
"And she brought it up to us and we worked very hard over two years with the help of Finlandia and, with the help of the whole family council, we got it off the ground and running," Grasis said.
Nancy Johnson, another member of the council, said staff at the home played a big role in making it happen, and Finlandia provided the funding.
So what did the five residents want as their wishes? Not surprisingly, Johnson said the requests were modest.
"It was heartwarming to see, when we actually went through the wishes, that at this point in their lives, it's very simple things people were asking for,” she said. “And they're not that difficult to fulfill — a sweater, some lipstick, a night out to the movies.
“They were all just lovely little things that we were able to help these people with."
They received 13 wish requests in total, and some of them were things people were already able to get as part of their daily care, Johnson said.
"And some are pending," she said. "It was mostly things that we could accomplish easily and make them happy."
"Most of the wishes are easily grantable,” Grasis added. “I mean, we can't send you to Italy."
They're aiming to make this a regular feature at the home, with an eye on granting a new set of wishes in the spring, summer, fall and winter. And while the items may be small, Johnson said they were big to the residents.
"It's the simple things in life people want to do — dinner and a movie," she said. "Well, you could tell by a couple of the reactions that it really meant a lot. So that was really gratifying, as well."
"One of the requests was for lipstick — how simple is that?” Grasis said with a laugh. “This lady apparently has a lot, but for a woman, you can never have enough."
