Nursing home residents reach out to depressed troops

Nursing home residents reach out to depressed troops
BY JONA ISON • CENTRALOHIO.COM • NOVEMBER 24, 2010
FRANKFORT -- As the holiday season nears, the residents of a Frankfort nursing home are reaching out in hopes of making a difference.

The Vineyards at Concord residents have prepared more than 300 Christmas cards stuffed with a hand-colored picture and poems to lift the spirits of deployed soldiers.

While many send cards or other items to the troops, the Vineyard project was spurred by a news story about the increasing rate of suicide among military personnel -- it's almost doubled in the past five years and now exceeds the national average. Facility manager Robbie Ann Smith and activities director Debbie Williams said one part of the story stuck out -- that some of the men and women, like others with depression and thoughts of suicide, feel like nobody cares.

"They felt nobody cared about what they were doing, so Debbie and the residents were really upset about that and wanted to show they care," Smith said.

Williams is hopeful others will reach out with cards.
read more here
Nursing home residents reach out to depressed troops