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Room with a View
Residents at Augusta’s Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home have a room with a view, thanks to more than 20 MCG students and local Senior Girl Scout Priya Gulati.
“When I volunteered at the nursing home, one of the first things I noticed was the view from the dining room – a stark white cinderblock wall,” said Priya, 17, a senior at Lakeside High School. “I wanted to do something nice for the residents, so I decided to improve the scenery for them.”
MCG students volunteered Nov. 5 to help Priya create a mural on the back wall of the Medical Center Inn, located just a few feet from the nursing home’s dining hall windows.
“This project appealed to us because it was so well-planned, with wonderful intentions and implications for the local community,” said Emily Ullo, a second-year medical illustration student. “As student artists, it’s great to be able to take a break from our rigorous schedules to create something that will brighten daily life for the nursing home residents.”
Dr. Dean Harrell, an MCG professor and family physician with a special interest in geriatrics, served as Priya’s advisor for the mural’s content: a rendering of the United States that includes many blue and green hues, colors thought to produce a calming effect for elderly patients with dementia.
Priya’s project has been approved for the Girl Scouts’ highest honor, the Girl Scout Gold Award.