To some, doing hair and painting nails may seem to be a cliche way to make yourself feel better about your physical attractiveness. But to the members of the student club ‘Glamour Gals’, these actions have a much deeper, emotional meaning.
Hanna Perez ’28, president of the club, said the idea behind Glamour Gals is to end senior citizen isolation by going to senior homes and doing makeovers to promote positive mental health among the elderly.
“Not a lot of seniors actually get very many visits. It’s kind of difficult because a lot of them don’t really see young people all the time. So it’s really important to lift their spirits through the connections of painting nails and doing makeovers,” Perez said.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 14% of adults aged 70 and over live with a mental disorder, and two of the largest risk factors contributing to deplorable mental health of senior citizens are loneliness and isolation.
“Getting your nails painted is something that is long-term, it’ll last for a long period of time. They could see it all the time and remember that someone cared about them and, even in that small way, feel good about themselves,” Perez said.
The seniors at Gedco Senior Home, an assisted living community in Baltimore, are not the only ones who enjoy the makeovers. Vice President Grace McCarthy ‘28, said it’s good for college students to get experience of working with older people, and develop connections with someone older than them.
“It’s really nice to have a lively room with everyone talking, everyone meeting, and seeing how excited the volunteers were. I’ve been seeing volunteers around campus and they’ve been waving at me, and it’s been so nice to build a community based on what we were doing outside of here,” McCarthy said.
Zoey Bachtell ‘28, is a social media coordinator for the club and has assisted Hanna and Grace since the club first began last spring. Bachtell said one of her favorite memories and experiences with Glamour Gals was hearing the stories the seniors had to share. She said one time an elderly woman got out her iPad and took photos with the volunteers.
“She was just excited to take our pictures and to have fun. I feel like it makes them feel younger in a way,” Bachtell said.
Perez urges students to join the club, and share any ideas on how the leaders of Glamour Gals could further go about their mission of ending senior isolation. The next makeover for Glamour Gals is for middle schoolers and it will take place Friday, March 27th from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the library.
“If you have an elderly person in your life, go and visit them and give them a little extra love because let’s not forget about them,” Perez said.
