At times, nursing homes can be sad, isolating, and lonely for seniors. Between the loss of independence and loss of capacity to care for yourself, depression can set in. Luckily, in northwest Arkansas there is a gem of a child named Ruby Chitsey. Ruby enjoys going to work with her mom at a local nursing home. This may not seem like anything special. But what she does is nothing short of life changing for the seniors who live there.
One day, 11 year old Ruby got curious. She decided to go up to individual residents at the nursing home, carrying her notepad. Then Ruby asked them what they would wish for if they had three wishes. She expected “money, houses, and Lamborghini’s”, according to this CBS News article and video. But in fact, she got much more basic answers.
Items such as electric razors, new shoes, and even Vienna sausages were at the top of the lists. Ruby claims she was surprised how popular Vienna sausages were among the residents. But overall, the simplicity of their wishes was humbling for everyone. Ruby originally started this project out of pure curiosity. But when she really sat and listened to the unique wishes these seniors had, she decided she needed to do something. That’s where Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents began.
So while her mom cares for residents, Ruby goes room to room jotting down their wishes. Then she sets out to fulfill them. Her fundraising page has raised thousands of dollars to grant these wishes. But Ruby states her expenses are minimal compared to the rewarding feelings she gets. “It really lifts you, it really does”, she says.
Whether she knows it or not, Ruby is satisfying more than just granting three wishes. She’s giving these seniors a very basic human need. To be remembered and to be cherished. And this is what she brings to the nursing home residents every single time she walks through the doors. After all, who needs Lamborghini’s when you have a girl like Ruby?
Photo credit: SouthernLiving.com