For many nursing home residents, a simple shopping trip is out of reach. A San Antonio woman is trying to change that in memory of her mother.
Robin Neugebauer recently launched “Melinda’s Day,” a free mobile pop-up boutique for residents in nursing homes and memory care facilities.
The project is named after her mother, Melinda, who died last July after battling early-onset Alzheimer’s. The first event was held at Arden Courts on Huebner Road, the same facility where Melinda spent the final year of her life.
Residents browsed tables of donated clothes, jewelry, purses, perfume and shoes, all free.
“Oh, I mean, it’s just more than I could have dreamed of,” Neugebauer told FOX SA. “To see the residents come in today and their smiles on their face, it just, I mean, I’m just overwhelmed.”
Neugebauer said the idea came from watching residents miss out on simple pleasures, including shopping.
“A lot of these residents, as you see, they live here full time, they don’t get to get out,” she said. “Something as simple as shopping is not something that they can enjoy on a day-to-day basis.”
She said her mother’s condition made outings hard during the last year of her life.
“She had early onset Alzheimer’s,” Neugebauer said. “She was in a wheelchair for the last year of her life, so it made it difficult for us to be able to take her out to events or, you know, to shop.”
Neugebauer said family, friends and community members donated every item at the event.
Residents and staff became emotional during the experience.
“Oh, this is wonderful,” one provider said. “It makes them feel like they are out in the shopping mall.”
Resident Bob Funk said he was stunned by the generosity.
“Oh, I can’t I don’t understand it,” Funk said. “I don’t understand things that are free.”
FOX SA and Manuel and Sons A/C and Heating gave Neugebauer a $1,000 Cash for Kindness award to help grow Melinda’s Day.
Neugebauer said the money and attention would help her take the project to more nursing homes across San Antonio.
“I want to keep this going and bring it to all the local nursing homes around the area,” she said.
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