Abilene nursing homes benefit from senior donation drive

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Although it’s July and the sun is out, Christmas is coming early for local senior citizens in the area as part of KTAB’s senior donation drive, with proceeds benefiting multiple local nursing homes.

This includes the Coronado Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which Human Resources Coordinator Gracie McClellan said is a home away from home for many.

“They form friendships, especially with the employees who have been here for a while. I mean, we have employees that have been here for ten, 15 years, and they know them by name,” McClellan said.

Miles Anguiano is a resident now, but 40 years ago, he said he was working in a similar facility.

“It was a good experience because I treated them like I would be treated. I didn’t know this was going to happen, but it did,” Anguiano shared.

At the request of any resident, a closet is ready to supply hygiene, clothing, and other essential items, which comes as a major benefit to residents.

“There are a lot of individuals here that don’t have family to provide this stuff for them, and they ain’t got the money to do it. So it’s actually needed,” Anguiano said. “All I have to do is ask, and it’s there. It takes the weight of the world off your shoulders.”

McClellan added that those essentials go beyond just providing their basic needs; they give them a sense of themselves back.

“It’s for their health as well. If you have dirty underwear or briefs or you don’t have enough, there’s always that risk of something happening with their health, but it’s also about their dignity and then being able to still be the person that they’ve always been,” McClellan said.

Click here to learn more about the Senior Citizen Drive.