Students and teachers in Region 10’s CNA program gather to make holiday cards for residents of care facilities in the greater Brunswick area. Courtesy of John Stivers

Students from Region 10 Technical High School’s certified nursing assistant program have made over 600 holiday cards to deliver to residents of long-term care facilities in Brunswick and Freeport.

This week, 28 CNA students will present the cards to residents at Horizons Living and Rehabilitation Center, Midcoast Senior Health Center, Hawthorne House, Coastal Shores and Coastal Landing, Avita of Brunswick, and Independence Association Day Program. While there, the students will visit with residents and sing holiday songs. This year marks the 11th annual observance of this service.

Long-term care residents sometimes experience a variety of challenges during the holiday season, with loneliness and isolation among them, according to Region 10’s CNA instructor, Joanne McMahon.

“It means a lot to these residents that our students visit, and you can see it in how much their faces lighten up,” McMahon said in a prepared release. “In many cases, the cards and visits from these students are the only ones they’ll get during the holidays.”

The annual tradition also has educational value, as the students learn to understand specific needs of care facility patients.

“They need to learn how to address these needs and to feel comfortable getting to know and support residents,” McMahon said. “This is one way we can help our students gain the communication skills they’ll need to excel as health care professionals.”