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Waco nurse cuts 36 senior living residents hair after months of isolation due to COVID-19

Posted at 7:27 AM, Jun 19, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-19 08:27:30-04

A Waco nurse switched her stethoscope for some scissors and cut 36 residents hair - free of charge.

Ashleigh Lugar is not a licensed cosmetologist, but she does love her patients at Heartis Senior Living Center.

"Being a nurse is more than just passing pills, in nursing school the hardest battle for us to incorporate a new way of thinking is treating the ENTIRE person. Not just physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually," Lugar said. "I don’t know how many times I was told to 'look at the big picture.'"

She said that in the last three months, her residents have not been able to see family. They have to eat in their apartments, and they can't have someone come in to do their hair.

"We are watching them decline mentally and physically," she said.

She said she had watched her mom do hair for the last 30 years, so it was time for her to step in. She said after she did 36 haircuts and styles, the residents were thankful to feel themselves again.

"It felt so good to see them come back to life. 8 hours straight, no break didn’t even go in my office once today because I wanted to get as many as I could," she said.