Painting Memories

During a recent facility strategy meeting, Eileen, the Administrator at St. Joseph Assisted Living in Louisiana, shared a simple yet powerful idea with our Monroe hospice team. She proposed painting ceiling tiles above the beds of bed-bound patients with scenes of their favorite places. The goal was to offer residents a chance to “escape” for a moment and revisit the places that once brought them peace, joy and cherished memories. As she spoke about the comfort and happiness that painted ceiling tiles had brought to others, her words touched every heart in the room.

During that meeting, Eileen shared that the week marked the fifth anniversary of her son Tyler’s passing at the age of 25. Inspired by her story — and in honor of her beloved son — the Monroe team decided to create their very first ceiling tile for Eileen: a tribute to Tyler.

New team member Shay, RN, quietly worked behind the scenes to gather photos of Eileen and Tyler’s favorite place — a serene lakeside spot filled with laughter and adventure. Elara chaplain, Jayme, took on the task of recreating the scene that once brought so much joy to Eileen and her family. Jayme had multiple photos to choose from, but one stood out — the image that best captured the heart of their memories together.

When the tile was presented to Eileen, she was speechless. She marveled at the accuracy of the portrait — it was the exact location where her family used to park, launch their boat and set out for the day. Through tears and smiles, she pointed beyond the painted trees and said softly, “That’s where my in-laws lived.”

This beautiful act of remembrance by the Monroe hospice team has since inspired a new initiative. The team plans to partner with local artists, college students and high school art programs to bring this vision to life for other facility patients, transforming ceilings into windows of hope, memory and peace.