Shrewsbury Girl Scouts Help Seniors With Dementia

SHREWSBURY, MA — Girl Scout cadettes in Shrewsbury are innovating change with a new project.

Three members of Shrewsbury’s Girl Scout Troop 11087 are hoping to earn the prestigious Silver Award with their project this year. It will help people with memory issues at Benchmark Senior Living at 311 Main St. in Shrewsbury.

Three cadettes, Hansi Inavolu, Maansi Inavolu and Keiyona Panigrahi, are creating sensory pillows, which are soft cushions with different textures, fidgets and other items to touch and occupy.

The group explained that sensory pillows are especially helpful for people with dementia because they can help calm anxiety and keep hands busy.

“We learned that many residents can sometimes feel restless or lonely,” the cadettes said. “A sensory pillow gives them something comforting to hold, and the variety of textures can calm their minds.”

The process took a lot of planning, creativity and patience, as the group said it spent time collecting fabrics and gathering items to create the pillows.

“We’re dedicating many hours into this project, which teaches us about the importance of compassion, teamwork and hard work,” the girls said.

Now, the cadettes hope to earn a Girl Scout Silver Award, which is the highest award a cadette can earn.

A Silver Award project is meant to showcase a solution to a problem in their community. These projects can take up to three years, but the girls in Troop 11087 hope to complete this in a few months.

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