"It makes your whole life feel different," says Inez Martel, settling into the salon chair at Helen Porter Rehabilitation & Nursing. "That little bit of extra care makes you feel special."

For Martel and other residents, that care arrives every other Wednesday in the form of Jessica Rheaume, a hairdresser who has transformed a once-bare room into a warm, welcoming salon with paintings, seasonal decorations and an atmosphere that invites conversation.

When Rheaume first walked in several years ago, there was just one poster on the wall. "It was a little depressing," she recalls. Drawing from items in her own basement, she created what residents describe as something between a professional salon and a cozy living room.

For many residents, particularly those in post-acute care recovering from hospital stays or illness, a visit to the Rheaume’s salon is their first opportunity in weeks to reclaim a piece of their identity.

"A lot of our post-acute residents come from the hospital or a home where they haven't been able to get their hair done," explains Pat Watkins, administrative assistant to the nursing home administrator. “They can just get wheeled up, have their hair done and it makes them feel better."

Watkins manages appointments from 9 am to 2 pm, brings residents down and communicates their preferences. "I'm the runner," she says with a laugh.

As she works, Rheaume maneuvers around wheelchairs and accommodates clients with limited mobility, all while listening closely to their stories. "It's like a real salon — gossip and all sorts of stuff," Rheaume says. "I really enjoy the people here and the residents.”

Rheaume also works full-time in medical records at Addison County Home Health and Hospice, where she's been for nearly 18 years. She completed cosmetology school 25 years ago, worked in traditional salons, then stepped away to raise her children before returning to hair styling.

The arrangement is made easier by a family connection: Rheaume's daughter, Josie, works as an LNA at Helen Porter and first suggested her mother for the role. On many Wednesdays, Josie stops by on her day off, bringing lunch and chatting with residents.

"I just like hanging out with her," Josie explains. "It's fun to see what she can do and see the residents, too."

For residents like Martel, the salon is both practical and meaningful. Without it, getting to an outside salon would be "extremely difficult." More important is the emotional lift.

When I'm having a bad day and I go in there, I come out different. She just takes all the difficulties away. - Inez Martel

That’s particularly striking given that Rheaume is also raising two young daughters she adopted. "Even if she's going through a bad time, you would never know it," Martel says. "Never."

In Rheaume’s hands, the salon has become a small sanctuary — a place where residents come for haircuts and leave with something more. "It makes them feel good,” Rheaume says. “And it makes me feel good, too."