New Sensory Room at UHS Senior Living at Ideal

A brand new sensory room at UHS Senior Living at Ideal is bringing a new level of care to the residents at the facility and it’s all thanks to the dedication of a local girl scout with a special UHS connection.

Vestal High School Senior Sneha Poranki spearheaded the project to earn her Gold Award with the Girl Scouts. She built the room in memory of her grandmother, Padhma Gopalan, who was a resident. The sensory room aims to provide a safe and calming space for everyone at the facility including those with dementia. The room offers many things to those who visit, including calming sounds and music, special lighting and it even has animatronic pets for the residents. The year-long effort included planning with Ideal staff members, raising funds for the space and installing all the items.

On Monday, Sneha was proud to officially hand over the space to staff and residents with a ribbon cutting ceremony. On hand for the celebration were NY State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, UHS Leadership, as well as Sneha’s family.

Sneha is the daughter of UHS Employees Sri and Lakshmi Poranki and has a strong record of supporting the Senior Living at Ideal community. To earn her Silver Award with the Girl Scouts, Sneha donated iPads during the pandemic to the facility and she also received the American Red Cross Youth Hero Award.

Congratulations to Sneha on this incredible new space and her dedication to serving our community!