LAKELAND, Fla. — A Lakeland woman has turned her experience taking care of her elderly mother in her final years to a passion for shut-ins and residents of a retirement community.

Sheila Byrd is a hairstylist at her salon, Just Friends Hair Wackers, in Plant City. She has a lot of affection for her clients.

“I love people because I get to pick on every person that comes through that door is a different face that I can pick on,” she said with a smile.

Byrd spent several years caring for her elderly mother, Sunny Page, before she passed away. She made sure her mom’s needs were taken care of and spent lots of time with her at her mother’s home. That often included styling her mother’s hair.

That experience got her motivated to make sure other elderly people and shut-ins were not forgotten. She started visiting people from her church, Medulla Baptist Church, that were in those circumstances.

Mondays are Byrd’s day off, so she spends each Monday visiting people and bringing them small goodie bags. Her husband, Marvin, often makes the visits with her.

“Good morning. How you doing? Here’s a little package, OK,” said Byrd as she handed a bag to a resident at the Azalea Park independent retirement community on Harden Boulevard.

Bryd has made so many visits to Azalea Park that all the residents seem to know who she is. They look forward to her visits and goodie bags.

One of the people Byrd visits often is Lavoyne Bergner. On a recent weekend, Byrd picked up some over-the-counter medications for Bergner because she was suffering from a cold. Bergner is very appreciative.

“It’s unreal. It really is,” said Bergner. “I called her and said, ‘Can you please go to the drugstore and pick me up something?’ She’s just marvelous. She really is.”

Bryd says the personal touch from a visitor means so much.

“Yes it does,” she said. “Not being forgotten about. That’s their biggest fear. Being forgotten about.”