Meet the LTC Nurses Turning Residents into TikTok Stars
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Nurses at Gainesville Health Care Center use TikTok to combat isolation, turning creative engagement into a joyful, therapeutic outlet for residents.
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The program was led by nurses Ashley Thomas and Shanna Snelson, who envisioned social media as a bridge between the facility and the wider community.
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With over 17 million views and national recognition, the initiative proves that long-term care nurses can lead innovation, advocacy, and connection beyond traditional roles.
Image source: TikTok
Nurses at Gainesville Health Care Center (GHCC) in Missouri have transformed their nursing home into a TikTok sensation, leading their residents to viral stardom while championing positive images of long-term care. Through creativity, compassion, and a lot of fun, the GHCC nursing team has shown how social media can become a tool for joy and community engagement in eldercare environments.
Sparking Joy through Social Media
Ashley Thomas, Director of Nursing at GHCC, along with Registered Nurse Shanna Snelson, launched the facility’s TikTok page as a way to uplift spirits and foster stronger connections with the local community.
Thomas told the Ozark County Times, “We were just brainstorming one day about what we could do to bring up morale and get residents and the community more involved in the nursing home. Nursing homes are becoming active on TikTok, so we figured why not give it a try.”
@ghcc.nursing.home Meet some more of our wonderful staff #nursinghome #LTC #FYP #nursinghometok #viralvideo ♬ original sound - HaueterFamily
Going Viral, One Video at a Time
The team’s very first video, featuring residents taking part in a playful newspaper game, quickly went viral. Within days, it went viral with 7 million views and has more than 15 million today. “We never expected it to blow up like it has,” said Thomas.
Racing With the Times
Nurses and residents now regularly check the view counts together, delighting in worldwide recognition. Thomas shared, “They stop us when they see us to ask how many people have seen them on the internet now! It’s really brought a lot of smiles and made them feel seen.”
Nurses Inspire and Advocate
GHCC nurses continue to feature in and coordinate videos, ensuring both safety and fun.
One recruiting post shows Thomas holding a sign reading, “We are looking for...” with resident Marjorie Fields grinning beside a second sign originally reading, “Hot Cowboys” before flipping to the intended “Nurses and CNAs” message.
We’re looking for CNA’s and Nurses!!
Other trending clips display residents and nurses dancing to viral audio, recreating TikTok trends, or sharing advice for the local schoolkids. In one clip, residents do the “Pretty Girl Walk” trend.
@ghcc.nursing.home The sass in these ones are strong🥹🤍 #LTC #nursinghome #FYP #nursinghometok #prettygirl ♬ Pretty Girls Walk - Big Boss Vette
And in another, the nurses feature nostalgic “Forever Young” photos of residents.
Forever young🤍
“We wanted the world to know nursing homes aren’t some miserable, unhappy prison,” Thomas said. “We wanted them to see that these people are loved and happy and that we have fun.”
Nurse-Resident Connections in Focus
Thanks to the nurses’ tireless creativity, the residents’ personalities shine brightly. The GHCC TikTok features not only silly moments and heartfelt messages, but artwork, staff introductions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of daily life.
“I think it’s really made the residents feel good to know so many people are seeing them and hearing the funny comments. In a sense, it kind of gives them affirmation that they haven’t been forgotten,” Thomas reflected. “They love the attention, and we’re happy to help them get it”.
Resident Marjorie told KY3: “They’re fun. They keep us busy. Otherwise, we’d just be sitting around doing nothing.”
All residents participating in the videos have given their consent, and they’ve drawn national attention from senior living magazine, McKnight’s. GHCC is in discussions with sister facilities to help replicate the model elsewhere, showing that the nursing staff are not only caregivers but innovators in elder engagement.
Lessons for Nurses Everywhere
This story shows that nurses can expand their roles into new domains, blending clinical care with creativity and advocacy. Some important takeaways:
- Leverage relationships: Nurses already have deep trust with residents. That trust allows for new interventions, even in social media.
- Balance safety with aspirations: Every idea should be vetted for physical, cognitive, and emotional appropriateness.
- Center dignity and choice: Consent and resident agency are essential. Residents must feel in control, not pressured.
- Measure impact beyond metrics: Likes and views are secondary to emotional well-being, reduced isolation, and meaningful daily engagement.
- Foster a team culture: Initiatives like this require buy-in from the full caregiving team: nurses, aides, activity coordinators, administrators.
- Start small and scale thoughtfully: GHCC began with modest ideas like foam-mallet games. Over time, they refined tactics and built momentum.
At GHCC, nurses are more than caregivers: they are storytellers, advocates, and creative partners in residents’ lives. By helping seniors become TikTok stars, they are combating isolation, restoring purpose, and inviting the world to see their humanity. For nurses anywhere seeking new paths to impact, GHCC's example shows how care and creativity can intersect in surprising, transformative ways.
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