Brushy Creek Post Acute of Greer held a unique beauty pageant last Thursday, featuring women aged 65 and up from across the region.

All of the contestants in the pageant are current residents at one of 15 PACS Post Acute rehabilitation centers in the Upstate. These centers aim to provide rehabilitative care to people recovering from an injury, illness, surgery or other health emergency.

“It was a really fun opportunity for all of these women to feel beautiful and enjoy themselves in a way they don’t typically get to do in rehabilitation centers because they’re working through therapy,” said Anthony Klopfer, operations assistant with Fleetwood Post Acute in Easley. 

According to Klopfer, the pageant started as an idea brought up by an activities director at one of the post acute facilities. It quickly gained traction across other facilities and eventually turned into the regional pageant held at Brushy Creek.

The pageant featured an evening wear portion, a talent show and a question-and-answer segment. There was also a swimsuit portion with a little twist — contestants designed their swimsuits on a poster board and wore them for the judges.

PACS

Contestants showed off their “swimsuits” to judges.

Here’s a look at the top three contestants for the Brushy Creek Post Acute regional pageant:

  • Winner: Barbara Cook (Patewood Post Acute)

  • First Runner Up: Kimberly Matthews (Fleetwood Post Acute)

  • 2nd Runner Up: Annette Hendrix (Manna Post Acute)

Klopfer notes how recovering after a health issue or injury can be extremely taxing on the patient, both physically and emotionally. These pageants serve as a way for these women to boost their confidence in their rehabilitation journey. 

“Beauty comes in different forms, and there's so many ways that these women are beautiful,” Klopfer said. “The story, the charisma, the way they presented themselves, and even the advice that they gave in the questionnaire session was just phenomenal. It was really a great event for them.”

For more information on Brushy Creek Post Acute, visit their website.

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