For grandma who couldn’t attend wedding, senior dining team turns bittersweet day into sweet memory

Tara Fitzpatrick

For many people, getting married without their grandma/granny/nana/meemaw in attendance would be unthinkable. For those who wed in 2020 and 2021, this is reality. Celebrations are limited for even close family, and since the elderly are the most vulnerable to coronavirus, attending even a small wedding is out of the question.

This was the case for one grandma in Kansas City, Mo., who was unable to attend her grandson’s wedding, so a nurse reached out Research Medical Center’s Morrison Healthcare dietitian and manager Courtney Bothwell, MS, RD, LD.

“We partnered with nursing to provide a small wedding reception to celebrate the big day,” Bothwell says. “Our foodservice team provided cake and table settings for the patient to share with the bride and groom when they arrived. It was a great team effort to really make the grandma feel as much a part of the celebration as possible.”

Photo: The nursing staff decorated grandma’s room and the dining team did the place settings for this mini reception at Research Medical Center, where the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) program offers specialized inpatient care to older adults.

The bride and groom arrived for a socially distanced and safe visit that reportedly brought tears to everyone present, Bothwell says.

While this obviously isn’t an everyday thing, the foodservice team is trying to engage throughout the year with holiday baked goods, special meals and birthday cakes, too.

Through the ongoing pandemic, “we have had to deal with some challenges with staffing; however, our leadership team feels extremely fortunate to have great employees,” Bothwell says. “We have adjusted how we serve and make connections.”

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