‘Special moments in their life are worth pausing for’: Methodist staff finds ways to celebrate patients in the hospital

A little over a year ago, an older adult arrived at the Methodist Fremont Health Emergency Department in need of medical assistance. Staff recognized that it was also the patient’s birthday.

When she found out, Lauren Doeschot, the patient service manager for Food Services at Methodist Fremont Health, put together a piece of cake with strawberries and chocolate for the patient and their spouse.

“No one wants to be in the hospital, especially when you’re celebrating your 80th birthday,” Doeschot said. “And when I had heard that, I felt the need to go above and beyond.”

After that instance, Doeschot started keeping a back stock of red velvet cake available for other similar special occasions. 

“Our first value – in my heart – is being patient centered,” she said. “So we’re going above and beyond anytime that we have that window of opportunity.”

Across Methodist Health System, staff regularly find ways to help bring some normalcy to patients’ experiences by helping them celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations or other events that might be taking place while they’re at the hospital.

“There are special moments in life that happen, unfortunately, when people are at the hospital and they don’t want to be,” said Scott Jensen, the chaplain at Methodist Fremont Health. “You try to let them know that those special moments in their life are worth pausing for – even in the midst of care – to let them know that they’re loved and cared for.”

Treating patients holistically

Paxton Turner, RN, who works as a nurse on the Medical-Surgical Unit at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, believes that recognizing patients’ special occasions is just another way of showcasing The Meaning of Care.

“It comes down to treating a patient holistically,” Turner said. “You’re not just thinking about their physical illness, but you’re also thinking about their emotional well-being.” 

Sometimes a positive experience can lift a patient’s and their family members’ moods during a difficult situation.

“It makes an impact,” Turner said. “People feel recognized. They don’t feel like they’re just a patient – and that’s important.”

These moments can also be encouraging for nurses.

“Nursing is very difficult work, and no day is the same,” Turner said. “But being able to do these things and having that opportunity to holistically care for patients is such a rewarding part of this job.”

That’s also true for hospital staff who aren’t providing medical care.

“It’s very rewarding,” Doeschot said. “Not only for me, but also for our entire staff.”

Providing moments of joy

If birthday and anniversary celebrations aren’t enough, last summer, staff at Methodist Hospital rallied together to pull off a wedding celebration for a patient and their longtime significant other. 

Emily Lydiatt, RN, a nurse on the Acute Care for Elders/General Medicine Unit at Methodist Hospital, even baked a wedding cake and used decorations from her own wedding to help make the event special for the couple.

“I wanted to provide a moment of joy, normalcy and celebration for my patient and their loved ones,” Lydiatt said. “I wanted to shine the light on love and happiness above all else.”

More than 30 people gathered in a breezeway connecting the Methodist Hospital towers to witness the marriage.

“The compassion and empathy we show extends beyond medical care,” Lydiatt said. “Each day we make selfless choices to show our dedication to bettering others. Whether that’s holding a door or baking a wedding cake.”

While they aren’t frequent, weddings have also occurred at Jennie Edmundson and at Dunklau Gardens in Fremont.

Jensen isn’t surprised that staff are willing to take the time to create these moments for patients and their families.

“It just speaks to the culture of our incredible staff,” Jensen said. “Life events are important to them, too. Everyone wants to go the extra mile to let patients know that we care.”