Castleford Lodge Nursing Home makes resident’s dream come true

There are many things our Wakefield nursing team pride themselves on; outstanding care, genuine compassion and going the extra mile – but recently, the team went even further for resident, Piet, as they helped him attend his son’s wedding. We spoke to Piet’s family and the team to find out how the day went, and why it meant so much to his son and now daughter-in-law.

Piet, 75, lives with a number of health conditions which normally prevent him from getting out of bed for long periods of time, but after receiving his invite to his son’s wedding, he was determined to take part in the big day. Sarah Golden-Hill, Home Manager at Castleford Lodge Nursing Home, told us how she knew he couldn’t possibly miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see his son get married. “As soon as he opened the invite, his eyes widened and you could immediately sense a change in him. He was determined to not just attend his son’s wedding, but be able to stand at it, too – something which he hasn’t been able to do for a long time.”

From the moment he decided he was going, the Castleford Lodge team began working behind the scenes to make it happen. Making sure Piet could attend the wedding took months of careful preparation and collaboration; nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and local healthcare professionals all worked together to support him.

To help build Piet’s sitting tolerance, Sarah ordered a specialist recliner chair – and Nurses Kasia and Jennifer worked closely with Piet and local health professionals to finetune his care and pain management plan.

Clinical Deputy Manager, Ellie Scott, helped organise transport, medication schedules and even helped Piet find his favourite suit. On the morning of the wedding, care assistants Jordan and Shannon helped Piet get ready, while Ellie and Activities Co-ordinator, Becky, accompanied him by ambulance to York where the wedding was being held. Once there, an occupational therapist ensured Piet was positioned comfortably in his specialist chair so he could enjoy the entire ceremony - and what a ceremony it was!

After months of hard work and determination, Piet proudly watched his son exchange vows to his new bride. When it was time to take the official wedding photographs, Piet did something truly remarkable: he stood unaided. This is something his family haven’t seen him do for a long time – so as you can imagine, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…

Piet’s wife expressed her gratitude on the team’s efforts to make this special occasion happen. “You don’t know how much it means to us. We didn’t realise until we saw him there just how devastated we would have been if he’d missed it.”

Ellie, who was at the wedding with Piet, reflected on the experience, saying “This is the stuff that makes a real difference. To see Piet there, after everything he’s been through, made every bit of effort worthwhile. It reminded us all why we do what we do.”

From the moment he received his invitation to watching his son say “I do”, every single colleague at Castleford Lodge Nursing Home worked tirelessly to make Piet’s dreams come true. It’s a shining example of how person-centred care enables residents to continue taking part in special moments such as this, and we’re so pleased Piet was able to see his son get married.

A huge thank you to Sarah and the team for showing time and time again their passion for care, and a special thanks to Piet and his family for allowing us to share their story!

Based in West Yorkshire, Castleford Lodge Nursing Home offers residential care, dementia nursing care, short-term respite care and nursing care. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with Sarah and the team – hit the button below.