Lenior City mayor surprises elderly in assisted living

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- River Oaks Place in Lenoir City has been implementing a “no visitors” policy to protect the people who live there.

Lenoir City mayor Tony Atkins and his team paid them a visit to tell them they’re not alone.

He and people from his office held signs with messages like “Lenior City loves our seniors” and “You are loved”

“We just want them to know we care about them,” said Atkins.

The seniors stood on the balcony while Atkins told them they would be getting a free lunch, thanks to food donated by restaurants in town. The exchange had to be done safely from at least 6 feet away. Just to see a new face, made them smile.

“We haven’t forgotten you,” said Atkins.

It was a big hit, Britney Rice serves as the director at the facility and she said it helped lift everyone’s spirits.

“Now their families can’t come in, so we’re just trying to keep the morale up. We've done messages to families through our Facebook page, so they can see that and just kind of keeping them happy,” said Rice.

Those smiles and laughter from a short visit will continue to make this hard time easier.