Meet The Care Home Residents Sharing Their Advice For World Friendship Day 2022

Now more than ever, friendships must be treasured. To mark this year’s International Day of Friendship (30th July), care home residents across the country have been sharing their wisdom and advice for the younger generation. These care home residents have talked about the best parts of friendship in their younger years and the years stretching beyond this.

Friendships teach us lots of things about ourselves while also bringing so much happiness into our lives. From forming new friendships to growing apart from others, friendships can change a great deal during your twenties and thirties.

Fortunately, 10 residents have shared their advice for International Friendship Day on what keeps a friendship going - alongside some wonderful stories about how they’ve made brand-new pals within their care homes!

Our Care Home Residents Share their Advice For Friendship in Your Younger Years:

• Don’t talk about one another behind each other’s backs (Lucy Pope, 90)

• Never tell secrets or pass on any gossip. Keep friends who make you laugh (Joyce Trice, 91)

• No matter how many friends you have, always retain your own personality (Barbara Court, 87)

• Be patient with one another (Jacqueline McDougall, 80)

• Gossip about your partner! (Pauline Bird, 90)

• Make sure you’re always loyal (Carol Hodgetts, 64)

• Always support your friends through everything (Ann Barlow, 65 and Valerie Evans, 85)

• You need to trust and care for your friends - it doesn’t matter who they are or where they’re from (Olive, 85 and Betty, 96)

Country Court - Lyncroft Care Home in Wisbech

In support of National Friendship Day on Saturday the 30th of July, we sat down with the lovely residents Maureen and Pauline to find out how they struck up a friendship when they moved into our Lyncroft Care Home in Wisbech.

Maureen explained, “I met Pauline at the lunch table, she wanted my cauliflower, and I didn’t want her to have it!”

Pauline went on to explain: “I moved into Lyncroft a few months after Maureen. She was very welcoming (besides the cauliflower incident).”

Pauline also said: “had a difficult time adjusting at the start as moving into a care home was a big change, but it was the right decision due to my decrease in mobility and I wanted to be with my husband, James. As you can imagine, there was a lot of emotion, especially when James passed away, but having the support of Maureen has really helped me.”

Our Customer Relations Manager at Lyncroft, Mel Cushen said “Maureen and Pauline are always welcoming to our new residents. They also enjoy being mischievous and having a good laugh together. It’s been wonderful to watch their friendship grow. Maureen was such great support when James passed away.”

Customer Relations Manager Mel Cushen - 07563 022290

Country Court - Birkin Lodge Care Home in Tunbridge Wells

Lucy Pope (90), Joyce Trice (91) and Barbara Court (87)

This trio in Tunbridge Wells are known in the home as the calendar girls. We asked them for their advice on friendships. Lucy said “Don’t talk about one another behind each other’s backs”. Joyce said “Never tell secrets or pass on any gossip” she also said “Keep friends who make you laugh” and “If I could travel on any ship it would be a friendship!”. Barbara said “No matter how many friends you have, always retain your own personality”.

Lucy and Joyce met first. Joyce came to Birkin Lodge for a respite stay and the two formed a firm friendship. When Joyce left, Lucy prayed every day that she would come back and was overjoyed when she came to live at the home permanently. When Barbara joined the home she was introduced to Joyce by the staff team who thought they’d get on. The staff were clearly on the money as the three have been inseparable ever since!

Commenting on their friendship they said “No matter what your age, you can meet friends later in life. We all like each other for who we are.”

When Joyce’s brother comes to visit he always brings her chocolates, but she’s now told him to bring enough for three people.

Wellbeing coordinator Lizzie - 07703810829

Runwood Home - Braywood Gardens in Nottingham

At Braywood Gardens Care Home in Nottingham, Betty and Olive have become great friends. They’re pretty much inseparable. They always look out for each other, have a cup of tea and sit in the sun together – or if it’s raining, sit and look out the window at the garden.

It’s really lovely to see.

Avery - Bourn View Care Home in Birmingham

Residents at Bourn View Care Home in Birmingham have shared advice and thoughts about their experiences of friendship:

Louvain Stride (88) and Florence Priest (86)

Louvain and Florence moved into Bourn View a year ago and haven’t left each other’s side since. If one of them joins in with an activity, the other will too. They’ve both said how grateful they are to have met one another and to have formed such a special friendship.

Carol Hodgetts (64), Ann Barlow (65) and Valerie Evans (85)

Carol has lived at Bourn View for two years, after receiving a diagnosis of dementia and beginning to feel alone. Since moving to Bourn View, Carol has formed many friendships but has found a special friend in fellow resident Ann. They do everything together and look out for one another, as they describe helping each other if they need to brush their hair, have forgotten their glasses, or even have food around their mouth!

Valerie is also close friends with Carol and Ann. Valerie is deaf, so they help her with day-to-day activities and make sure they go to lunch and supper together. Valerie sadly lost her best friend, Phyliss, who lived at Bourn View for two years, but having Carol and Ann by her side has helped her enormously, and Valerie describes how grateful she is to have her friends around her.

When asked about the friendship advice they would give others, they all mentioned loyalty, stating how important it is to look out for and support your friends.

Jacqueline McDougall (80)

Jacqueline’s friendship advice is to be patient with one another.

Pauline Bird (90)

Pauline’s friendship advice is to gossip about your husband!

Health Benefits of Friendships

From combatting loneliness to boosting your happiness levels, there are some surprising health benefits to friendship.

Over the last few years, our friendships have been more important than ever before. Having strong relationships with your friends can reduce any feelings of isolation and anxiety, as well as keeping you motivated to achieve your goals.

There’s something so special about hearing that new friendships have formed in our care homes.

You’re never too old to form new friendships, and this is something that’s so apparent when you visit a care home. New friends can increase your sense of belonging, boost your happiness and improve your self-confidence.

Lottie matches care seekers with the best care homes for their needs. You can request a free care home shortlist from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.