102-year-old Chester care home resident shares secret to long life

 

A 102-year-old Chester care home resident has shared her advice for living a long and happy life – “avoid talking to strange men.” 

Olive Westerman, a resident at Care UK’s Deewater Grange, on Chester Road, shared her words of wisdom to mark the latest milestone of her centenarian status, while celebrating with those nearest and dearest to her. 

In honour of Olive’s milestone birthday, a lively celebration with balloons, banners and two delicious cakes was organised by her friends and team members at Deewater Grange.

Olive was born in Yorkshire on 16^th January 1923. After leaving secondary school, she trained as a nursery nurse for children during World War II.

Later, Olive met her sweetheart Sam at the local church, and they went on to marry and make a lifetime of happy memories together. Sam’s job as a writer allowed the pair to travel around the world – and even live in Singapore for three years.

Olive has now lived at Deewater Grange for three years and is known for her witty personality, which keeps everyone on their toes. She enjoys spending time in the home’s coffee shop with fellow residents and listening to their stories and memories. On the day, she was thrilled to be surrounded by friends and team members as they came together to celebrate her momentous birthday. 

When asked what her secret was to living a long life, Olive simply said: “Avoid talking to strange men and you’ll be just fine.” 

Sally Cooper, Home Manager at Deewater Grange, said: “Olive is a very intelligent lady, whose quick-witted comments keep everyone on their toes.

“As a much-loved resident, it was wonderful to mark this amazing milestone with her and hear her firm advice for living a long and happy life – said in true Olive style.

“Everything we do is centred around our ethos of ensuring residents live active and fulfilling lives – and Olive’s 102^nd birthday celebration was no exception. It was lovely to see how happy she was on the day, and we wish her many more joyful years to come.”

Deewater Grange is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care. The home has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporates plenty of space for hobby and leisure activities, including its own café, bar, cinema, and a hair and beauty salon. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.