Silver Court care home celebrates the power of friendship

Silver Court care home is showing how age is no barrier to making new friends by celebrating the friendships between residents that have begun at the home.

As part of Anchor Hanover’s #WeUnderstandFriendship campaign, a new initiative celebrating friendships, the team at Anchor’s Silver Court Care home on Halsford Lane are celebrating the friendships that have been made between residents at Silver Court.

One special friendship that has formed at the home is between Cyril Starr, 95 and Bob. Bob Byrant, 90. Both moved into Silver Court in 2019 shortly after one another and very quickly became firm friends. They both found they had many shared interests in common and even those they didn’t share they have found ways to enjoy together. Bob has become very involved in gardening at Silver Court but while Cyril is not as keen on gardening, Cyril has enjoyed sitting with his friend and cheering Bob on as he gets his green thumbs!

Along with the friendships between the residents like Cyril and Bob, Silver Court are celebrating the very special friendships built between their residents and younger members of the wider community. Residents at Silver Court have always enjoyed keeping in touch with local schools and youth organisations via letters, special visits, and other activities. However, even over the last year with no visits possible, these friendships only grew with residents and those outside Silver Court writing letters to one another and occasionally taking part in zoom calls and other ways of keeping in touch that we have become so familiar with during lockdown.

These instances of camaraderie and kindness show that age is no barrier to friendship and even at the most difficult of times we can still come together to support each other.

Cyril said:

You can never have too many friends and you can never be too old for new friends! People are always saying that people in care homes are lonely or isolated but since I moved into Silver Court and met Bob, I can tell them how wrong they are! Together, we always enjoy activities like baking and arts and crafts here at Anchor’s Silver Court. Although sometimes, we love just having a quiet cup of tea together, or maybe a pint or two depending on how we feel!

Jane Baxter, Home Manager, said:

At Silver Court we look to help our residents live full lives, and no life is complete without making friends. It’s wonderful to see our residents to make these connections, whether they’re new arrivals or have been with us along time. For us, we understand that we provide a community as well as a home, we understand the importance of friendship. After a difficult year, we also know that friendship is more important than ever. Older people are often depicted as being isolated and alone, but this shows that  it is possible to build genuine connections while living with us.

For more information on Silver Court care home please call 0800 0854250 or visit our dedicated webpage.