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12th Feb 2021

Nursing home residents share their relationship advice ahead of Valentine’s Day

Niamh Maher

“Stay single.”

That’s not the only advice coming from these care home residents, but it was certainly one woman’s pearls of wisdom ahead of the most romantic day of the year. Elderly residents of the Colne View care home in Essex, have been sharing some sound relationship advice ahead of Valentine’s Day, with the manager of the facility saying an exercise like this is particularly helpful for those living with dementia.

‘Never going to sleep on an argument’ and the ‘importance of patience’, were just some of the messages written by residents with the help of the facility’s staff.

One resident, 103-year-old Margaret Warburton, simply wrote: “Stay single.”

Photo credit – Care UK, Margaret Warburton (103) gives her relationship advice. 

The centenarian was born and raised in London and never married, choosing instead to focus on herself and “be number one,” can’t argue with that! Margaret wasn’t the only resident sharing relationship advice ahead of the big day, 88-year-old Ron Hemsley was married for 50 years and he said the key to a strong relationship is patience, while 92-year-old Betty Wood stressed the importance of resolving an argument before bed.

Manager of the facility, Razvan Stanbeca, said reflecting on strong memories had a wonderful impact on the residents,“It helps boost confidence and offers the chance to re-live happy times, which can then prompt conversation.”

We’ll leave you with the wise words of 86-year-old Sheila Matthews, who warns people not to marry too young. We’d tend to agree Sheila, sure what’s the rush?

Credit – Care UK, Sheila Matthews gives her relationship advice ahead of Valentine’s Day