Sunrise Of Sonning Resident Celebrates 100th Birthday

Jean Davies has been a resident at Sunrise of Sonning since December 2019. On 19th August, Jean turned 100, and celebrated in style at the care home.

The team at Sunrise of Sonning organised for Jean’s day to begin with a pamper session. She had her hair, nails and make-up done. Jean then had a conference call with her close family including her daughter and her grandchildren. Jean’s grandson prepared a video compilation from her more distant relatives, as she has a very large family located all around the world.

After the call, Jean’s daughter came to Sunrise of Sonning for a socially distanced window visit. With assistance from the team, Jean opened her birthday cards and gifts from her family.

The in-house dining team at the care home prepared a large cake and Jean shared it with other residents. They all enjoyed a lovely afternoon with a glass of champagne and a slice of the birthday cake.

Jean is incredibly proud of her family; they have always been very close. She says that this is because they always help and support each other regardless of where they live. They maintain regular, weekly contact and Sunrise of Sonning  provided iPads to encourage all the residents to have regular video calls over lockdown.

Jean was asked what the key is to living a long and happy life, she said:

“My life advice would be to stay close to the family, involve them in your life. Family support is very important. There is a lot of experience and knowledge that your parents and the rest of the family have. Ask them for advice and listen to what they say. They are saying it for a reason. They want to help you. You might not like their advice, but they have a reason for saying it.

“Ask them, involve them and stay close to them. You will never be alone if you support your family and they will support you in return”.

Margaret Whitmarsh, Jean’s daughter said:

“I just wanted to thank the amazing team for the wonderful birthday celebration they gave Mum. It was truly lovely and she enjoyed it immensely. The cake and all the little extras helped make the day, this will be a day our family will remember.”