Bowbridge Court care home resident, Kathleen Treharne, who has lived through two worldwide pandemics a century apart, says that her Covid-19 vaccination was the best birthday present ever!
Kathleen Treharne, who was born during the Spanish flu pandemic, marked her milestone 102nd birthday with a relaxing pamper afternoon at the Bowbridge Court on-site beauty parlour.
Kathleen spent her special day being pampered from head to toe, with staff offering their services to provide manicure, pedicure and hair treatments, including a curly blow-dry. Kathleen was overwhelmed with deliveries of flowers, balloons, presents and cards filled her room as she enjoyed Facetime calls with family and friends. The care team surprised Kathleen with a touching personalised memory board that was filled with pictures and memories from her life.
Kathleen was born in 1919 and was raised in Newark, where she has lived her whole life. Despite being very young at the time, Kathleen recalls her family telling her about life during the Spanish flu pandemic. After leaving school at aged (), Kathleen’s first job was at Webb’s Woollies making knitted baby clothes. When the Second World War began, Kathleen joined the war effort and began making uniform including hats, scarfs and gloves for soldiers on the front line.
Following the war Kathleen focused on settling down and raising her daughter. During this time, she spent some time as a dinner lady at a local school and prior to the pandemic, the Bowbridge team organised for Kathleen to re-visit the school and meet some of the children which brought back many happy memories.
Kathleen, who has lived at Bowbridge Court since 2013, said ‘I am so grateful to the team, they really have excelled themselves with my pamper birthday. Every year they pull out all the stops and I wonder how they will top it, but somehow,  they always mange to make me feel incredibly special!
I would never have thought I would live through two global pandemics and I am looking forward to seeing the back of it! The availability of a vaccine feels like light at the end of the tunnel, I was thrilled to receive my first dose, it was one of the best gifts I could have asked for!’.
Home Manager, Claire Gordon-Rundle, said, ‘It is important to us when we have a birthday to make that resident feel super special and we are so glad to see how excited Kathleen has been. It has been our pleasure to organise this pamper party to commemorate another of Kathleen’s milestone birthdays. One of my highlights from the day was when we presented her with a homemade birthday cake and all our team and residents sang happy birthday!’.
Bowbridge Court, operated by Ideal Carehomes, is a residential and dementia care home where residents and staff have recently received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination.
The post COVID-19 vaccination, the best birthday present ever! first appeared on Care Industry News.