97 Years, One Wish: To Stay Where Life Happened

Janet is 97 now – and for her, there’s truly no place like home.

Her house is full of stories. You can feel them in the photo albums, tucked between pictures of holidays and family gatherings, and in the grandfather clock that’s ticked through generations. She has lived there for 56 years. What was meant to be a short stay of three or four years became the heart of everything.

One of Janet’s favourite memories is how she came to be married. She met her husband through a friend in Birmingham. He was, as people used to say, a “confirmed bachelor.” After only a few months of seeing each other, he went to London to discuss a job. Janet assumed that was the end of it – that she’d never hear from him again. But he called and asked to meet. When they sat down, he told her he was going to Africa. She thought he was saying goodbye. Instead, he asked her to marry him.

She had about a week to get everything ready. She bought a silvery suit from a department store and booked a small reception at a hotel down the road. Janet went back to work while he went off to Africa, and a few months later she joined him to start their life together. She even remembers pushing a pram up the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro – though she still wonders what she was thinking!

They were married for 53 years. He passed away in his eighties, and not a day goes by that she doesn’t miss him.

Not long ago, Janet started to feel unwell. She called the GP and was told someone could come in a couple of weeks. So she just kept going – she never liked making a fuss. But by the time the doctor visited, she doesn’t remember much. She was taken to hospital by ambulance.

She needed an emergency pacemaker and spent a couple of weeks in hospital – the very same one where she used to work in family planning, a role she deeply loved. Some of the buildings she worked in aren’t there anymore, but she remembers them all. Holding the babies was one of the best parts of that job.

During her stay, she was told she wouldn’t be allowed home without care. That worried her. She didn’t want to go into a home. She just wanted to return to the place that felt familiar.

The hospital’s care team didn’t have capacity, so her son and daughter-in-law reached out to Sylvian Care – they’d heard good things from the neighbour next door. They called on a Wednesday. By Friday, Janet was home. Carers started on Saturday.

That weekend was her 97th birthday. She had lunch in the garden with her family – one of the loveliest birthdays she’s ever had.

Having care meant Janet could return home. That was the best gift she could’ve wished for.

Now, carers visit every morning to help her wash and get dressed, and they make breakfast if she wants it. They’re kind, gentle, and always make sure she’s alright. With their support, she’s even managed to climb the stairs again and have a little walk upstairs.

The tick-tock of the old grandfather clock still echoes through the house, even if she’s not sure the younger generation wants it. She does. It’s steady. Familiar. Like home.

And really, that’s all she wants: to be home, where her life has happened.