Rocester care home welcomes married couple who ‘couldn’t be apart’ after more than 59 years together

A couple who were facing spending their golden years apart because of a dementia diagnosis, are continuing their love story thanks to a Rocester care home.

Frank Telfer, 94, was scheduled to move into Barrowhill Hall, a 74-bedroom residential and nursing home, on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, last September.

Although the home specialises in caring for those living with dementia and memory loss, Frank and his wife, Jenny, 93, who’ve lived and worked together for over 58 years, didn’t want to be separated. Staff were only too happy to welcome them both so the pair could stay together.

“It was becoming difficult at home and I was struggling with my mobility,” Jenny explained, “I wanted to stay with Frank and so it was important to me to find a home where I could also move in so we could be together.“

The pair were living over three hours away in Glandford, Norfolk but since their move to the Midlands to be closer to family, they haven’t looked back.

“With help from our daughter Clare we looked at lots of different care homes and we came across Barrowhill Hall and it just felt like the right place for us” Jenny said.

“I enjoy being with Frank and they were able to take us both so we were able to move together. We love it here and not just the views and the space but the team are really friendly, we have some great chats with them.”

The team at the home work hard to support Mr and Mrs Telfer ensuring that they can both live a happy, meaningful and fulfilled life in their care. The couple have been getting involved with the home’s varied activities from walking in the grounds and helping to plant up the vegetable patch to enjoying the regular outings such as their recent visit to Church Farm in Anslow.

“They are a brilliant couple,” says the home’s activities lead, Kerry Butts. “We love having them here, it’s an honour to look after them and they are a real asset to our home.

“It was very special to see them enjoy their first Valentine’s Day with us this year. We celebrated in style of course for all our residents but it was especially lovely to see Frank and Jenny together. They are fascinating people and I love listening to their stories. We’ve really got to know them since they’ve been here. We love that they join in with our outings and they both love our garden and our monthly church services!

“We know Jenny’s needs are different to Frank’s and so we accommodate that. She loves to read and listen to the radio, and she loves to go outside to walk in our garden. She still looks after Frank making sure he looks smart and has everything he needs for the day. She continues to enjoy her independence but loves to get involved with all our activities too. It’s been great for Frank’s wellbeing to have her here and she makes him feel calm. The continuation to his normal everyday life has helped him to settle in quickly.” 

Frank and Jenny have been married for 58 years, tying the knot on the 29^th December 1966 in Canterbury Cathedral. They met when Frank was a chaplain of the University of Kent in Canterbury and Jenny got a job working with him. She was asked to measure some curtains for him and they hit it off from there. Frank later became a Canon and Jenny became his assistant Chaplain.

“Frank never retired as there was always a vicar needed right up until he got dementia,” Jenny said. “When I retired I enjoyed my garden and spending time with my grandsons, Charlie and Edward. We have regular visits from my daughter Clare and my grandsons who love coming to see us. We’ve always had dogs as pets so we love it when Izzy the pet therapy dog comes in.

“We’ve made some lovely memories in our years together and now we’re on this new adventure!”

Home manager, Dania Meadows said: “It means everything to us to be able to keep Frank and Jenny together and it’s heartwarming that they are so happy here. We will continue to create all these special moments for them so they can keep enjoying new experiences together.”