They say that life goes full circle, and I can certainly attest to that. For a child, birthdays are a time for grand gestures and celebrations, for badges and banners. However, as you get older, birthdays become less important, the days of parties and jelly and ice-cream are over and are replaced with a nice meal or an afternoon tea. As mobility issues creep in it is not always possible to get out to celebrate and I am of a generation of people who don’t like to inconvenience others by asking for help. Getting out to a restaurant is not a as easy as it once was.

As a parent or a grandparent, you place more importance on others, ensuring that they enjoy their day, making them feel special.

Here at Kingfisher the roles have been reversed and we are the ones being spoiled. Last week three of us celebrated our birthdays within days of each other. The lifestyle team really went to town to ensure that we were made to feel special. We were the centre of attention and whilst we protested that we didn’t need a fuss we were secretly delighted to be on the receiving end.

We were given cards and gifts. There were balloons and table decorations, party music, singing and laughter. We each received a beautiful cake made for us by the chef and we sat back as the team and our fellow residents sang Happy Birthday to us at the tops of their voices, it was joyful, and the icing on the birthday cake this year was being able to receive visits from our families.

As adults we become accustomed to only celebrating what we call the big birthdays, 21, 30, 40 etc but at Kingfisher every birthday is a big birthday.

On previous birthdays I have spent a lot of the day at home alone, the children were at school or work and I went about my business as if it were any other day. Not anymore! From the moment I awoke until the sun set my special day was celebrated and it was such a thrill. From housekeepers singing to me in the corridor to the care team styling my hair and bringing me chocolates. I’ve had a wonderful birthday this year, made even more special by the fact that I have shared it with two of my new friends, it feels like we’ve partied all week.

Every day is a special day here, there is not a day goes by when Steve and Linda do not have something fun planned for us, but birthdays, they are extra special and that’s as it should be.