Former nurse marks reaching 102 with advice to ‘stay active’
A former nurse, dubbed “inspirational” by care home staff, has celebrated her 102nd birthday with recommendations for a long, happy life.
Diana Creasey, who moved to Woodpeckers care home in the New Forest during 2023 when she was 100, shared her latest birthday with family, friends and staff.
“Stay active, keep going, follow a good diet and make sure to have lots and lots of fresh air”
Diana Creasey
Asked for the secret of her longevity, she said: “Stay active, keep going, follow a good diet and make sure to have lots and lots of fresh air. And a glass of sherry helps!”
Her advice follows a lifelong career in nursing and healthcare, both in paid roles and, following retirement, as a care volunteer for several years at Lymington’s Oakhaven hospice.
After growing up in North Devon in the 1920s and 30s, Ms Creasey trained as a nurse and worked in plastic surgery nursing during the Second World War.
Serving at London hospitals, she cared for many army personnel coming back from the horrors of the frontline.
One memory from of Blitz was nursing in an underground basement hospital with pregnant women on one side of the ward and casualties on the other. “It was a very stressful time,” she recalled.
Woodpeckers companionship team member Sian Harris said Ms Creasey remained very active, taking daily walks around the garden with the help of staff.
“She was an inspiration when she moved to Woodpeckers aged 100,” said Sian. “And she is still inspiring the staff and residents now aged 102.
“The very fact she is this remarkable age and still as active as she is makes her truly very special,” added Ms Harris.
Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst is run by care home provider Colten Care. It operates 21 care homes in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and West Sussex.