The card from King Charles and Queen Camilla in pride of place beside the television tells you one important fact about the remarkable Winifred Lincoln.
Bright, lively and keenly interested in the world around her, Winfred celebrated her 100th birthday just a few months ago.
Winifred was born in 1923 and grew up in the Upperthorpe area of Sheffield, moving to Wadsley more than 70 years ago after marrying her husband, Albert.
After leaving school, her first jobs were with Ellis Paramore, the Sheffield-based surgical equipment company and then, before marriage, as a sewing maid at the Sheffield Royal Infirmary, while in later years she was well known as a post woman for the Walkley area.
She also became mum to daughter Kathryn and son Mark and is now the head of a family that includes five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Being now housebound, reading is a core interest and Winifred’s early reading experiences have been recorded recently in the Reading Sheffield project researching the reading habits and public library experiences of Sheffield people between the 1920s and the 1950s.
Dr Mary Grover’s book to accompany the project, Steel City Readers, is now available and has given Winifred a great deal of pleasure. The voices of the participants are stored at www.readingsheffield.co.uk
What’s equally important though is that Winifred is proudly independent and still living in her Wadsley home with the full support of her family.
And adding to that support and ensuring that she has all the things in place to make life safe and secure is the St Luke’s Community team.
Our Community team provides advice and support to patients and their families in their own homes across Sheffield.
It is made up of a core team of clinical nurse specialists in palliative care, supported by assistant practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, wellbeing practitioners, social workers and chaplains, along with a consultant and specialist registrar.
Winifred has a heart condition and both she and her family know that the support of our Community nurse Fiona Maguire offers a vital link to the full range of St Luke’s services and the comfort of knowing help is always at hand.
“I’ve lived in this house for 60 years and I’m happy here because this is where my family grew up,” Winifred says.
“My daughter has stayed with me since the first Covid lockdown but having the on-call support of Fiona whenever we need her is a great reassurance.”
Fiona makes regular visits to Winifred, checking up on any special needs and ensuring that her medication is effective.
“I’ll visit every three to four weeks but if they want me to come sooner, I’m here straight away,” Fiona says.
“I listen and give both medical and emotional support wherever I can and give advice on things like pain management so Winifred can enjoy the best possible quality of life.
“It’s important to Winifred that she is able to continue living as independently as possible and it’s nice to know that St Luke’s has a part to play in making that possible.”
To find out more about St Luke’s Community services visit Community