Sunderland Super-Gran Keeps Clocking In

Award-winning Care Worker and great-granny, Jean Metcalf is backing calls to work longer to keep the brain fit and active.

Award-winning Care Worker and great-granny, Jean Metcalf is backing calls to work longer to keep the brain fit and active.

A new French study involving almost half a million people revealed that delaying retirement leads to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.  According to the researchers from the French Government’s health agency, for each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 per cent.

Great grandmother, Jean from Premier Road in Sunderland, believes that keeping active in later life definitely keeps the grey matter working.  Jean, 66, has over 32 years of experience caring for people and currently works for Bluebird Care in Sunderland, which she joined nearly five years ago when the firm launched.

She said:

I’ve always enjoyed working – I like meeting and caring for people and I love my job as I get so much out of it.  When I hit my sixties, retirement was not even an option for me. I don’t understand how people can work all their lives and then suddenly stop and do nothing.

While it’s natural to slow down a little as you get older, I feel if you keep active and importantly keep the brain active, you will feel fit and healthier for longer.”

Jean works as a care worker for the award-winning Bluebird Care, who look after people across Sunderland, helping them to continue to live independently in their homes thanks to bespoke care packages.  The great gran is so committed to her job and the people she helps that earlier this year her efforts were rewarded when she won the Carer of the Year in the Sunderland Echo’s Best of Health Awards.

Bluebird Care (Sunderland) Director, Stephen Finn said:

Jean is a great example of someone who is committed to her job and the people she cares for. She always has a smile on her face and is living proof that as long as you’re fit, you can keep going in your job for as long as you like.”