"We're going to be friends in heaven": Friends of 80 years move into the same care home

Cover picture for representation only

We all have those friends we expect to enter nursing homes with. You know, those friends who will be cussing out the nurses and causing havoc, decades down the line, right next to you. While that seems like a lifetime away for most of us, one best friend duo has shown us that unbeatable friendships can be real. Kathleen Saville and Olive Woodward, both 89 years old, became friends as middle schoolers at the tender age of 11 in 1941, in their hometown of Mansfield. That means they've been inseparable friends for almost eight decades. But their friendship shows no signs of stopping — they've recently enrolled themselves in the exact same care home in the United Kingdom, BBC reports.

When they were younger, they bonded over teasing the boys in all their classes and playing games. Now that they're older, not much has changed. Both Kathleen and Olive have retained their childlike approach to life. This is perhaps why they were so excited to join a care home together in Berry Hill Park in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. According to the staff who work there, they are quite the "dynamic duo." In fact, the staff members claim that you can still "see their love for each other," even after all these years. This just goes to show that platonic love and friendship are just as — if not more — everlasting as romantic love.

According to Kathleen, she can "still pull the boys" and is "fighting for every minute." She believes that the key to their long friendship is that neither of the pair like arguing with each other too much. "We knew we would always be friends when we met. She means a lot to me," Kathleen affirmed. "If Olive goes first she'll come back to fetch me. We're going to be friends in heaven." Ever since they first met, they haven't lived further than a ten-minute walk away from each other. Therefore, when Olive was placed in a different care home originally, both friends were quite sad without their soul sister by their side. Olive claimed she had unfortunately become rather depressed while at a different home away from her best friend. Hence, she was overjoyed to know they could finally see each other "all day every day." "If I'm unhappy or in trouble, I only have to go to Kathleen and we'll always end up laughing," she said.

Sally Tebbett, home manager at Berry Hill Park, has never seen a best friend duo like Kathleen and Olive before. She claimed it was rare to find best friends like them living together in a care home. Nonetheless, both friends are benefitting from it. She stated, "They never stop chatting and giggling. It's so endearing, they genuinely love each other and you can see that." So, what does it take to have a loving friendship that lasts as long as theirs? Well, Kathleen suggests, "Put yourself out and go and see your friend. Don't always wait for them to come and see you. It takes two to tango."