Peter's very special birthday celebration

31/03/2009

Peter Akers, who lives with HFT, national charity for people with learning disabilities, at Ugley, near Bishop’s Stortford, celebrated his 75th birthday on Sunday, 22nd March. Peter is very special as he is believed to be the oldest person with Downs Syndrome in the UK.  World wide there is an older person in America who reached his 80th birthday in August 2008.
 
Peter’s brother Colin and sister Pat, together with their children, joined with HFT staff and friends to celebrate Peter’s big day at a packed birthday party which was held at his home, Pear Tree Cottage at HFT’s Ugley site.
 
Colin Akers praised HFT staff for the dedicated work and support they have given to his brother since he arrived at HFT in 1985 and all of the family toasted Peter’s good health.
 
“It was a really enjoyable day”, said HFT service manager, Sandra Forsyth, “And it was lovely that Peter’s family were there to celebrate with him which made him very happy. He particularly enjoyed watching a slide show of photographs taken during his life and it was very moving to see him recognise some of the old footage.
 
“Support for people with learning disabilities has improved greatly over the years and HFT provides people like Peter with excellent facilities to support them through the ageing process. Legislation such as the Mental Capacity Act, Valuing People and the National Minimum Care Standards Act has also played a vital part in enabling people to make important choices in how they want to be supported and how they  to live their lives.”
 
Pear Tree Cottage is part of HFT’s Herts & Essex service in Ugley.  It is a pioneering a specialist elderly care bungalow - specifically designed to accommodate ageing residents with sensory impairment and dementia. The ethos is to provide quality services for older people with learning disabilities and to enable people to remain in their home if they become ill, frail, or develop dementia.