A 75-year Uxbridge friendship that began in nursing school is continuing at a local retirement residence, where Betty McTaggart and Claire Cruickshank now live on the same floor. The two women first met as nursing students in British Columbia and remained close as their careers, marriages and family lives took them through decades of change.
The women now live at Aspira Douglas Crossing Retirement Living in Uxbridge, where they continue spending time together through shopping, yoga, outdoor activities and everyday conversations.
Friendship Began in Nursing School
McTaggart and Cruickshank were about 19 when they met while training as nurses in British Columbia. After graduating, they moved east, shared a home and worked at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
Their lives became even more closely connected after they met two young men who were also best friends. McTaggart married Bruce McTaggart, while Cruickshank married Don Cruickshank. Both women raised families while continuing their friendship across the years.
Now in their mid-90s, they remember the plans they discussed as young nursing students and the experiences that followed. Conversations that once focused on the future now often centre on the adventures, families and memories they have shared.
The two also have a favourite song, “Side by Side,” whose theme reflects the companionship that has remained constant throughout their lives.
75-Year Uxbridge Friendship Continues
Living at the same retirement residence has given the women another chapter together. Staff members say they are frequently seen walking arm in arm and participating in activities.
Aspira Douglas Crossing describes its Uxbridge residence as a community offering meals, exercise classes, excursions, games and activities designed around residents’ interests. Its programming emphasizes physical wellness, emotional well-being and opportunities for social connection.
McTaggart and Cruickshank say trust, humour and the willingness to move past disagreements helped their friendship endure. Their advice is practical: find someone trustworthy, keep the friendship going and do not allow minor conflicts to become permanent divisions.
Social Connection Supports Healthy Aging
Winnie Sun, an Ontario Tech University health-sciences researcher, studies aging, dementia care, social inclusion and technologies that can help older adults remain connected and independent.
Sun is the scientific director of the Wellness and Innovations in NeuroAging research pillar at the Sienna Senior Living Research Centre for Healthy Aging and Happiness. The program examines dementia care, quality of life, cognitive rehabilitation, aging in place and technology-enabled support.
Social isolation is among the 14 potentially modifiable dementia risk factors identified in the 2024 Lancet Commission report. The commission estimated that addressing the full group of risk factors could prevent or delay a substantial share of dementia cases, although no single activity can guarantee prevention.
Meaningful friendships can also provide companionship, emotional support and a stronger sense of belonging. The quality of a person’s relationships may be more important than having a large number of casual social contacts.
Ways Older Adults Can Strengthen Connections
Older adults looking to expand their social networks can consider volunteering, joining recreation programs, participating in community activities or becoming more physically active.
Retirement residences, libraries, seniors’ centres, faith organizations and municipal programs may offer exercise classes, social clubs, group outings and educational activities. Regular participation can help people meet others with similar interests and build relationships over time.
Technology may also help some people remain engaged. Ontario Tech researchers are studying virtual reality, conversational artificial intelligence and other tools that could support people living with dementia and their caregivers. The work remains exploratory and should complement, rather than replace, direct human contact and professional care.
For McTaggart and Cruickshank, the benefits of connection are visible in a friendship that began in nursing school and continues at their Uxbridge residence. Their 75-year Uxbridge friendship shows how shared history, humour, trust and forgiveness can sustain a relationship through nearly an entire lifetime.
