After 69 years of marriage, a nursing home forces two elderly spouses to separate
A story that has moved a little bit the whole world, is that of Audrey and Herbert Goudine, a married couple, aged 89 and 91 respectively, who for years have lived together in a retirement home.
Now, the two have behind them over 69 years of marriage. Theirs is a happy union based on strong feelings, that have continued over time despite the illness that has hit Herbert in recent years.
In fact, Herbert, who suffers from dementia, has gotten progressively worse, so much so that now he has real cognitive deficiencies. Therefore, despite the strength and longevity of their marriage, these two elderly people risked having their life together cut short.
The problem is that Herbert's disease has worsened and now reached level 3, which is a stage that requires a great deal of daily attention and continuous supervision. For this reason, the management at the nursing home decided to separate him from his wife, following the specific rules and laws reserved for patients with disabilities similar to his, just a few days before Christmas.
For Herbert's daughter, Dianne, the news was a real bolt from the blue. Her astonishment and indignation for such a sudden decision were immediately reported to the retirement home managers. The latter, however, said they were not able to act "illegally" and were, consequently, forced to comply with the law.
However, Diane, as the very determined daughter of the two spouses did not give up. Although she continued to acknowledge the need of the retirement home to follow the law still she asked for a minimum of human compassion, so she made the story public, asking that her father be allowed to remain in the structure with his wife at least until Christmas.
In the end, Diane's determination paid off, given that, thanks to Dianne, the couple was able to spend the Christmas holidays peacefully together. The next step was then to transfer both of them together to the same care facility.
A story whose happy ending shows that the love that two people feel for one another can be so tenacious that it can withstand even the toughest adversities, circumstances, and diseases.
