Charlotte Foster
Caring

Husband and wife with dementia reunite after 30 years apart

A former husband and wife with dementia have been reunited after 30 years apart when they moved into the same care home. 

Nancy, 86, and Stan, 91, were first married in 1957 in Edinburgh, despite their parents "forbidding" their romance and not approving of their union. 

The couple went on to have three children and lived happily, until Nancy was nearly killed by a brain haemorrhage when she was in her mid-50s. 

Nancy had to undergo life-altering surgery and a lengthy recovery time, which ultimately led to the downfall of her relationship with Stan and they filed for divorce. 

After their split, Stan met another woman when he was in his 70s, while Nancy never had another romance. 

When Nancy and Stan entered their 80s, they both began to show signs of dementia and could no longer care for themselves. 

Around Christmas time last year, their daughter Karen made the decision to put her father Stan, who suffered a fall while being cared for in Scotland, in the same home as Nancy, which is where she captured the heartwarming footage of them being reunited.

In the clip, Nancy tells Stan he is "not bad looking for his age", while her ex-husband replies, "I recognise your face but I couldn't place who it was".

The couple then agree to go on a date together and have a cup of tea, before having a kiss for "old time's sake."

The video was posted to TikTok by Karen's daughter Sarah-Ashleigh, who spoke to the Daily Mail about the family's decision to put both Nancy and Stan in the same care home. 

"We were so worried how this would go. It's so good to see them be friends again," she said.

"Dementia is a horrible disease, but it's moments like this which we really just hold on to."

"Granny struggles a bit more in general and gets anxious and confused but I think having someone there who she knows has done wonders for her."

"She's always looking for him (even when he's right next to her) and they sit together a lot and bicker like the married couple they used to be."

"Love might not be the same kind of love forever, it is a shape shifter, but it never leaves."

"Their marriage didn't last forever but just seeing them have a friendship again just shows that love never dies."

Image credits: TikTok

Tags:
caring, dementia, care home