Yahoo Finance Heartwarming moment when elderly couple hold hands for first time in more than a year
This is the heartwarming moment an elderly couple who have been married for nearly 60 years were able to hold hands for the first time in more than a year.
Frank Whitelow, 88, was able to visit his wife Sheila, 82, at Carr Croft Care Home in the Meanwood area of Leeds due to COVID-19 restrictions easing.
The new rules, which came into effect on Monday, allow a relative to visit and hold hands with a loved one indoors.
The couple, who had previously never been apart for more than a week since they married in 1961, hugged and held hands for the first time in a year.
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Frank, who cried tears of joy, described saying it was better than “winning the lottery” to see his wife, who has dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
They have been separated since Sheila fell and broke her leg early last year before the pandemic hit.
The 88-year-old said he “couldn’t put into words” how he felt to see her for the first time indoors since then.
“I went in and we just sat holding hands and it was like winning the lottery, in fact, it was better. I’ve waited a long time for that,” he said.
“I can’t tell you the feeling I had. I did shed a few tears. I was absolutely elated. In fact, I didn’t sleep last night to be honest. It was nice just to hold her hand.
Frank said that when Sheila realised who he was, “the big smile came and she was excited”.
“It makes me feel a lot better. I think now I have seen her, it’s something that I can’t put into words,” he added.
After Sheila fell, Frank visited his wife every day in hospital, despite not being able to drive.
But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all visits were stopped.
Sheila was moved to a care home in Bradford for rehabilitation before arriving at Carr Croft Care Home in July 2020.
By this point, Frank was so desperate to see her, he arranged for a taxi to take him to the care home’s car park so he could be there when the ambulance arrived to admit her.
Since then, the couple have had two outdoor meetings – one on Christmas Day and one on her birthday on 21 February.
But he said each visit lasted just two minutes because of the cold weather.
Watch: Families kept apart by pandemic meet as care homes allow visitors.
So Frank said being able to see her indoors was “another world”, adding: “It’s very important to me. I don’t want her to think I’ve forgotten her.”
Sheila’s condition has deteriorated over the past year but Frank said he has rung to speak to her over the phone every day.
He said: “It’s been quite lonely. But the thought of seeing her helps a lot. It’s difficult. Life is not as good as it could be actually.”
Before the pandemic, the couple, who don’t have any children, used to regularly go out for coffee or ride the bus to destinations such as Ripon, Huddersfield and Castleford, always holding hands, Frank said.
He said: “I’m absolutely 100 per cent devoted to her. She’s what I’m living for now.”
Frank said he greatly empathises with people in the same position as well as those who have lost relatives and weren’t able to see them at the last minute.
.He said: “I would like to see her every day. I’m hoping she might be able to come home sometime. It’s my one wish in life - to get her home if I can. I know I can look after her.
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“All I want is that lady back in my life,” he said.
Jodie Boucher, registered manager at Carr Croft, said: “It was quite overwhelming because it’s the first physical contact that we have had and to see the pleasure that it brought Frank and Sheila is so rewarding - that we have finally been able to make that happen.
“Everybody has been excited, waiting for today to come to start having visitors again. It just can’t come soon enough.”
Watch: COVID-19: Care homes allow indoor visits from nominated friends and family
