Jan 21, 2020

Elderly Couple Die Together Holding Hands In Nursing Home

An elderly couple in the US had their nursing home beds pushed together in the final moments of their lives allowing them to hold hands as they both passed away within hours of each other on the same day.

Jack and Harriet Morrison were married for over 60 years and shared a relationship that could only be described as a fairytale.

The couple first met in 1955 as a young Harriet accompanied her father on a bus trip with his marching band, and at that time, she would have been unaware that her future husband was actually driving the bus.

They had their first date at a diner on Halloween of the same year, and from that point on they were completely inseparable.

Jack and Harriet spent their middle years running a bus company together and raising a family that consisted of their two sons and a beloved niece.

They were also active members of an organisation called the Moolah Shriners that are devoted to improving the lives of other people around the globe.

Jack and Harriet were also lucky enough to travel the world together and visited a number of different continents including Europe and Australia.

In the latter stages of their lives, Harriet developed dementia and had a nasty fall while out walking the dog that resulted in a broken pelvis and hip.

Harriet was then moved into The Woodlands of Arnold nursing home in St Louis.

Sadly, Jack was having trouble at home in his wife’s absence and was convinced to move into the same nursing after having a bad fall that broke his neck.

According to an interview with the couple’s niece, Jack’s room was only four doors from his beloved wife and the pair would nap side-by-side, one in a wheelchair and one in the bed with hands intertwined.

“Some days she knew him; other days she didn’t,” said the couple’s niece Sue Wagener.

After receiving the news that his wife had stopped eating on Christmas Eve, Jack also began to reject food and liquids.

Just over two weeks later, 83-year-old Harriet was moved into the same room as her beloved 86-year-old husband Jack where the couple held hands for one final time before taking that big step into the afterlife – together, as man and wife.

 

Istock Image: credit – PeopleImages

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Should Aged Care Facilities be Forced to Publish Their Sanctions ?

For most Australians, the task of selecting a residential aged care facility for a loved one is made when a family member realises that things are edging closely towards crisis. The thought of discussing the mortality or deterioration of a family member is obviously uncomfortable, but this lack of communication often leads to an overly... Read More

Inflammation and Ageing: Is There are Connection?

What is inflammation? If you asked the most people, they’d probably describe what happens when a person suffers a wound or burn, or even a reaction to an infection. Something like a localised physical condition, where parts of the body become red, swollen, hot and often painful – this is what is described as “acute... Read More

The Eden Alternative: “People started to thrive”

In the early 1990s, doctor and geriatrician Dr Bill Thomas was working in a nursing home when a resident approached him about a rash. She also mentioned that she was lonely. Dr Thomas was able to prescribe a cream for the rash, but when he consulted his Harvard medical books for how to treat loneliness,... Read More
Advertisement