Meet The Care Home Residents Sharing Their Secrets To Long-Lasting Love

Most people look for a partner to share the highs and lows of life with, along with all the adventures along the way.

Many residents in our care homes have been happily married for over 50 years and are experts in knowing what makes a relationship work.

That’s why we’ve spoken to care home residents across the UK. From respecting each other and keeping the romance alive to not putting too much pressure on yourself to find a partner, our residents have shared their pearls of wisdom for finding and forging long-lasting relationships.

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Our care home residents have shared their relationship do’s and don’ts for the younger generations:

• ‘Have a bit of sugar now and again to keep the flame alive’ - George and Mary (88 and 87 years old)
• ‘Do smack their bottom’ - Greta (84 years old)
• ‘Test the water just in case’ - Ray (78 years old)
• ‘Don't let your husband cook, as you’ll only be eating beans on toast’ and ‘talk to each other - Pauline (91 years old)
• ‘Find someone you can enjoy your life with’ - Derek and Jill (82 and 80 years old)
• ‘Never go to bed angry’ and ‘never take your partner for granted’ - Nancy (87 years old)
• ‘Be kind to each other and smile everyday’ - Ethel (70 years old)
• ‘Don’t get married too quick’ - Erica (93 years old)
• ‘Don’t think it will be easy’ and ‘look, listen and learn’ - Colin (84 years old)
• ‘Do fight through the hard times’ - Hazel (81 years old)
• ‘Just love each other’ - Winnie (102 years old)
• ‘Do make sure he is good looking’ - Grace (88 years old)
• ‘Don’t let him get a kiss on the first date’ - Janet (79 years old)
• ‘Do as you are told’ - Terence (88 years old)

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Tickford Abbey Care Home

George and Mary, residents at Tickford Abbey Care Home in Newport Pagnell, are preparing to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. The couple met as teenagers at a village hall dance. It was “love at first sight” and the pair have “never looked back” since.

George and Mary have shared that the secret to a long-lasting relationship is respecting each other. They "have always stuck by each other during hardship - struggling together when we were younger made us a team."

The couple also believe it's essential to keep the spark from the very beginning of your relationship alive, sharing, "the greatest thing about our marriage is that we have always been wild!"

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Pinehurst Care Home

84-year-old Greta, a resident at Pinehurst Care Home in Crowthorne, believes that keeping the fun side of your relationship alive is key to long-lasting love and jokingly shared to "smack their bottom" every now and then!

Ray, a 78-year-old resident at Pinehurst Care Home, has said to "test the water just in case".

Aged 91, Pauline believes that communication is key, saying that the secret to enduring love is to “talk to each other”. She also says to avoid letting the husband do the cooking, otherwise you’ll end up eating beans on toast every night!

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Haling Park Care Home

Childhood sweethearts Derek and Jill met in 1958 and bonded over adventures on Derek's motorbike. Despite challenging times in 1960 when Derek faced a serious road accident, leaving him unable to work for two and a half years, their love endured. Jill visited him every day. Derek has said that "this just drew us closer together, and since that time, we have never been apart."

Derek and Jill's love for each other grows stronger each day. Jill is now a resident at Haling Park Care Home in Croydon, and Derek looks forward to visiting Jill daily.

The couple have been happily married for over 60 years and attribute the longevity of their love to the importance of "finding someone you can enjoy your life with."

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Dounemount Care Home

Residents at Dounemount Care Home in Macduff, such as Nancy who is 87 years old, believe the key to a long-lasting relationship is to "never take your partner for granted".

70-year-old Ethel added that you should always "be kind to each other and smile every day".

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Hilton House Care Home

Many older adults across our care homes have shared the importance of not feeling pressured to find your soulmate.

93-year-old Erica, a resident at Hilton House Care Home in Stoke-on-Trent, has shared "don't get married too quick".

Other residents spoke about the importance of remembering that things won’t always be easy or feel perfect, and that this is perfectly natural. Colin (84) said to “look, listen and learn”. He also offered a reminder that things can get tough - “don’t think it will be easy.” Similarly, Hazel (81) has said to “fight through the hard times.”

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The Amwell Care Home

102-year-old Winnie, a resident at The Amwell Care Home in Melton Mowbray, has shared that the simple secret to long-lasting love is simply "to just love each other".

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Learning Lessons In Love From Older Adults

It's amazing to hear the stories of love in our care homes and the fond memories sparked by reminiscing for each resident. What's more, there are so many lessons we can all learn from older adults - no matter your age!

Love is something many of us search for during our lifetime, and it's often an especially popular topic around Valentine's Day. Since the start of February, we’ve seen a surge in people of all ages looking for tips for finding their soulmate. Online searches for 'help me find love' have increased by 100% and searches for 'dating and relationship advice' has increased by 50%.

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Lottie matches care seekers with the best care homes for their needs. You can request a free care home shortlist from our care experts, who will share homes matching your budget, location and type of care needed. You can also search for a care home through our easy-to-use directory.