'I was worried our time would run out': Couple in care homes kept apart for a year finally reunited

John and Betty Chaplin are together once more at the Highgate Lodge care home in Walsall after spending a year apart from each other.

The pair were taken into care when they were unable to live at home independently anymore but had to be sent to separate homes that catered to their individual needs – Betty, a former reporter for the Walsall Advertiser, suffers with dementia, and John, who worked in a Princes Trust office, needed to be kept physically active.

John, now 92 years old, lived without his wife at Highgate Lodge for three months, until one day he was told she would finally be moving in with him.

But John's hopes were soon lost as Betty had to be admitted to hospital for two months.

After she was discharged, she was taken back to her original care home.

For seven more months, John missed his wife. He was worried about their time running out, and wondered if they would ever see each other again.

Betty was 'all John would talk about'.

Manager of the care home, Subrina Khaliq, said: "He was very upset. Every time we asked him how he was, everything would lead to Betty. He would tell us he would be happier with her here. He was extremely lost as they both had each other for support, but they lost each other through no fault of their own.

"It was so difficult for us to see that on daily basis and see them apart. It was really important to us to reunite them."