Alf Craster, 89, and his wife of 68 years Hetty had been separated for the last six months due to a lack of beds at the home where she had been living in Armadale.
But a public campaign has led Perth-based provider Berrington Aged Care to make an offer to accommodate the couple.
“I can’t explain the feeling… we are incredibly grateful our parents have been given this opportunity,” one of their children told 9NEWS.
Many aged care facilities do have rooms for couples, but Western Australia has suffered from a shortage of new facilities and aged care bed licenses in recent years.
The Government is trying to address this. Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt has announced 3,295 new places for WA this year – almost as many as NSW’s 3,349 places though NSW has three times as many people.
Good to see providers and the Government are working to make sure couples can be kept together.
