Once a mother, always a mother. A 98-year-old woman could not bear to be separated from her son who had lived with her all her life, so she moved into his care home to be with him.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 7, 2022. It has since been updated.
A mother's love truly knows no bounds. A 98-year-old woman made headlines when she decided to move into the same care home her 80-year-old son was staying at in order to look after him. It's a heartwarming tale of a mother's love holding so strong even at such an advanced age, and Ada Keating is the doting mother who took it upon herself to take care of her son's well-being, Bored Panda reported.
Tom Keating had taken up residence at Moss View care home in Huyton, Liverpool, back in 2016 as he was in need of additional care and support. That was when his mother, Ada, decided that she needed to be around him and look after him, and she moved into the same home in order to be closer to her eldest the very next year. The mother and son enjoy all the time they get to spend with each other, and the duo watches Emmerdale or play games together to pass the time.
Ada and Tom originally hail from Wavertree, Liverpool, and they have always shared a unique bond since Tom has always lived with his mother, having never been married. Ada revealed that they have established a routine of sorts. "I say goodnight to Tom in his room every night and I'll go and say good morning to him," she said. "I'll tell him I'm coming down for breakfast."
Mother aged 98 moves into care home to look after 80-year-old son.
— Altura Learning (@AlturaLearning) July 24, 2018
Ada Keating and her son Tom have moved into Moss View Care Home in Liverpool.https://t.co/RQ6l0EfEyF pic.twitter.com/cb2rm8bbdo
She revealed that they still loved each other deeply after all these years. "When I go out to the hairdressers he'll look for me to see when I'm coming back," she said. "When I get back he'll come to me with his arms outstretched and give me a big hug. You never stop being a mum." Tom added, "They're very good here and I'm happy to see my mum more now she lives here. Sometimes she'll say 'behave yourself.' She's very good at looking after me."
Tom is the oldest of four children born to Ada and her late husband Harry, the others were all daughters, Barbara, Margi, and Janet who passed away at 13. Tom worked as a painter and decorator at HE Simm building services before his retirement, and Ada worked as an auxiliary nurse at Mill Road Hospital before she retired. Their family members regularly visit them at the home, and they are happy to see the duo reunited. There are days when up to five generations of the Keating family come visiting!
In one of the homes for the elderly Liverpool lives 98-year-old Ada Keating (Ada Keating) and her 80-year-old eldest son Tom. pic.twitter.com/n69XSmgK85
— rajiv (@rajbindas86) November 2, 2017
Debi Higham, Ada's granddaughter, often comes to see her grandmother and her uncle. She said, "There's no parting them. It's reassuring for us that they're both getting looked after 24/7." The manager of the care home, Philip Daniels, also revealed that they were happy to have Ada and Tom with them. "It's very touching to see the close relationship both Tom and Ada share and we are so pleased we were able to accommodate both of their needs," he revealed. "It's very rare to see mothers and their children together in the same care home and we certainly want to make their time together as special as possible. They are inseparable."
Disclaimer: This article is based on a report published in October 2017. There has been no update on the duo since the first report.
References:
https://www.boredpanda.com/98-year-old-mother-care-home-80-year-old-son-ada-tom-keating-liverpool/
