Lorraine and Joe Papp have been together most of their lives, but for nearly two years the Maple Ridge seniors have been living under different roofs.
"We've been together for 62 years and they separate us. It's not easy," Joe said.
The Papps were staying together at Royal Crescent Gardens, an assisted living facility, until Joe's health started to decline and the 83-year-old was moved to the Holyrood Manor long-term care home.
Many long, lonely months later, the loving couple is still waiting to be reunited.
"I just thought that eventually I would move in here too," Lorraine said. "But it didn't happen."
The couple said they have talked to care workers at both facilities about their desire to live together, with no results.
The two properties are just under a kilometre apart, but with 81-year-old Lorraine's mobility issues it feels much further. She visits him in her wheelchair, but the trips are taking a toll.
"I am getting exhausted coming every day. I come every day but I am getting so tired," she said.
And the frequent visits just aren't enough for two lovebirds. A volunteer at Holyrood Manor said Joe will sometimes cry when talking about his wife.
"They're one couple that needs to be together. They're desperate to be together," Peter Herman said.
Fraser Health told CTV News it is looking into the Papps' case, and how Lorraine and Joe can live together again. One issue is that Lorraine doesn't require the same level of care as her husband, so reuniting them could require they both move to a whole new facility.
"Reuniting couples that are in long-term care is very important to us," Fraser Health spokesperson Tasleem Juma said.
"We have had conversations about the two of them wanting to be reunited but we haven’t received confirmation from them that they're willing to move to a facility that can accommodate their differing levels of needs."
Lorraine and Joe said it doesn't matter where they go as long as they're together.
"Because we love one another," Lorraine said.
"We do love one another," said Joe.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber