98-Year-Old Mother Moves into Retirement Home to Take Care of 80-Year-Old Son

Ada Keating, a 98-year-old mother of four, recently moved into a care home in Huyton, Liverpool, not because she couldn’t take care of herself, but to look after her 80-year-old son Tom.

Tom Keating became a resident of the Moss View retirement home in 2016, when it became clear that he was no longer able to care for himself. His mother Ada joined him after about a year, when it became apparent that he would require additional support. The mother and son, originally from Wavertree, share a special bond, as Tom never married and had always lived with Ada. Tom was a painter and decorator at HE Simm building services before his retirement, while Ada was an auxiliary nurse at the former Mill Road Hospital. They lived together in the family home for most of their lives, and now do so again, in a retirement home.

“I say goodnight to Tom in his room every night and I’ll go and say good morning to him, you never stop being a mum,” Ada told The Liverpool Echo. “When I go out to the hairdressers he’ll look for me to see when I’m coming back. When I get back he’ll come to me with his arms outstretched and give me a big hug.”

“They’re very good here and I’m happy to see my mum more now she lives here,” Tom said, “She’s very good at looking after me. Sometimes she’ll say “Behave yourself”.”

Ada and her late husband Harry had four children – Tom, Barbara, Margi, and Janet. Janet, the youngest Keating, prematurely passed away at age 13. Ada’s granddaughter Debi Higham and other family members are regular visitors to the care home, and they’re happy that Ada and Tom are reunited.

“There’s no parting them. It’s reassuring for us that they’re both getting looked after 24/7,” Debi said.

“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,” said the care home manager Philip Daniels. “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.”