'Saddest photo I have ever taken': Elderly couple forced to separate

A couple who have spent almost their entire lives with one another, are being forced to spend their golden years apart because they cannot get into the same care home.

Wolfram Gottschalk and his wife, Anita, were photographed by granddaughter Ashley Bartyik, who posted the image on Facebook in hopes it would spur officials to get the couple back together permanently.

“This is the saddest photo I have ever taken,” she wrote. “We want justice for my grandparents who ­after 62 years together deserve to spend their last moments in the same building.”

Wolfram, 83, and Anita, 81, are in separate care facilities in Surrey, British Columbia, and were ripped apart because they require different levels of care.

Wolfram, who suffers from dementia and congestive heart failure, was hospitalised and moved to a transitional health care facility where he’s been ever since.

Meanwhile, Anita has moved to an assisted living facility a 30-minute drive away from her husband in the hope that a spot will open up for him in the complex care area. 

The image has been shared more than 6,000 times online.

Image: In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Ashley Baryik posted a touching image of her "Omi and Opi" wiping away tears as they held hands, adding that it was "the saddest photo I have ever taken." Photograph: Ashley Baryik/Facebook