When George Murray was admitted to hospital with a water infection on August 6, his family never imagined they would still be waiting for him to come home five months later.
But after an agonising wait due to a shortage of carers, the 90-year-old has finally been reunited with his wife of 70 years.
And there were tears of joy as his wife Dorothy, 89, welcomed George back into their home in Whickham on January 17.
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The couple's granddaughter Marie Donnelly, 33, said: "We're all absolutely over the moon to have grandad back home after all this time. We're all so happy."
George's return home was delayed after social workers said he was unable to be discharged as there was no care available for him at home.
However, the family claim that his wife Dorothy's carers, who had also helped to care for George since 2019, were willing to continue caring for the couple together.
The couple's daughter, Lynne Donnelly, said: "[While George was in hospital] the carers who care for my mam three times a day said they could quite easily care for my dad because they know him and they've been going to his home for years to help look after them both.
"We've heard that there's not enough care workers, but the care workers are saying that they are employing more and more people so they can't understand why it can't be done."
Gateshead Council say they sought to arrange a care package for George with the agency who provided his support prior to his admission to hospital, as well as his wife's care package.
And while the agency initially thought they could provide the support required, they later learned that they would be unable to accommodate the level of support George would now require.
The council confirmed that George has now been discharged with a different provider, as the care provider supporting Dorothy still cannot accommodate his care package requirements.
The couple's family are glad to finally have George at home and say it's a huge relief for the couple as their mental health was suffering as a result of the separation.
Lynne, 64, from Wardley, said: "Mam couldn't sleep and she wasn't eating properly.
"She kept crying because she couldn't understand why dad couldn't come home.
"He's 90 and she's 89 and they've been married for 70 years.
"She would say they don't have long left and she just wants to spend the time they do have together.
"It was awful because all I could say to her was: 'I know, we're trying'."
She added: "The only contact I had with my dad after visiting stopped due to Covid was through an iPad which was on the ward and he didn't understand it.
"Every time we talked he was asking 'why aren't you coming in?' and his mental health was deteriorating because he needs human contact with his family.
"We're a very close family and he would love keeping in touch with everyone.
"But because of the pandemic, he didn't know what was happening and his memory has started going so you'd have to keep bringing him back when we FaceTimed him.
"The whole experience had a knock on effect for the whole family and I've felt like the whole care system is failing the older generation.
"We've had such a horrible time with it all and it's scary because I think there must be a lot of people going through that - it's not nice at all."
Steph Downey, service director for adult social care at Gateshead Council, said: "Our priority is always the health and wellbeing of anyone in need of our services.
"We worked closely with the hospital to make sure that Mr Murray was receiving the best care possible, which led to an extended stay at QE, as his family had previously declined offers of interim placements until at home care was available.
"Whilst carers were keen to support Mr Murray and his family at home, adult social care services in Gateshead, like many others around the country, are under severe pressure.
"This meant that Mr Murray could not be discharged when we would have hoped. As soon as the level of at home care could be met by the providers and he was fit for discharge, Mr Murray was reunited with his family."
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust were contacted for a comment.
