We really liked this recently love survey from Emeritus Senior Living, a national provider of assisted living services for seniors. They went to the source of wisdom for insights into love an marriage and the results are quite touching.

They polled their residents at communities across the country for a “Lifetime of Love” survey, asking residents things like how long they had been married, the most memorable gifts they had ever received and what they believed to be the most important ingredients for lasting love. According to the survey:

* The majority of residents agreed that the key to a successful marriage was the determination to make it last from day one, citing communication (43%), trust (19%) and friendship (19%) as the most important factors in a long and loving relationship.

*The most memorable gifts were shared experiences, including one resident who remembered a trip across 47 states from which they returned best friends. Other gifts that participants noted as unique include engagement rings and children.

*For those residents who dated their significant other during war time, love letters and photos were considered the best gifts received while they were separated. Good news, such as marriage proposals, word that the war was over, and notice of their loved one coming home, were also top responses to best war time gifts.

“The seniors in our lives have so many great love stories and words of wisdom to share with the next generation so we wanted to learn what they view as the most important keys to a successful relationship,” commented Jayne Sallerson, EVP, Sales & Marketing for Emeritus Senior Living. “Nearly half of our residents have been married for over 50 years and with Valentine’s Day around the corner our seniors remind us that determination and a pledge to give it your all are the most important components to lasting love.”

Other love advice that seniors offered to young couples include:

· Instead of saying let’s give it a try, give it your all
· Laugh together and dance together
· Leave the room before you lose your temper
· Tell each other you love one another often
· Settle your differences before you get married. After you are married it’s not 50/50 in a relationship it’s 100/100 in support of one another.
· There will always be ups and downs. Keep working at it. Tomorrow is always a different day.

Additional notable survey findings included:

· The overwhelming majority (93%)of respondents said they consider daily affection important
· The majority of respondents (76%) said “I love you” to their spouse everyday
· The biggest challenges respondents faced in their relationship were raising children (31%) and finances (25%)
· 30% of respondents said they have been away from their spouse for more than six months at one time.

In conjunction with the release of the survey results, Emeritus is also inviting friends to log on to the company’s Facebook page through February 28th to share the best love advice passed down to them by a parent or grandparent.