The strange thing about aging is how our attitudes change toward it as we grow up. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait to get older so you could do whatever you wanted to? And then when you finally got older you wished you were young again so you don't have to pay bills or worry about retirement planning or mortgages or any of that?
Beyond that, it starts to get a bit scary, doesn't it? At one point you're a grown-up, an adult fully in charge of your life. And then at some point you're just old and vulnerable, clinging to everything familiar that you can. It's no wonder this guy is fighting so hard for his wife.