Caregivers and Alzheimer’s: ‘Remember who they were'

At age 14, Jack Pettitt fudged some numbers for enlistment and shipped off to the Korean War where he earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. Now, at age 87, Pettitt’s bedroom in Kalispell has become his battlefield. The Army veteran is one of at least 22,000 Montanans over age 65 living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Pettitt’s daughter, Sharon Peetz, and son-in-law, Gary, are among an estimated 51,000 caregivers in Montana who looked after loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s last year, according to the Montana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

Montana has one of the oldest populations of any state in the U.S. Since age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s and different forms of dementia, the number of people affected by these debilitating diseases is only expected to grow.

By 2025, it’s predicted that 27,000 Montanans will be living with Alzheimer’s. That’s about 1,000 new cases of the disease each year.

“The truth is most everyone in the whole world will eventually know someone, or have known someone, or knows someone right now that is struggling and going through dementia/Alzheimer’s,” Peetz said.

The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer’s is a condition involving the progressive deterioration of nerve cells in the brain that are responsible for functions like memory, personality and carrying out daily activities. The average person with Alzheimer’s lives four to eight years after their diagnosis. Currently, Alzheimer’s is an incurable disease that exacts an immense physical, emotional and financial toll on the patient and their loved ones.

While looking over statistics for Alzheimer’s in Montana, Lynn Mullowney Cabrera, executive director of the Montana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, points out that “Each of those numbers is not a number — it’s a person. In many cases, it’s a whole family.”

The Alzheimer’s Association reports caregivers in Montana collectively put in 58 million hours of unpaid labor each year while taking care of their parents, siblings or spouses with Alzheimer’s. The average caregiver spends about 24 to 48 hours every week providing care, and most Alzheimer’s patients require more than one caregiver to respond to all of their daily needs.

Peetz said she and her husband never have the opportunity to leave their Kalispell house together, because one person needs to be at home with her father at all times.

“Families find themselves in the most impossible situation,” Mullowney Cabrera observed.

That was the case when Jack Pettitt started experiencing memory problems last year. In order to get him the care he needed, Peetz quit her job in Washington, sold her house and her father’s home in California, and moved the family to Kalispell.

Peetz was better prepared than many family caregivers because she had been working in a memory care unit in Washington when her father called her to ask for her help. But her life changed completely when Pettit fell, broke a rib and confessed to Peetz that he could no longer live on his own.

Difficult decisions like resigning from employment and moving houses are only a few of the many challenges caregivers like Peetz face when they take on the daunting task of providing for their loved one’s constant care. The impacts of Alzheimer’s on caregivers include the obvious emotional distress of looking after a sick loved one, as well physical, financial, legal and logistical challenges.

“There are really damaging implications for the caregiver,” Mullowney Cabrera said.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients have twice the risk of developing depression than the average population. One of the most emotionally taxing components of caregiving, as reported by those looking after people with Alzheimer’s, is feeling isolated — an experience Mullowney Cabrera said has been heavily exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caregiving also cuts into paid employment for many caretakers who work outside the home. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, these workers frequently miss work, turn down promotions and retire early in order to spend time providing for their sick friends and relatives. The cyclic effect is additional financial strain on many people who are already struggling with medical costs or saving money to afford for their relatives to stay in a memory care facility.

“There’s just so many layers of heartache to this,” said Mullowney Cabrera.

There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, but Mullowney Cabrera said researchers are more hopeful than ever about figuring out ways to detect the disease early and slow its progress. The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which took place in Kalispell in September, raises money for research and policy efforts to support Montanans with Alzheimer’s. The Montana Chapter is currently about $30,000 shy of its annual fundraising goal of $330,000.

But there is still a lot of work to be done to support those on the caregiving side of the disease. Peetz volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association in addition to caring for her father, and she wants to help connect other Montanans to the resources provided by the organization and other sources of aid in the community.

“In Kalispell, I want to be a resource for families that just are really struggling, because that’s a reality of Alzheimer’s,” she said.

She encouraged caretakers to call the Alzheimer’s Association’s at 1-800-272-3900. The free, 24/7 phone line connects callers with a “Care Consultant” who can offer advice and an attentive ear to caregivers facing a variety of challenges.

The Alzheimer’s Association also offers free online classes for caregivers on topics like effective communication strategies and legal and financial planning. The classes can be found at https://training.alz.org.

Peetz also suggested local caregivers take advantage of support from all around the community. She said first responders like the South Kalispell Fire Department have come to her father’s rescue plenty of times over the past year, even moving the bedbound Pettitt from a rental home into their permanent residence since the Peetz’s couldn’t move him on their own.

In fact, Peetz said trying to go it alone is the biggest mistake a caregiver can make. She urged others in her position to reach out, get out of the house and acknowledge their own needs alongside their sick loved ones’.

“Do not feel guilty about it,” Peetz reiterated. “You have to be healthy to take care of your loved one.”

Mullowney Cabrera echoed Peetz’s advice in her professional opinion: “This disease is hard, but it’s harder when you do it alone.”

To donate to the Montana Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, go to https://www.alz.org/montana

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.