Natalie Eddy Joins Rocky Mountain Walk to End Alzheimer's

Aspen —A five-month stay in a memory care facility. That’s how long Natalie Eddy’s mother survived after the family decided it was time to move her out of their home.

Eddy wrote in the Vail Daily that she is walking to find a cure for the disease that claimed the lives of both her parents. One died of dementia of unknown specificity; the other, her father, died as the caregiver. It’s a grim statistical reality Eddy references: dementia can claim the life of the caregiver first. Her family wasn’t expecting that trajectory.

Let’s do the math on the caregiving burden. Eddy’s father cared for his wife from 2016 to 2022. By the time it became unsustainable, he had hired daytime help for six hours a day. But the nights? Those were his alone. Getting his wife into bed could take an hour or more, navigating the complex routines of a dementia sufferer. While their four siblings helped when possible, the primary weight rested on him. He never focused on his own health, but the toll on his sleep and well-being was evident to the family.

The decision to seek outside help was driven by necessity. When Eddy’s father started considering a memory care facility, Eddy accompanied them on the visits. They found a highly recommended location near their house. Eddy believed it would benefit both her mother and her father. However, the transition was rough. Her father visited daily at 4 p.m. Her mother stayed for only five months. She entered the facility walking and talking; she left in a wheelchair, barely speaking, and two sizes larger. In Eddy’s assessment, it wasn’t the right choice for her mother — a decision that will always haunt her.

Back home, the family relied on their previous in-home caregivers. These professionals extended their hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. After her time in the facility, Eddy’s mother wasn’t walking and required significantly more assistance than her father could provide. The caregivers lifted her into bed before leaving and returned in the morning to help her up. This arrangement held for 22 months until the family suddenly lost Eddy’s father.

In the aftermath, the family operated in shock. They planned his funeral while simultaneously caring for Eddy’s mother. Several siblings took turns covering the overnight shift after the caregiver left. They maintained this schedule for several months until the family felt comfortable allowing the caregivers to stay overnight. Eddy admits it was difficult to turn their house over to outsiders. They also leaned heavily on in-home hospice services from Ascend Healthcare, covered by Medicare. Over several years, this service provided supplies, home health, a chaplain, a musician, a massage therapist, and a social worker, with staff regularly entering and exiting the home.

This setup lasted ten months after Eddy’s father died. Eddy’s mother knew he was gone. Eddy slept with her. Her mother would wake in the middle of the night and say, “he’s dead.” For someone who barely spoke, that statement carried weight. The family surrounded her when she took her last breath, joining her husband, her primary caregiver.

Now, Eddy is putting her feet to work. She’s joining the fight to end Alzheimer’s and other dementias at the Rocky Mountain Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The event takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Brush Creek Park and Pavilion in Eagle. For Eddy, it’s not just a walk; it’s a search for a cure that didn’t come in time for her parents.