Since placing an ad in the Mountain Express nearly two weeks ago asking for help, Ketchum resident Paul Potters has fielded more than 30 phone calls and experienced an outpouring of generosity that has taken many forms.
Paul has reached out to the Wood River Valley community, hoping to find some Good Samaritans willing to help his wife, Christina, who is struggling with the fourth stage of Alzheimer's and a related syndrome that has left her blind, to "leave this earth with dignity."
Rather than see his wife of 33 years "warehoused" in one of the available Alzheimer's care units, he has decided to care for her at home until she can be placed in the sole facility he found suitable, which is currently full.
However, this decision carried with it a significant cost, both psychologically and financially.
The disease isolates not its victims, but also their families and friends, from the surrounding community, especially because of the necessity of providing round-the-clock care. Paul, a professional photographer and a climber and outdoorsman, estimates the cost of that care over the past two years at $125,000, an amount that has required the entirety of both their retirement funds.
The financial requirements are many, and include medication, keeping the house warm in winter and approximately $6,000 per month to pay for a private nurse for eight hours a day during the week.
Fortunately, Paul doesn't have to face these challenges alone.
As of Dec. 29, after his ad and a news article about his situation ran in the paper, he had received 33 phone calls, offering everything from food to playing live music.
"Being a caregiver for someone this ill is not everyone's cup of tea," Paul said on a snowy Saturday morning just before the end of the year. "However, some of the people looking to help have experience with Alzheimer's in their own families and know how difficult it can be."
For Paul, a self-professed private person, this outside help has been eye opening.
"To me, the most incredible part of all this is that many of the people who call are complete strangers. Perhaps they knew Chris's public persona, but they weren't friends of the family. This has allowed me to see a positive side, in that we are no longer isolated and now have many new friends."
In addition to individual members of the public, Paul said he has received a tremendous amount of assistance from the Ketchum-based Wood River Valley Hospice, which provided him with much-needed equipment to care for his 55-year-old wife, including a hospital bed and wheelchair.
"I'm so grateful to them," Paul said of the hospice. "In many ways, they are why I was able to bring Chris home."
Paul's close friends, Steve Wolper and Reid Dowdle, who he met many years ago rock climbing, have also created yet another way for the community to give back to a woman who did so much for it, especially with her dedication as an advocate for family recreation.
The pair set up the Chris Potter Benefit Account as a mechanism for donations to help Paul's financial burden.
"There are people calling Paul who want to contribute, but are unable to do so physically," Wolper said. "He has dedicated his life to taking care of his wife and this can help defray that enormous cost."
Those who wish to make a contribution to the account can do so at the Ketchum and Hailey branches of the Mountain West Bank branches or by mailing a donation to the Hailey branch at 206 N. Main St., Hailey, ID 83333.
"The strongest image I have of Chris on the Ketchum council was of someone who cared so much for the community," Wolper said. "Here's a chance for us to say thank you."
Christina Potters
