Carers Australia has called for more focus on support networks for people caring for family members, following the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
An investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Ms Arakawa found he died of heart disease a week after Ms Arakawa died from a rare pulmonary disease called hantavirus.
“Mr Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” chief medical investigator Dr Heather Jarrell said. “He was in a very poor state of health.”
All signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Dr Jarrell said, adding, “It’s quite possible he was not aware she was deceased.”
A lonely duty
Emma Heming Willis, whose husband Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, posted a video on social media shedding light on the realities of caregiving, calling for more community support.
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“I do really believe that there is some learning in this story in regards to this tragic passing of Mr and Mrs Hackman,” Heming Willis said.
She said there was a common misconception that caregivers have “got it figured out”, stay on top of things and have it covered.
“I don’t subscribe to that,” she said.
“I think we need to be showing up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.”
“Caregivers need care too.”
More support needed
Carers Australia chief executive Annabel Reid said carers were most often people caring for and supporting loved ones, including friends or family.
“Perhaps it’s taking care of an elderly parent or partner, but it could also be looking after a child with disability or a partner with a chronic health condition and things like that,” she said.
“And there can be a lot of time and energy invested into that person and often puts that person’s needs before their own needs.”
Carers were “often invisible”, Ms Reid said.
“Carers probably need, first and foremost, simple acknowledgement and recognition,” she said.
She said there were 3 million unpaid carers in Australia and “we really underestimate how much [they] contribute”.
“What that does is it obfuscates how much our systems have gaps and don’t support the people who need care,” Ms Reid said.
Actor Gene Hackman died a week after his wife and carer Betsy Arakawa. (AP Photo: File)
She said the difficulties facing carers did not recognise socio-economic circumstances and it was not uncommon to end up in scenarios similar to Hackman and Ms Arakawa.
“No matter how much money they had and access to systems, we presume systems are there, but they’re not,” Ms Reid said.
“Those networks don’t magically appear, there just aren’t other people often looking after the carer, and that’s where everything failed in that very sad story.”
ABC/AP
