FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ — Ahead of the third annual Fountain Hills Dementia Caregiver Summit on Saturday, March 7, ABC15 is following up with two women who have truly become experts on what it means to be a caregiver for a loved one battling this disease.
Wearing many hats is nothing new for Linda Rode, or anyone else, for that matter, caring for someone who is facing dementia.
Currently, Arizona has more than 150,000 people, ages 65 and up, who have dementia, according to a number of recent estimates.
Last September, Linda faced a devastating loss - her husband of 32 years, Paul, had passed away, about five years after he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.
"You can't be a victim. You have to go on," says Linda.
In February 2025, Linda described to ABC15 what the journey had been like.
"There are so many hard parts...I think losing him was the hardest. Every day, you lose a piece, and you don't know what piece that is going to be."
Shortly after our interview in 2025, Linda says her husband began a rapid decline, and eventually, the decision was made to move him into hospice care.
Just months later, Paul would lose his battle. Linda still remembers those final days together.
"He mouthed the words, 'I love you,'" she says. "I sat with him each step of the way. In the final days, I was there all day, every day...In the dementia world, I was losing him every day, but still, when that final moment comes, and I can't go with him and give him a kiss, it was devastating."
Sadly, Linda isn't the only one who has gone through major life changes over the past year.
Linda's dear friend, Fountain Hills Councilmember Peggy McMahon, has also seen her life turned upside down by a dementia diagnosis.
"It was devastating, but when you walk that journey, you have to give yourself a lot of grace," explains Peggy, whose husband Dave has dementia.
Last year, a decision was made to move Dave into a full-time memory care facility as his dementia had progressed rapidly.
"It's an interesting situation," describes Peggy. "You are married, but your husband does not live with you, so it's learning how to balance that and the new reality of your marriage."
Peggy says the transition has been quite difficult at times, especially for Dave.
"He didn't want to be there," she explains. "And I completely understand that. I wouldn't want to be either. None of us do. But as far as, for me, it was really being guilt-ridden for a long time. Because you feel guilty and so inadequate. That is very hard. You really have to give yourself grace as a caregiver."
It is a grace that ultimately opened the two up to a new, unexpected, but equally gratifying phase of their marriage.
"It's interesting," describes Peggy. "As the days progress, he is less verbal. He is losing his ability to speak, both mentally and physically. It's very frustrating. But in a lot of ways, what surprised me is that we have become a lot more intimate with each other emotionally. When I go to see him, we just sit, and we don't talk. We hold hands or go for a walk...it has its own beauty."
To learn more about the free Dementia Summit happening on Saturday, March 7, in Fountain Hills, click here. You are asked to register ahead of time.
