The Lady in the Red Hat

It’s not a full-time job. I’ve had full-time jobs, and those are 8 to 5 with paid time off and vacations. Keeping up with the hygiene, the meals, the dressing — taking care of Annie was a 24-hour job. Fortunately, I had a lot of help from our son, Bubba. For two years, we had a hospital bed in our living room because Annie was unable to get upstairs. 

When Annie and I were younger, in Chicago, we saw Ray Charles and a bunch of people live. She loved to go to live shows. Her absolute favorite musical was My Fair Lady, and we would watch that movie two or three times a year. So the music therapy at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health was the absolute highlight of her week. Annie went singing on Mondays and Wednesdays. We never missed it. She felt safe; I felt safe. 

Annie wore her red hat the first time she went to music therapy, and several people said how much they liked it. So she got to be known as the lady in the red hat. 

Now I want to make sure that people understand what people like us go through. When I married Annie, I said “for better or worse.” I know if the situations were reversed and I were the one needing care, nothing would be different. She would be doing exactly the same things for me. 

Len Hutchinson cared for his wife, Annie, who has Alzheimer’s disease, before moving her to a group home this past summer. They’ll celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in January 2022.