Clearly, John Wells was not himself. His wife, Deb, knew something was amiss. So did his students at Bear Creek High School.
But no one was prepared for the diagnosis in 2002: Alzheimer’s. John Wells was only 58.
“I knew something was wrong, but I was totally shocked by the ‘A’ word,” Deb Wells said. “It was not on my radar at all.”
John Wells took an early retirement. His wife, who quit her job last year to care for her husband full time, attends Alzheimer’s support groups and caregiver-training sessions.
“They’ve been my lifeline,” she said.
Deb Wells recently testified at the Capitol on behalf of a bill allowing Coloradans to donate a portion to their state income-tax refund to the Alzheimer’s Association Fund.
The Alzheimer’s program is one of 28 programs that have raised about $38 million in donations since the income-tax checkoff program began in 1977, according to a Legislative Council memo. Others causes include Special Olympics and pet overpopulation.
Initially there were five programs listed on the tax form, then the legislature raised it.
The legislature must give its approval for a fund to make the list and then needs to renew its eligibility about every five years.
To stay on the list, a fund must receive at least $75,000 by its third year. (The exception is the Western Slope Military Veterans Cemetery Fund, which can stay regardless of what it receives.)
Groups that have been removed because donations fell short include Easter Seals Colorado.
“That was tough,” chief executive Lynn Robinson said of being removed after making the list in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Robinson said her group asked the legislature for a fourth year to try to hit its goal but was turned down. An extra year might not have mattered, she said, because the economy had tanked.
“But some of those charities have done great,” she said.
Among them is the Alzheimer’s Association Fund, which first appeared on tax forms in 2005. The House this month unanimously approved a bill allowing the group to stay on the list for another five years. The bill, House Bill 1028, is awaiting Senate action today.
The fund has received an average of $115,044 a year, with the average taxpayer donating about $10, state records show.
That annual assist from taxpayers is vital, said Linda Mitchell, president and chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Association, which provides a 24-hour help line, family counseling, support groups and other services.
“The association opens up avenues that make you feel like you can do something about the disease. The cliche word, I guess, is ’empowered,’ ” said Deb Wells.
In addition to Alzheimer’s, John Wells, now 66, also has been diagnosed in recent years with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disease.
“It’s heartbreaking sometimes to see what he’s lost, but he’s still retained so much compared to some other people,” his wife said.
Still, she said, her husband sometimes thinks she is the hired help. Wells then explains that she’s his wife and cares for him because she loves him.
“He will say, ‘Oh yeah,’ ” Deb said. “But just the other morning, he said, ‘I can’t believe you do this job 24-7, and they don’t even give you a stipend.’ I loved that he used the word ‘stipend.’ “
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
