‘My wife is not a burden.’ Sarasota faces growing caregiving crisis

• Hurricane Milton had blown off the carport roof, damaged the lanai and broken several windows of his Sarasota home.
• But during that October in 2024, L. Paul Laramee was reeling from an even greater shock.
• After months of troubling behavior – including uncharacteristic suspiciousness – Paul’s beloved wife, Marie, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
• For Paul, much of the next year passed in a blur.
• But one thing stayed constant for the overwhelmed 83-year-old: the need to keep working.
• Juggling a part-time job long before Milton and Marie’s diagnosis to stay on top of rising housing costs, Paul watched as storm repairs wiped out their savings.

Then, as bills mounted, so did pressure on how best to care for Marie, his childhood sweetheart and wife of 64 years.

Stricken with guilt but unable to afford home health care or qualify for Medicaid, Paul’s only solution was to leave Marie home alone while he went to work, struggling to maintain a roof over their heads.

“It bothers me that I can’t be there to help her,” Paul said.

“But we have to live because Social Security doesn’t take care of much anymore. Money coming in is not keeping pace with money going out.”