freelance photographer
CRISTINA BETZ
Peggy Barnum kisses her husband P.T. after reading him a Valentine’s Day card given to him by their grandchildren.
Every day, Peggy changes P.T.’s shirt which can be very difficult especially when he is in his wheelchair.
Peggy reads a book at home to pass some time before visiting P.T. around 6 for dinner.
Peggy Barnum kisses her husband P.T. after reading him a Valentine’s Day card given to him by their grandchildren.
For Better or For Worse
Every single day, seventy-three-year old Peggy Barnum visits her husband who suffers from Alzheimer’s. Philip Thomas Barnum, better known as P.T., became a resident at Magnolia Village in Bowling Green, Kentucky after his dementia progressed. Magnolia Village is a nursing home that specializes in helping those with dementia. Alzheimer’s is our nation’s most expensive disease and the sixth-leading cause of death. P.T. 's father was 85 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but unfortunately P.T. was only 61 when Peggy began to notice he was displaying signs of the disease. Peggy recalls a time where P.T. went on a walk, and it was several hours before he returned in a police car. The policeman explained he was trying to hitchhike to Louisville.
In February 2015, P.T. was admitted to Magnolia Village and Peggy who lives only ten minutes away visits him twice every day. She arrives around 11:30 a.m. to feed him lunch before changing his clothes, brushing his teeth and hair, shaving his beard, and reading to him before he takes a nap around 1:30 p.m. Peggy returns in the afternoon to feed him dinner at 5:30 p.m. and sometimes stays until he goes to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. Although Magnolia Village does laundry for each patient, Peggy prefers to take P.T. 's clothes home because she believes he likes the smell of their detergent. Peggy also enjoys feeding him herself, even though the village has several employees that help the residents that cannot feed themselves. Any chance she gets, she loves to spend time with him to enjoy all the little moments.
Peggy is from Kentucky, but P.T. was born in Massachusetts. The couple met at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. “We sat next to each other in homeroom because of assigned seats and that is how we met,” said Peggy. For their first date, P.T. took Peggy to a Wednesday night church service and he later became a preacher serving his Methodist church for 41 years. They married on June 21,1969 and have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple is very close to their two sons, Stephen and Michael, and their eleven grandchildren who live in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Peggy explains it is very difficult to see P.T. in his current state. He cannot speak well and has not been able to say her name for the last two years. Although it is challenging, she made a promise at marriage to be there for better or for worse, and she will uphold that vow by continuing to stay by P.T. 's side to help him during this stage of his life.