Gene Hackman and the Case for Senior Living

By Steve Moran, March 12, 2025

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead on February 26 in New Mexico under mysterious circumstances. Initial reports said no foul play, but then things seemed amiss. We now have a pretty clear picture of what happened and a timeline. The why questions will likely never be fully answered. 

It appears his wife, Betsy, was the first to go, around February 11, from hantavirus. Hackman lived another seven or eight days before passing away around February 18. It seems likely that his declining health and dementia left him unable to deal with her death in any kind of meaningful way.  

Their bodies were not discovered until February 26. 

This was not a matter of resources. A Google search suggests he/they had a net worth of around 80 million dollars. 

It Did Not Have to Be

Every time I see another story about his death, I find myself thinking … if only they had been living in a senior living community …

• She would not have contracted hantavirus.
• She would have still been able to participate in all the things that she apparently was doing when living her life before their lives fell off a cliff.
• He would have had tremendous support throughout his cognitive decline.
• They would have both had great social support.

The Myth That Home Is Better

Repeated surveys show that people want to age at home. Emotionally it feels best, sounds best, but that does not make it true.   I find myself wondering what it was like for Betsy having to care for Gene, seemingly single-handedly, for months or years. It simply didn’t have to be. 

A Cautionary Tale

Older people will have a better life in senior living. I believe 100% that they would both have had much better lives and certainly longer lives in senior living. Perhaps all their money was a big part of what decreased their quality of life.  

Reprinted with permission from Steve Moran

About the Author
Steve Moran is a nationally known writer and speaker in the senior living industry.  He is the Founder and CEO of Senior Living Foresight, where the core value is to produce content and resources that help senior living providers do a better job serving residents, team members and the local marketplace community. Steve is passionate about senior living and enjoys hearing stories and writing about people who are doing cool and amazing things to help seniors and senior living operators.  https://www.seniorlivingforesight.net/