ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With so many New Mexicans providing care for loved ones, city leaders say the high-profile case involving Gene Hackman and his wife is a good reminder to check on elderly loved ones.

According to New Mexico’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell, Betsy Arakawa Hackman died from Hantavirus, a virus found in rodents. The actor likely died a week later. His cause of death was “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor” Jarrell said.

According to officials Betsy died on February 11 ^th . Gene likely died on February 18 ^th according to abnormalities in his pacemaker. It took a maintenance worker more than a week to find their bodies.

The City of Albuquerque’s Director for Senior Affairs, Anna Sanchez, said it’s important for people to stay connected to their communities, especially as they age.

“I think the main thing we can learn from this situation is that it’s really important as folks get older our older adults really need to have community connections,” Sanchez said.

The City of Albuquerque has many resources for that including more than 400 classes and activities across its senior centers. Sanchez said it’s important for caretakers to remain connected too in case something happens, or they need help themselves.

According to Sanchez, 19% of folks in Albuquerque are over the age of 65. About half of the seniors the city surveyed last year said they live alone.

“We want to make sure they’re maintaining a network of friends and neighbors that certainly know the situations of what’s going on at home,” Sanchez said.