Caregiving can be overwhelming and isolating. Here are simple ways to offer support.

Family and friends are supposed to be our closest allies. We rely on them for support and enjoy celebrating life's joys with them. But there are two times when we feel alone. One is at the end of our lives, because people stop visiting; the other is when we become a caregiver.

There are moments when a caregiver wants to shout, "You just don't get it!"

Twenty years ago, with myopic vision, my husband and I agreed to care for my father after he was diagnosed with dementia. We moved him from his Wisconsin home of 45 years into our California home, and then tried to involve as many of our family, friends, business colleagues and neighbors as possible.