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MARQUETTE -- Caring for someone with dementia can be stressful, even overwhelming.

A conference held at N.M.U. in Marquette Monday aimed to help caregivers realize they are not alone in those struggles.

Caregiver Lisa Cerasoli says, "I was so knee-deep in the middle of caregiving that writing a grocery list was a task and a half."

Cerasoli has been her grandmother's primary caregiver for the past two years.

She says, "I felt very alone for the first year, and then people started slowly offering assistance and I felt bad taking it, or I felt weak taking it. Take it, just take it, take your break, figure out some help."

The "Hope for the Future, Help for Today" Alzheimers Association conference offered workshops for caregivers, family members, and medical professionals.

Ruth Almen, U.P. region director for the Alzheimers Association, says, "The important thing is to know that people are still, they are experiencing those things in the moment, so all the opportunities to participate, to share in things, to have things to do that are meaningful and fun for them, are still really important that they do that because they are there in present at those moments."

Some of the topics covered were how to deal with challenging behaviors, what symptoms and signs to look for, and what kind of support is available for someone with dementia to live independently.  And most of all, caregivers were reminded to also take care of themselves during the process.

Cerasoli says, "This is something we can't control right now and we can't cure right now, but that the big deal is maintaining familiarity as long as you can."