Across the country, roughly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease; nearly all of us know someone who is affected. Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia, is a brain disease that damages parts of the brain responsible for language, thinking and memory. While the early stages of the disease often yield no noticeable symptoms, those with advanced Alzheimer’s are unable to communicate verbally and depend upon other people for care. As of now, there is no cure.

Caregiving for those with Alzheimer’s can be difficult, thankless work, with emotional and financial repercussions. While many Alzheimer’s patients live in memory care facilities, others live with family members and are given care at home.

One such caregiver, Ty Lewis, has been taking care of her mother, Gertrude, for four years and making the best of Gertrude’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s with behavioral disturbances in the process. Lewis now runs a consulting business for memory care facilities and caregivers, as well as an Instagram page dedicated to caregiving for her mom, all with the goal of showing that joy can be found after diagnosis —even amid the pain and hardship. “My mother always taught me to love, serve well and be generous,” Lewis says. “Those lessons will always stay with me. Even now, unknowingly, she is doing the same in our social media community, and so many lives are benefitting and being changed.”

Yahoo Life spoke with Lewis and other caregivers across the United States to hear what they’ve learned about life and Alzheimer’s disease by working so closely with people who often remember very little. Here’s what they shared.

Don’t give in to fear
As with many uncomfortable topics, people tend to look away from Alzheimer’s rather than learn as much as they can about it. Dementia care specialist Teepa Snow says truly facing how to care for a loved one with the disease is one of the most important lessons she’s learned. “Fear often gets in the way of people learning about dementia and building their skills, both of which are essential to providing effective support,” she tells Yahoo Life. “The ability to successfully support people living with dementia isn’t a skill that comes naturally for the vast majority of people — it must be learned.”