When a parent or spouse needs intensive home care, and especially when dementia is involved, caregiving can become isolating, says MiCDA’s Carey Wexler Sherman. Although conducted with love, it can also involve loss if friends and family avoid becoming involved or if caregivers remove themselves from social interactions. To help mitigate the damage of social isolation, Sherman says, caregivers may want to connect with others through online communities with well-trained, knowledgeable moderators.

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