It helps to have emotionally healthy perspective when you care for someone with Alzheimer's disease, even if you’ve loved them for decades.

"You have to understand and learn to say, ‘It’s the disease and not the person,’" says William McLaurin, 85, who lovingly cares for his wife of 62 years, Linn.

"You live through it," he says. "Once you start on the journey, you don’t want to quit."

The Orange County Caregiver Resource Center provides critical support on William’s journey, sending respite care. He savors the two-hour breaks that allow his mind to temporarily drift from the daily responsibilities of caregiving.

"I can go out and do something for myself, get a hamburger or go to the park and watch the birds – get my mind off it," he says. "It’s a way to get away from the situation and try not to worry about whether everything is all right."

Caregiver Resource Centers embody 50 years of dedicated services in California enhancing the lives of older adults.