LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) -An estimated 40,000 people across the region are living with some form of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, but the impact reaches far beyond those diagnosed.

For many families, caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's can be a journey that lasts years, sometimes even decades.

Dr. Jonathan Singer, director of the Garrison Institute on Aging at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, says caregiving stress can take a toll on a person's health."We even know now from research here as well as around the world that caregivers are actually at risk for dementia because of the stress and burden that it causes caring for them for 10, 15, 20 years," Singer said.