Although Roberta Cruz often is the only woman of color in her caregivers’ support group, she finds connecting with other caregivers to be "a gold mine."

Before, Roberta says, "the hardest thing was always just not knowing the right thing to do" for her mother. The older woman has Alzheimer’s disease, and Roberta has been caring for her for nearly a decade.

Emotional support from other caregivers as well as her case manager at the Southern Caregiver Resource Center brought Roberta new energy and confidence, she says in a stirring video.

"We feel supported, and we feel heard," she says. "We feel held, in times when there’s no one else."

The 11 Caregiver Resource Centers covering every part of California are an example of 50 years of service to older adults and their loved ones.