DENVER -- It's a story we often don't hear about, but caregivers of Alzheimer's patients can go through major life changes as much, if not more, than the patients themselves.

Just ask J J Jordan.

"There's no questions if that one person in the family is affected by this disease. Everybody's affected, involved," said Jordan.

Jordan's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2002. Just six months ago, things got progressively worse. Her mother stopped recognizing her all together.

"The way I found out was one day she looked up and said, 'Aren't you the lady that takes care of my clothes?' Of course, I didn't want to cry in front of her. I said, 'Yes, absolutely. I take care of your clothes and so much more.' And I gave her a kiss and told her how pretty she was," said Jordan.

Jordan's mother is in the late stages of the disease. Jordan said it was through help from the Alzheimer's Association that taught her how to cope and hope again.

"The class is called Savvy Caregivers. It really covers the A to Z of Alzheimer's -- everything," said Jordan.

She learned to be patient and set goals for not only making her mother's life as comfortable as possible, but also making sure she takes care of herself.

"We learn how to do little things. What to say and not to say. Not to correct. We never challenge. We never criticize. These are people with a brain disease," said Jordan.

Jordan said the first step for caregivers is getting over the denial phase. She said you don't have to go through this alone. In fact, Jordan has learned so much from the Alzheimer's Association that she now volunteers to teach the Savvy Caregiver Class.

For more information about the class, and for more resources, go to alz.org/co.