<p>The objective of the study was to explore the experience of caregivers, relatives of patients with dementia, inhabitants of Santa Rosa de Osos, Colombia. The methodological design was qualitative, with a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. A case study was carried out with five informal caregivers with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted as an information gathering technique. We found that caring for a person with dementia is a demanding task, both physically and emotionally, which the caregivers face according to the interpretations they attribute to it and based on their personal, family and social resources. It is an experience sustained by the previous bond, which is transformed by the demands and roles imposed by the disease. Dementia causes a succession of ambiguous changes and losses, both physical and symbolic, which mobilize in the caregivers mourning processes in which uncertainty is a central experience. We conclude by affirming the value of multidisciplinary studies that advance the research on a growing global health problem that affects both, patients and their family systems, in all areas of life.</p>