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Support Group for Those of Us Living With Mild Dementia
Early Dementia & Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) | Last Active: Aug 11 1:15am | Replies (462)Comment receiving replies
What you’re describing is actually something a lot of people in early stages of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment quietly wish existed, because caregiver groups don’t always fit when you’re still very much aware of your own changes and trying to process what’s happening from the inside, and while there are some “early-stage dementia” or “living with dementia” groups out there (often run through organizations like the Alzheimer's Association), they can be hard to find or not available everywhere, so the idea of starting a dedicated group for people in the mild stage is actually really valid since it would give a space to talk openly about fears, future planning, and day-to-day coping without it being framed through a caregiver lens, and it doesn’t even have to be complicated to start sometimes even a small local or online group where people just meet regularly to share experiences and practical tips is enough to make a big difference in feeling less isolated.
Replies to "What you’re describing is actually something a lot of people in early stages of Dementia and..."
@jayanthk
Indeed, I worked as a baker in a rest home some thirty odd years ago, and I would have occasional interaction with MCI and Alzheimer’s patients.
Back then I really never gave it a second thought besides compassion as I was on the outside looking in.
Now I find myself on the inside looking out and I am beginning to understand the emotions I saw in there eyes.
I shall never see patients residing in a rest home in the same way again.
I feel I am looking in a mirror at a reflection I don’t want to see, but it won’t go away. For the caregiver to understand this is, well, perhaps impossible.
I don’t usually express such thoughts, as they make me rather melancholy, but it is what it is. Regards, Ashley
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@jayanthk, thanks to @SusanEllen66 efforts in starting this discussion and forming a supportive group of people living with cognitive impairment, we will be opening a new support group on Mayo Clinic Connect soon (likely June).
To everyone, here is a list of Support Groups by condition on Mayo Clinic Connect https://connect.mayoclinic.org/groups/
Following the naming convention and to help people find the new group in an alphabetical list, what name would you call the group?
A. Cognitive Impairment & Living with Early Dementia
B. Dementia: Living with Cognitive Impairment
C. Early Dementia & Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)