Support Group Offers Important Outlet for Dementia Caregivers

By Colleen Diskin

A dozen family caregivers are seated in a circle inside the 1425 Teaneck Road Community Room, each sharing some of the struggles and joys they’ve experienced during the past month as they navigate life with a loved one experiencing dementia.

Whether the anecdotes are about caregiving successes or difficulties, heads nod in understanding. Suggestions flow.

Try attaching a tracking device to an item of clothing if you’re worried about getting separated from a loved one in a crowded public space.

Pull out a favorite game or put on a familiar piece of music if you can’t get your older relative to stop fixating on something from the past.

A common theme throughout the 2-hour discussion: Take care of yourself, too.

March gathering of Dementia Caregivers Support Group

Many of these caregivers have become regular participants of the Dementia Caregivers Support Group led by Linda Devonish Mills.

Devonish-Mills, a member of the Age-Friendly Teaneck Advisory Board, is a trained caregiver support-group facilitator and community

educator who has cared for her own mother. She started this group and leads other dementia education and support programs to honor her mother, who died in 2014.

“Having an opportunity to talk with other caregivers is so important,” Devonish-Mills said. “Every month we’ve held this group, we’ve had somebody new attend, and it doesn’t matter that they didn’t previously have a connection to anybody here, or that the regulars come from different places and backgrounds; they can relate to each other almost immediately through their experiences of caring for someone with dementia.”

Devonish-Mills started the group in April 2025 after first holding an educational workshop called Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease. To mark the group's first anniversary, she will lead another educational workshop titled "10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease" at 6 pm on April 13 in the Community Room. This event is free and open to all. Click here for details.

 The support group meetings are held at 6 pm on the first Monday of every month. Each begins with Devonish-Mills asking attendees to share whatever experience or issue is most on their minds that night, which leads to a range of empathetic conversations – some celebrating a particular caregiving victory, others offering reassurance to someone facing a new or continuing challenge.

At a recent meeting, the assembled group sang “Happy Birthday” to one member, listened to another share a somber story of a family member’s funeral, and cheered another attendee’s upcoming plans to take a much-needed vacation.

Several group members spoke about how the monthly sessions have helped them overcome the feelings of loneliness and isolation that so many caregivers experience. Some said the group members have helped them to recognize that they need to practice self-care and to give themselves breaks from the rigors of caregiving.

“Taking care of someone with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease can be all-consuming, and so many caregivers end up feeling separated from their family, friends, and communities,” Devonish-Mills said. “It’s so important to stay connected. Our goal in holding these meetings is to provide space for people to talk to others who can relate to what they are experiencing because they are living it too.”

The monthly support group aligns with The Bright Side Family’s mission to use the community room at 1425 Teaneck Road as a space for programs that provide health and wellness education, social connections, and support for older adults and their caregivers.

Anyone interested in joining this support group should email us at info@agefriendlyteaneck.org.