Dementia Wellness and Education Programs

Senior couple playing with children

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Mayo Clinic offers a variety of outreach education, support and wellness programs. It also hosts conferences designed to meet the needs of those affected by dementia, including people living with the disorder and their families, care partners, community members, and health care professionals.

Outreach activities are available on or near Mayo Clinic's campuses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rochester, Minnesota.

Download the Dementia Program Guide (PDF) to find a printable schedule of Alzheimer's disease events in Minnesota or visit the center's Florida-focused outreach website.

Dementia Hub

The Dementia Hub is a blog on Mayo Clinic Connect intended for people living with dementia, their caregivers, families and friends who support them. At "The Hub," you'll find information on current and upcoming programs and events on brain health, dementia, caregiving and research. The Hub is a place to engage with others, share experiences and ideas, ask questions, and feel connected.

Updated program information can be found under the "Programs & Events" tab. Connect with the Dementia Hub on Mayo Clinic Connect.

Caring Conversations support group

Mayo Clinic's Jacksonville and Rochester campuses offer a joint virtual support group called Caring Conversations. This group is open for caregivers supporting those with any type of dementia or memory loss. Caring Conversations provides opportunities to gather, share and reflect on experiences and feelings, and problem-solve with others in similar roles.

Caring Conversations meets via Zoom on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Central time. Contact Jodi Melius at melius.jodi@mayo.edu for more information or the Zoom link.

Lewy body dementia education and support

The Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center is a Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) Research Center of Excellence. In this role, the center offers events and resources for people with Lewy body dementia and their families, community members, and health care professionals. These include:

  • Virtual support meetings. The center holds virtual Caring for Lewy education and support meetings from 2 to 3:15 p.m., Central time, on the second Thursday of every month. Contact Jodi Melius at melius.jodi@mayo.edu for more information or the Zoom link.
  • Lewy body dementia knowledge and support events. The center hosts an annual Lewy body dementia knowledge and support event. More information can be found in the center's Dementia Program Guide (PDF).
  • Videos. Learn more about Lewy body dementia research and care through the center's video collection.

Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) education and support

The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center offers events and resources for people with FTD and their families, community members, and health care professionals. These include:

  • Virtual support meetings. The center holds virtual Caring for FTD education and support meetings from 5 to 6:15 p.m., Central time, on the third Tuesday of every month. Contact Jodi Melius at melius.jodi@mayo.edu for more information or the Zoom link.
  • Frontotemporal degeneration knowledge and support events. The center hosts an annual frontotemporal degeneration knowledge and support event. More information can be found in the center's Dementia Program Guide (PDF).
  • Videos. Learn more about frontotemporal degeneration research and care through the center's video collection.

Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health and Dementia

Conferences and symposia provide venues for patients, families, caregivers, and medical and research professionals to develop and promote best practices in Alzheimer's disease and dementia patient care and caregiver wellness. One such event is the Mayo Clinic Conference on Brain Health and Dementia.

Mindfulness-Based Dementia Caring (MBDC)

MBDC is an eight-week virtual program designed for family care partners to learn and experience how the practice of mindfulness can help with the challenges and stresses of the caregiving role. The program includes interactive mindful care practices, gentle yoga, lectures, group sharing and at-home assignments.

There is no cost for this program thanks to the support of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

More information can be found by contacting Angela Lunde at lunde.angela@mayo.edu or in the center's Dementia Program Guide (PDF).

Expanding Florida outreach

Community outreach and engagement opportunities at and near Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida continue to grow and evolve. Learn more on the center's Florida-focused outreach website.