Free Caregiver Support Groups — Lexington Region, KY | BGAAAIL
The Bluegrass Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living (BGAAAIL) runs free caregiver support groups in communities across the 17 counties of the Bluegrass Area Development District, centered on Lexington, Kentucky. The groups are part of the agency’s Caregiver Support Program, funded through the Older Americans Act National Family Caregiver Support Program and administered with the Kentucky Department of Aging and Independent Living.
What to Expect BGAAAIL provides caregiver support groups in local communities specifically to foster peer support and learning — meaning the groups are placed where caregivers live rather than centralized in one Lexington office. Meeting days, times, and locations vary by community, so the agency’s Aging and Disability Resource Center connects each caregiver to the group nearest them. Alongside the groups, the program offers information and assistance locating services, caregiver counseling on difficult issues and challenges, and caregiver training covering problem-solving, decision-making, self-care, and communication. Respite care and supplemental services are available to give caregivers a temporary break from daily responsibilities. BGAAAIL also operates a dedicated Dementia Care program and holds a Dementia Friendly designation.
Who This Group Is For The program serves family caregivers of any age who provide care to someone at least 60 years old, or as young as 55 with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. It also serves grandparents and other older relative caregivers age 55 and older who provide primary care to grandchildren up to age 18. There are no income restrictions and no income or asset testing to be eligible for program services. Caregivers throughout Fayette County and the surrounding Bluegrass region are welcome.
Why Peer Support Works Dementia caregiving in particular is a long, gradually escalating job, and the people doing it often withdraw from their own social lives before they notice it happening. A local peer group interrupts that. Caregivers who attend consistently report two things: practical strategies they could not have found on their own, and relief at hearing their own exhaustion, guilt, and occasional anger described by someone else without judgment. That has a downstream effect the federal program is explicitly designed around — caregivers who feel supported are able to provide care longer and are more willing to accept respite before reaching crisis.
How to Join There is no cost to attend, and no income or asset test. To be connected to the caregiver support group nearest you and to apply for program services, contact the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 859-266-1116 or toll free at 1-866-665-7921, or email adrc@bgadd.org. BGAAAIL’s office is at 699 Perimeter Drive, Lexington, KY 40517, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information is available at bgaaail.org.