Free Caregiver Peer Support Groups Washington, DC | Iona
Iona Senior Services runs free, peer-supported caregiver support groups in Washington, D.C., for adults caring for aging loved ones, parents with dementia, or family members navigating chronic illness. Iona has been one of the District’s primary aging-services nonprofits for over four decades and the caregiver support groups are intentionally designed as peer spaces where caregivers can speak honestly without judgment about the weight, grief, and ongoing decisions of caring for someone they love.
What to Expect
Iona offers recurring caregiver support groups including dedicated groups for dementia caregivers, adult children caring for aging parents, spouses caring for partners with chronic illness, and a general caregivers group for anyone caring for an aging or ill family member. Groups follow a peer support format with check-in, open sharing, and time for practical resource discussion. Trained Iona facilitators — many of whom are themselves former caregivers — open and close each meeting. Groups meet at Iona’s center in upper Northwest D.C. and via video for caregivers who cannot travel. There is no fee, no diagnosis required, and no minimum amount of caregiving needed to attend.
Who This Group Is For
Adult caregivers in the District of Columbia caring for an older adult — a parent, spouse, partner, sibling, or chosen family member — at any stage of decline or illness. Long-distance caregivers, hands-on daily caregivers, paid caregivers, and family members coordinating care from a distance are all welcome. Caregivers who have lost their person are welcomed for as long as the group is helpful — many members stay in the group through early bereavement.
Why Peer Support Works
Caregiving is famously isolating. Friends and extended family often do not understand what day-to-day caregiving actually involves, and caregivers are at substantially higher risk of depression, anxiety, and physical health problems themselves. A regular peer group of other caregivers offers what nothing else does — a steady room of people who already understand, who can compare notes, and who can name the hard truths without anyone needing to soften them.
How to Join
To register for a caregiver support group or ask which group fits best, contact Iona Senior Services. Information about all caregiver groups, the schedule, and other Iona programs is at iona.org. Iona also offers individual caregiver consultations and has a long-standing care management practice for caregivers who need more comprehensive support beyond group programming. The agency has been doing this work in DC for over forty years and has built up a deep understanding of the local aging-services landscape.