Alzheimer’s Association NC — Free Dementia Caregiver Support — Charlotte
The Alzheimer’s Association — Western Carolina Chapter operates free support groups for dementia caregivers throughout Charlotte and surrounding North Carolina. Trained facilitators run groups via phone, video, and in person, with several specialized tracks available alongside the general caregiver groups.
What to Expect
Confidential one-hour support groups where caregivers share their experiences, coping strategies, and questions with other family members and friends caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Facilitators are trained by the Alzheimer’s Association — typically licensed social workers, registered nurses, or trained volunteers with significant dementia care experience. Meetings combine peer sharing with educational moments about disease progression, behavior management, self-care, and accessing community resources.
Charlotte-Area Options
Multiple monthly support groups in person across Mecklenburg County. Virtual support groups via phone and video for caregivers who cannot attend in person — these run regionally and nationally. Specialized groups include: African American caregivers, male caregivers, younger-onset dementia (caregivers of someone under 65), and adult children caregivers. Call the 24/7 Helpline (800-272-3900) for the current Charlotte-area schedule and group recommendations.
Who This Group Is For
Family caregivers — spouses, adult children, siblings, partners — of someone living with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or other forms of dementia. People who are providing informal caregiving (whether full-time, part-time, or long-distance) are all welcome.
Why Support Groups Help
Dementia caregiving is isolating and physically and emotionally exhausting. Connecting with people who understand the specific shape of dementia-related grief — the long goodbye, the role reversal, the unpredictable behavioral changes — provides community that family and friends outside caregiving often cannot offer. Caregivers also pick up practical strategies from peers ahead of them in the journey.
How to Join
Call the 24/7 Alzheimer’s Association Helpline at 800-272-3900 to find the right Charlotte-area group and confirm meeting details. The helpline staff can also connect you to care consultation, financial planning resources, and Project C.A.R.E. (Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty) — North Carolina’s state-funded dementia caregiver support program.