I often get questions on this topic, so I am prioritizing this update. In my first week of peer group video chat, I told my husband, “I discovered I am NORMAL — at least while I am in chat with these folks … and it is a WONDERFUL feeling!”

Ai summary of the article below: “This entry updates readers on the importance of online peer groups for people living with dementia. These platforms, like Facebook and Zoom, help form connections, reduce stress, and give access to collective wisdom and support. The post also discusses the positives and negatives of mixed groups of people with dementia and care partners, and highlights several advocacy organizations worth exploring.” — 1080 words. Read time ~6 minutes.

Tru here. This entry is by Truthful Loving Kindness (my full legal name) for https://truthfulkindness.com/. For comments or questions, please use that website. Writing is harder, so as of TODAY I have begun to use “Grammarly” to edit. This sacrifices my particular writing style but improves readability and reduces the time I spend in the writing process. I am still on the free version of this blog, which means more ads. I am working to move to the paid version to avoid advertisements.

Communication and Community are vital for continued cognitive engagement, and online peer groups for people with dementia meet this need extremely well. My groups give me peers with similar experiences who understand me. Weekly or monthly video meetings create a sense of belonging, which is especially valuable as I live with dementia symptoms. These interactions provide meaningful connections and support.

In video chats with my peer groups, I feel “NORMAL” because we share similar experiences. This supportive environment reduces my stress and benefits my care-partner. Our members have a wide variety of occupations (e.g., retired doctors, pharmacists, attorneys, etc.). The collective experiences and wisdom in these groups allow us to discuss symptoms and solutions openly. Mentoring and advocacy discussions are energizing, and being in these groups has greatly improved my quality of life.

My primary peer interactions for dementia issues include my FaceBook profile and FaceBook Messenger, weekly Zoom video video groups with Dementia Mentors, weekly Dementia Action Alliance, weekly Forget-Me-Not, and monthly Zoom video with Teepa Snow and the PAC team (see these Links at bottom of this page).

For Dementia advocacy issues, I suggest Dementia Alliance International (though MCI diagnosis is not currently included in membership), Dementia Action Alliance, and, for generalized dementia advocacy, Norm Mac’s “The Purple Angel” on Facebook (see these Links at the bottom of the page).

“Mixed groups” are social media spaces with both Care-Partners and Persons Living with Dementia. These are great for seeking help from both sides and for understanding each other’s struggles. However, care-partner venting can be stressful for those with dementia, making us feel like a “burden”. I appreciate when care-partners label venting posts, so I can skip them and focus on issues where I can help. Scanning these posts drains energy and time, so I only help in small doses and only in the morning when I have the energy.

LINKS re above entry:

Dementia Mentors in Our Words

My old entry on this topic is below (2014Aug20):

Online Dementia Communities

Dementia Mentors at this Link >> https://www.dementiamentors.org/ << … and “contact us” at this Link >> https://www.dementiamentors.org/contact-us.html <<

Dementia Action Alliance at this Link >> https://daanow.org/ <<

Dementia Alliance International at this Link >> https://dementiaallianceinternational.org/ <<

My personal Facebook profile is under the name “Truthful Kindness,” and you can find more about me on this blog under the “About” tab (although that page was posted long ago and also needs updating). >> https://truthfulkindness.com/about/about-me/

This cover photo was created by Ai, using multiple artworks that I painted. Then I pulled it into the Procreate app so I could finish it with Procreate tools on the iPad, which compensates for my tremors. Lots of my higher resolution paintings are available for free download from my Flickr account at this Link >> https://www.flickr.com/photos/194191353@N04/ <<

My 2025 painting “January Snow Man” is also used in this entry. You can read more about that from the Flickr Link above ^^.

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LINKS most viewed in the past year:

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Money Control with Dementia

LINKS most viewed recently are:

DRT: Yield to communication priorities; PWD “suffering” terminology

Symptom Flare

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* Admin issues:

Invested 19 hours on this blog entry (not counting art time). ******* SUBSCRIPTION box is now at the bottom of each blog entry. … My own full legal name is Truthful Loving Kindness. My current formal diagnosis is still Mild Cognitive Impairment, but I have cerebrovascular disease and very slowly advancing Lewy Body Dementia symptoms, including REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Hallucinations.  SPECT scan showed targets of both temporal Lobes, along with the left high parietal Lobe.  Current theory for the cause of my dementia symptoms is 33 years of Lyme and Babesia (which specifically targets the brain functions) before diagnosis and treatment, plus probable nocturnal seizures.  … ******* …   Text Copyright © Truthful L. Kindness on 2026Jan25 .   … You can find more about me in this blog under the “About” tab (although that page was posted long ago and also needs an update). Feel free to leave your thoughts here in the form of comments, but please filter your comments with truthful loving kindness to all concerned. … *** … My personal Facebook profile is found under the profile name “Truthful Kindness”. Facebook comments are “FRIENDS ONLY”, so you might want to request Facebook friend status. If so, please send a private message explaining that you are a reader of my blog. … *** I am still on the “free” version of the blog (except for the domain name TruthfulKindness), so I notice there are now quite a few more advertisements on the page. Sorry. Currently in negotiations to transfer to the paid version of the blog to avoid advertisements. I have no control over which advertisements are shown. … ******* …  I don’t mind re-posting of things I write, but if you re-post, then I expect you to make it clear this is NOT written by you. My authorship as Truthful Kindness (my legal name) must be clearly identified, and you must provide a very prominent Link to my website so that questions and comments can be addressed to ME personally at http://www.truthfulkindness.com.

.  *** …  If there is an advertisement below, I have no control over what is shown. 

Categories: Important & Symptoms. Tags: activity, cognitive decline, community, dementia, facebook, group, living-with-dementia, peer, PLwD, social-media. S&S Categ: Communication, Mentors, Relationship, Social interaction, Technology, Visits

PS of Ai short summary: “This entry updates readers on the importance of online peer groups for people living with dementia. These platforms, like Facebook and Zoom, help form connections, reduce stress, and give access to collective wisdom and support. The post also discusses the positives and negatives of mixed groups of people with dementia and care partners, and highlights several advocacy organizations worth exploring.” — 1080 words. Read time ~6 minutes.