The Lived Experience
Caring for someone with dementia feels like living in two worlds at once. On the one hand, you’re holding on to the person you love—their smile, their laugh, the small moments of clarity that remind you of who they are. On the other, you’re constantly adjusting to the reality that they’re slipping away piece by piece. Or you may be struggling with a complex or hurtful past relationship that now seems like it may never be resolved. Simple conversations can turn into puzzles, and daily routines like eating or bathing can become battles of patience. And, often, we can feel so alone.
There are days when exhaustion hits hard. You might wake up already tired, knowing you’ll spend the day repeating answers to the same questions, calming sudden bursts of confusion, or keeping watch to make sure they don’t wander off. It’s not just physical—it’s the emotional weight of grieving someone who is still right in front of you. You miss the shared memories, the inside jokes, the easy companionship, and sometimes you feel guilty for missing the life you had before caregiving.
Yet, even in the moments of struggle, there are moments of grace. A fleeting recognition, a gentle touch, or a smile can remind you why you keep going. It’s our values that fuel the resilience, even when you feel invisible or overwhelmed.
Keeping Beside Them
The Keeping Beside Them group workshop can make a meaningful difference in your life because it offers a new path to understand and process your own experience and learn the skills to make healthy choices for yourself and your loved one. It also gives you a place where you don’t have to carry everything alone. When you walk into a room—or even log into a virtual meeting—where people understand what you’re going through, something shifts. You feel seen in a way that’s hard to find in everyday life. Instead of having to explain or defend your feelings, you’re met with nods of recognition and genuine understanding. That sense of belonging can soften the loneliness that often comes with personal struggles.
Being part of this workshop will allow you to intentionally discern your values and think about the actions you want to take. It also gives you space to speak honestly. You can share what’s really on your mind—the messy, complicated thoughts and feelings—without worrying about being judged. It can be comforting to realize that you’re not “overreacting” or “too emotional”; you’re human, and others have felt the same way. In KBT group, you will learn how to sit with these complex thoughts and feelings, be present in this singular moment, and make intentional choices rather than reacting on auto-pilot.
There’s something incredibly grounding about learning from people who’ve been where you are. They can offer practical tips, small routines that helped them cope, or ways they handled
difficult moments. These insights often feel more real and usable because they come from lived experience, not just theory.
This workshop can help you feel stronger and more hopeful. You might notice yourself feeling more confident as you share your own
progress or encourage someone else who’s is struggling. We offer a
space to grow, helping you feel less alone, more understood, and more capable of moving forward, one step at a time.
An 8-week group workshop experience for caregivers walking beside their loved ones with dementia.