The Whiteface Region Alzheimer’s/Dementia Caregiver Support Group will meet from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 at the Wilmington Community Center, located at 7 Community Circle. Going forward, meetings are scheduled at that same time and place on every fourth Monday of the month.

The meetings are open to anyone who considers themselves to be a caregiver for someone with dementia. They are meant to provide a safe space for caregivers to provide support for each other, talk about the challenges they face, share their feelings and learn about resources and ways — both from each other and the trained facilitator — to manage and cope with those challenges.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York facilitates these events across the North Country. They are all free and open to the public. The Wilmington group, however, is the only event in the Olympic Region, according to Brooke Dubuque, who serves as the association’s program manager for Essex, Franklin and Clinton counties.

“It’s really one of the best resources for people who are looking for advice, looking to meet other people, and just hear that the things that they are experiencing are being experienced by any other people,” she said. “Simply put, to hear and to know that they are not alone.”

Dubuque said that people often have misconceptions about what goes on at a support group. She said a lot of people think they are sad and desperate gatherings.

“You hear the term ‘support group’ and you often think it’s just sitting around in a circle crying,” she said.

In reality, Dubuque said they are empowering and, in a way, uplifting for folks. She said people make connections that end up lasting long beyond the hour or so that the group meets.

“When you actually attend one, you hear validation of things you’ve gone through,” she said. “You meet people who say ‘I’m here for you and I understand exactly what you’re going through. You really meet a network. People leave the group and stay in contact with other people,” she said.

Dubuque, a lifelong North Country resident, said she understands the region’s rural nature adds to an already difficult topic. The closest in-person support groups to the area are in Malone, Plattsburgh and Willsboro. She said she selected Wilmington for its relatively central location for smaller communities in the Olympic Region, such as Keene, Keene Valley, Jay and AuSable Forks while also not being too far of a drive from Lake Placid, a larger population center.

For those unable to make the drive, she said the Alzheimer’s Association’s Northeastern New York Chapter also offers a virtual support group that meets at 10 a.m. on the second Monday of each month. Advanced registration is required and can be made by calling 518-675-7214.

Dubuque said these support programs are crucial. She said she has met “so many” people across the region who tell her how isolated they feel, either in battling the condition directly or providing care to someone who is. She said this is unfortunate, given how common dementia is, but provides an opportunity for support networks to grow and improve.

“The reality is we have one in three seniors dying with some form of dementia today,” she said. “Many more people should know about the basics of the disease and the resources available to those who it impacts.”

She said that she enjoys educating people about these resources because she knows how much of a difference they can make, given the all-encompassing nature of dementia. Dubuque has taught at faith-based locations, community centers and long-term care facilities.

“Caring for someone with dementia often amounts to a 24/7 job,” Dubuque said.

She had a message to those on the fence about attending, either in-person or virtually.

“The amount of real-life lived experience and advice in my groups is something that you just can’t get anywhere else. … I’ve had people come back and tell me this was the absolute one thing that got me through this experience with my person that I took care of.”

If people have questions, they can reach out to her at 518-915-3115 or email her at bmdubuque@alz.org. More information can also be found on the organization’s website alz.org/northeasternny.