Penn Memory Center Caregiver Support Groups

Who This Works For

Your husband asks you the same question every ten minutes. Your mom’s personality has shifted. She’s angry now, or paranoid, and you don’t recognize her anymore. You’re worried about her driving. You’re losing sleep. You’re grieving someone who’s still alive.

You need to sit down with people who get it. Not a therapist. Not family who doesn’t understand. People who are living this exact thing right now.

Penn Memory Center runs caregiver support groups for people caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease dementia, or other memory-related conditions. These groups meet on Zoom and are connected to Penn Memory Center, a memory care specialty clinic.

This is a place to be honest about how hard this is.

Before You Reach Out

Penn Memory Center offers different support groups depending on who you are and what you’re dealing with. Groups for spouses. Groups for adult children caring for parents. Groups specifically for Lewy body dementia caregivers. Groups for people who have already lost someone with a neurodegenerative disease and are grieving.

All groups are on Zoom. Some groups get full, and you might end up on a waitlist until space opens. Your loved one needs to be a Penn Memory Center patient to join.

Be clear about this: support groups are not emergency services. They won’t solve the problem. What they do is give you a place where you can say how hard this is and people will understand without you having to explain dementia.

What They Offer

Caregiver support groups tailored to your situation:

• General caregiver groups for anyone supporting someone with memory loss
• Spouse-focused groups if you’re married to someone with dementia
• Adult child groups if you’re caring for a parent
• Lewy body dementia support for caregivers dealing with that specific diagnosis, including Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies
• Grief support for former caregivers after the loss

(All groups are Zoom-based. Penn Memory Center staff facilitate and help manage the groups)

The also offer the newer CMS GUIDE intiative program under the PENN Memory Center GUIDE Program.

Penn Memory Center also offers other things: clinical care for people with memory disorders, caregiver education, and the Penn GUIDE program for eligible Medicare patients with dementia in the Philadelphia area.

Eligibility and Registration

Groups are for caregivers of Penn Memory Center patients. Some groups are currently full. Others have space and are taking new members.

You need to confirm directly with Penn Memory Center whether the group you want has openings, whether there’s a waitlist, and whether your situation is the right fit.

Service Area

Penn Memory Center is at the Penn Neuroscience Center, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, South Pavilion, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104. The support groups meet on Zoom, so you can join from home.

Penn Memory Center
Phone: 215-662-7810

General caregiver support/questions:

Alison.Lynn@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Other listed group contacts include:
Beryn.Weinstock@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Leah.Fein@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Jennifer.Nguyen1@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Megan.Kalafsky@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Questions to Ask

• Is this support group currently accepting new caregivers, or is there a waitlist?
• Does my loved one need to already be a Penn Memory Center patient?
• Do you have a group for spouses, adult children, or all caregiver roles?
• Is there a group specific to Lewy body dementia or Parkinson’s disease dementia?
• How often does the group meet?
• Is the group always on Zoom, or do you ever meet in person?
• What happens if the group is full?
• Who facilitates the group?
• Are former caregivers eligible for grief support groups?
• Are there other Penn Memory Center caregiver resources I should know about?
• How do I get on a waitlist if my preferred group is full?

Why This Listing Is Here

Penn Memory Center support groups offer something more specific than general caregiver support. You’re talking to people dealing with the same diagnosis or the same relationship to dementia. That specificity matters. An adult child caring for a parent with Lewy body dementia needs a different conversation than a spouse caring for someone with Alzheimer’s.

When you’ve been asking your parent what they had for breakfast five times in one morning, you need people who already know what that feels like. You don’t have to explain. That’s what these groups are.

Call Penn Memory Center directly to confirm which groups are open, eligibility, meeting times, how Zoom access works, and who to contact for the group that fits your situation.

Last reviewed: July 2026

Information changes. Contact Penn Memory Center directly to confirm current support group schedules, availability, eligibility, Zoom access, and contact details.