A warm welcome
You will be greeted by Annette or a volunteer, shown where to sign in, and offered water or coffee. You do not need to bring anything. Name tags are first-name only.
Free · In-Person · For Family Caregivers
Free Dementia Support Group in Atlanta — For Family Caregivers
A welcoming space for the people caring for someone with dementia. Monthly meetings across Greater Atlanta. No diagnosis, no referral, no fee — just the community you have been looking for.
What We Offer
What our dementia support group offers Atlanta families
The Compassion On The Move dementia support group in Atlanta is built for the family caregiver — the spouse, adult child, sibling, grandchild, or close friend who has become the person keeping everything together. If you are the one making appointments, managing medications, answering the same question at midnight, and wondering when you last slept — this room is for you.
We meet monthly in a confidential, judgment-free circle led by someone who has walked the same road. You do not need a medical diagnosis for your loved one, a doctor's referral, or an appointment. You walk in as a caregiver. You leave with tools, resources, and people who will pick up the phone when the next hard day comes.
- Peer support from caregivers across every stage — early diagnosis to end-of-life
- Practical strategies for communication, behavior, safety, and self-care
- Warm referrals to local dementia care, respite, legal, and financial resources
- Confidential, judgment-free conversation — what is shared stays in the room
- 100% free. No insurance, diagnosis, or paperwork required
Your Facilitator
Meet Annette Draughn — family caregiver, advocate, facilitator
Family Caregiver · Community Healthcare Worker · Published Author
Annette started this work where every caregiver starts — loving someone through dementia. First her mother, then her aunt. She became the primary caregiver for both at the same time, learning on the fly and searching for a map that did not exist.
Out of that lived experience she built Compassion On The Move. She is a trained Community Healthcare Worker through DeKalb County, Georgia, a published author (God Sightings), and an active advocate at the Georgia State Capitol for caregiver and dementia-care policy.
She partners with the Alzheimer's Association Georgia Chapter, Alter Dementia, and G.L.O.W. for ongoing education and facilitator training — so the room you walk into is led by someone with both the credentials and the scars.
“No caregiver should have to figure this out alone. Especially in our communities.”
— Annette L. Draughn, Founder
First-Time Visitor?
What to expect at your first dementia support group meeting
Most caregivers walk through the door for the first time exhausted, a little nervous, and unsure what to say. That is normal. Here is exactly what happens from the moment you arrive so you can show up knowing what to expect.
Confidentiality first
We open every meeting with the ground rule that what is shared in the room stays in the room. No recordings. No social media. No names leave the circle.
Introductions — at your pace
You are welcome to share your name and who you are caring for. You are equally welcome to just listen. Many first-timers do. You are never put on the spot.
Real conversation
Annette facilitates an honest discussion — what is working, what is breaking, what caregivers have learned. You will hear practical strategies and, often, exactly what you needed to hear.
Questions & resources
Near the end, we make space for questions and hand out local Atlanta resources — respite care, home-safety checklists, helpline numbers, and trusted legal and financial referrals.
A place to land
Meetings run about 90 minutes. When we close, you will leave with at least one caregiver's contact info, a small next step, and the knowledge that you are no longer alone in this.
Meeting Schedule
Meeting schedule & locations across metro Atlanta
Our dementia support group meets monthly at trusted community venues across the Greater Atlanta metro area — including churches, public libraries, and community event halls. Because we rotate locations to meet families where they are, the best way to get the next meeting date, time, and address is to reach out directly.
Typical Meeting Format
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Length
- ~90 minutes
- Cost
- Always Free
Email, call, or text us and we will reply with the next confirmed meeting. If you tell us which part of metro Atlanta you live in, we will point you to the closest upcoming session.
Who This Is For
Is this dementia support group right for you?
Dementia support groups come in different shapes. Knowing which one fits your situation helps you land in the right place — whether that is our group, the Alzheimer's Association, or somewhere else we can point you to.
| Group type | Who it's for | Good fit when |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver support group (ours) | Family caregivers of any kind — spouses, adult children, siblings, grandchildren, chosen family. | You need community, practical tools, and a confidential place to be honest about how hard this is. |
| Early-stage memory loss group | People who have an early diagnosis and are still communicating clearly. | You or your loved one want a peer group of people with the diagnosis. We refer to Alzheimer's Association for these. |
| Spouse-only caregiver group | Husbands and wives caring for a partner with dementia. | You want a room of people who understand caregiving inside a marriage. Ask us — we can connect you. |
| Adult-children caregivers group | Adult children caring for aging parents, often while raising their own kids. | You are in the sandwich generation. Our group includes many adult children; we can also refer to ACAP Atlanta. |
Why COTM
Why Atlanta families choose Compassion On The Move
Founder-led, caregiver-built
You are not talking to a clinician reading from a script. You are talking to Annette — a caregiver who lived it, still lives it, and built this room because she needed it.
100% free, always
Every program is free. No insurance. No paperwork. No means test. We believe caregiver support is a right, not a benefit you have to qualify for.
Rooted in Atlanta community
We meet at neighborhood churches, libraries, and community halls — not a corporate campus. You see familiar faces and walk out with people who live near you.
Partnered with the experts
We collaborate with the Alzheimer's Association Georgia Chapter, Alter Dementia, G.L.O.W., DeKalb County health services, and trusted local care providers.
Advocacy at the Capitol
Annette shows up at the Georgia State Capitol for caregiver and dementia-care legislation. When you join COTM, your story helps shape policy, not just conversation.
A whole network, not one meeting
The monthly support group plugs you into workshops, care navigation, respite referrals, and a caregiver phone tree. One door in — many forms of support.
Where We Meet
Serving communities across Greater Atlanta
Dementia does not stop at a county line, and neither do we. Compassion On The Move serves family caregivers across the Greater Atlanta metro area — in every community that makes up this region. Faith communities, neighborhood associations, working caregivers, multigenerational households, and families navigating culture and language alongside a diagnosis.
Wherever a caregiver needs a room to land in, we try to get one open nearby. If our current schedule does not reach your neighborhood yet, tell us — when enough caregivers from the same area raise their hand, we bring a meeting there.
Neighborhoods & cities we serve
- Atlanta
- Decatur
- East Atlanta
- Buckhead
- Midtown
- Grant Park
- Druid Hills
- Stone Mountain
- Tucker
- Lithonia
- Clarkston
- Sandy Springs
- Dunwoody
- Roswell
- Alpharetta
- Brookhaven
- Chamblee
- Marietta
- Smyrna
- Kennesaw
- East Point
- College Park
- Union City
- Fairburn
- Jonesboro
Counties: Fulton · DeKalb · Cobb · Gwinnett · Clayton · Henry · Fayette · Douglas · Rockdale · Cherokee
More Support
Additional caregiver resources in Atlanta
Our dementia support group is one piece of the caregiving ecosystem. These trusted Atlanta-area and national organizations complement what we do, and we regularly refer caregivers to them.
Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline
Free around-the-clock support line — 800.272.3900.
Alzheimers.gov — Find Local Services
Federal directory of local dementia care services by ZIP code.
Georgia Division of Aging Services
State-level dementia resources and Area Agency on Aging locator — 866.552.4464.
Emory Goizueta ADRC
Academic medical center for Alzheimer's research, diagnosis, and care.
Empowerline (Atlanta Regional Commission)
Metro Atlanta aging, disability, and caregiver resource line.
Respite Care Atlanta
In-person adult day program and caregiver support groups in Buckhead.
Questions
Frequently asked questions about dementia support groups
Cannot find what you are looking for? Reach out directly.
Yes. Every program Compassion On The Move offers — including our dementia support group in Atlanta — is 100% free to participants. You do not need a diagnosis, a doctor's referral, or insurance to attend. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by community donations.
No. Our Atlanta dementia support group is designed for the caregiver. You come for you. Many caregivers attend while a family member, home aide, or adult day program sits with their loved one. Contact us for respite referrals if you need coverage.
Our monthly support group meetings typically run 90 minutes — long enough to share openly, hear from others, and leave with real tools. We start and end on time so working caregivers and family members can plan their day around it.
A warm welcome, a short introduction from the facilitator, and a space where you are never pressured to share. You can listen the whole first meeting if that is what you need. Everything shared stays in the room — confidentiality is the ground rule.
We schedule meetings with working caregivers in mind and offer sessions across different days and times throughout the year. Contact us at info@compassiononthemove.com to get on the upcoming schedule and let us know which day of the week works best for you.
In-person community is the heart of what we do, but we understand that distance, mobility, caregiving duties, and work make travel hard. Reach out and we will tell you about our current virtual options and the national online community at ALZConnected.
Our support groups are led by our founder Annette L. Draughn, a family caregiver herself and a trained Community Healthcare Worker through DeKalb County, Georgia. We also partner with the Alzheimer's Association and Alter Dementia for ongoing facilitator training.
We meet at trusted community venues across the Greater Atlanta metro area — including churches, public libraries, and community event halls in neighborhoods like Stone Mountain, Decatur, and East Atlanta. Contact us for the next meeting location nearest you.
You do not have to walk this road alone.
Join the next free dementia support group meeting in Atlanta. One message, one meeting — and you are in the room with people who get it.
Compassion On The Move · 501(c)(3) · EIN 41-2996904 · Serving Greater Atlanta