Dementia Seminar • February 20, 2027

A Free Community Seminar for Dementia Caregivers and The Church.

Dementia Support

Dementia Support Group

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing…encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

– 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14b, 16–18

What We Do

With a desire to tangibly serve our church family currently walking the dementia journey with their loved one, the church has established a caregiver support group.  The primary purposes of the support group include:

  • To provide a safe environment for caregivers to share, fellowship, pray, and learn within a Biblical framework.
  • To inform and connect our caregivers with community and other educational resources available to them.
  • To educate and empower caregivers to maintain their own spiritual, mental, and physical health.
  • To facilitate connections with other church ministries and ministerial support when needed by the caregiver or loved one.

When and Where We Meet

We meet once monthly on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening as outlined in the sections below. Caregivers can pick one meeting monthly that works best with their schedule. Meetings are held on our campus in the Faith Building room F130. Respite care for the loved one with dementia will not be provided during support group meetings. View campus map for parking and room information.

Tuesdays

We meet on Tuesday morning from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM on the dates listed below. View campus map for parking and room information.

Meeting Dates

  • Tuesday, November 17, 2026
  • Tuesday, December 15, 2026
  • Tuesday, January 19, 2027
  • Tuesday, February 16, 2027
  • Tuesday, March 16, 2027
  • Tuesday, April 20, 2027
  • Tuesday, May 18, 2027
  • Tuesday, June 15, 2027
  • Tuesday, July 20, 2027
  • Tuesday, August 17, 2027
  • Tuesday, September 21, 2027
  • Tuesday, October 19, 2027
  • Tuesday, November 16, 2027
  • Tuesday, December 14, 2027

Thursdays

We meet on Thursday evening from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM on the dates listed below. View campus map for parking and room information.

Meeting Dates

  • Thursday, November 5, 2026
  • Thursday, December 3, 2026
  • Thursday, January 7, 2027
  • Thursday, February 4, 2027
  • Thursday, March 4, 2027
  • Thursday, April 8, 2027
  • Thursday, May 6, 2027
  • Thursday, June 3, 2027
  • Thursday, July 8, 2027
  • Thursday, August 5, 2027
  • Thursday, September 2, 2027
  • Thursday, October 7, 2027
  • Thursday, November 4, 2027
  • Thursday, December 2, 2027
Learn Connect Hope

You’re Invited to Learn, Connect, and Find Hope for Your Dementia Caregiving Journey.

A Free Community Seminar for Dementia Caregivers and The Church

Saturday, February 20, 2027 • 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Seminar Reviews

Who should attend this seminar?

This seminar will benefit dementia care partners and caregivers, long-term family and professional caregivers, family and friends of individuals living with dementia, and anyone wondering if they or their loved one might have Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. In addition, it will serve to equip any church member to serve in a way that provides tangible care to another family or individual.

Dementia Seminar Photo 1

Keynote Speakers

Our keynote speakers will collaborate with local healthcare and community professionals to deliver a comprehensive learning experience. Together, we will learn to live better with dementia.

Learn more about our speakers by listening to their previous years’ seminar presentations at McGregor Dementia Podcast.

Benjamin Mast

Benjamin T. Mast, PhD, ABPP
Clinical Psychologist and Author

Licensed clinical psychologist and board certified geropsychologist, Dr. Benjamin Mast serves as a professor and as a clinical psychologist at the University of Louisville. His academic and clinical work is focused on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Dr. Mast has written several books on dementia and care including Second Forgetting: Remembering the Power of the Gospel in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Edward G. Shaw, M.D., M.A.
Founder and CEO, Empath Education

Physician and mental-health counselor Dr. Edward Shaw was the Founder and Director of the Memory Counseling Program at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC. He is the author of The Dementia Care-Partner’s Workbook: A Guide for Understanding, Education, and Hope and coauthor (with Dr. Gary Chapman) of Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer’s Journey as well as their newest book The 5 Chapters of Grief: Healing and Hope After Loss of a Loved One.

Breakout Session Speakers

Adam Perry

Adam Perry, M.D.
Geriatrician and Founder of Healthspan Partners of SWFL

Adam Perry, M.D. is a geriatrician focused on scaling modern models of care for older adults with complex care needs. He is founder of Healthspan Partners of SWFL, which is selected to administer the Medicare GUIDE Dementia model in multiple states. He is a Board Member with the Florida Geriatric Society, Faculty with the Milken Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, and Fellow with the John A. Hartford Foundation Health and Aging Policy Program.

Cynthia Hipp

Cynthia Perthuis
Owner of Senior Care Authority SWFL and Bespoke Daily Finance

Cynthia Perthuis is the owner of Senior Care Authority SW Florida (SCA) and Bespoke Daily Finance (BDF). Senior Care Authority is a multi-disciplined group that helps aging adults make decisions around overwhelming choices in the aging industry. Her team works with families nationwide to select community living, prepare for status-quo living at home with a support team, serve as patient advocates while loved ones are away or live away, manage the care team that may be required, hold difficult discussions around driving and dementia, and find ways to manage the bill-paying tasks. 

Carl Zacharia
Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney

Elder law and estate planning attorney Carl Zacharia is a founding partner of Zacharia Frey PLLC in Bonita Springs. He has practiced in Florida and Pennsylvania for more than thirty years, focusing on long-term care and Medicaid planning, trusts, and asset protection. He is the author of Florida Long-Term Care and Medicaid and Good Long-Term Care: How to Find It, Get It and Pay for It, and has been selected to Super Lawyers for sixteen consecutive years.

Seminar Agenda

Topics in the keynote addresses, breakout sessions and panel Q&A discussions will include: 

  • Defining Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia Diseases
  • Caregiver Testimony
  • Dementia Treatments
  • Building Your Care Team
  • Home Health
  • Memory Care
  • Living to Reduce Dementia Risks
  • Legal Planning
  • Caregiver Mental Health
  • Government Benefits including the GUIDE Program

Seminar Logistics

Come early to check in and visit our speaker/community resource tables, which will open at 8:30 AM on Main Street, Hope Building. 

The seminar will start promptly at 9:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall, Hope Building. 

We encourage attendees to consider bringing a sweater or jacket to ensure your physical comfort. 

Attendees will also enjoy lunch provided by our seminar sponsors.

Directions

3750 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33966

For More Information

Please use the contact information below for more information about the Seminar or Dementia Support. 

McGregor Dementia Podcast

Where to listen

Discover recordings from previous Dementia Seminars now available on our podcast channel. Select your preferred podcast platform to start listening today.

McGregor Dementia Podcast

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