"Friendship, joy, meaning, and purpose are the impacts that Dementia Minds has had on my life. In turn, I am positively impacting the lives of those who are following me on this journey called dementia including their families and professionals. Nothing brings me greater joy than helping others.

"Living with dementia is NOT easy, but it IS possible. How so? When we are diagnosed, we are given very little information about dementia. It’s new and it’s interesting… which means we are interesting. But here is the best part, we ARE NOT alone. Dementia Minds allows us to meet and talk with others who are just like us. Dementia Minds also gives us a voice to advocate for ourselves and educate others. Every 65 seconds someone in America develops dementia. Can you imagine how many are wondering “What do I do now that I have dementia?” If you are one of them, I invite you to join us for a meeting, where YOU can be you… get ideas… share your talents… meet new friends and share your beautiful smile! This disease does not define us. It teaches us that no matter what happens we KOKO... Yes, KOKO. Keep On Keeping On! That is exactly what we do! We never quit. We never give up. We are warriors, not whiners!"

"I have known and worked with Mark and Brenda and many of the other Dementia Minds in your article for several years. They and their example are making a great positive difference in the quality of life for thousands of persons living with dementia, and for their carers and friends. That includes helping me more clearly celebrate every moment I spend with my wife, although, in her 14th year of the journey, she has lost most of her words, the ability to walk and hold a fork. Yet she has not lost her smile, the ability to laugh, nor the capacity to say “I love you”—albeit not always with spoken words. And through the beautiful example set by the Dementia Minds, I appreciate that my wife will never stop being what each of the Dementia Minds folks also are---unique, wonderful persons, deserving of more admiration than sympathy, more love than griping, more respect than regret. Mark and Arnie and company helped inspire me to work to get my small town in Michigan recognized as a Dementia Friendly Community, and many people have a better quality of life because of the Dementia Minds."

"The members of the National Council of Dementia Minds made my life harder – for all the right reasons and because it needed to be. Frankly, it would be easier for me to think of my mom as lost, as not the person I knew. It would be easier to give up on a relationship with her. But after meeting the Dementia Minds members, listening to their stories, and asking them questions, I cannot. They showed me what is possible for a person living with dementia and what is required of me to love and support that person.

"To Whom This “Should” Concern, I am writing this today to share a bit about my husband, Paul, and my journey over the past 4 years. While it doesn’t seem like a long time when you compare it to the 42 years, we’ve been married it seems like an eternity when you are faced with a devastating diagnosis such as early-onset Alzheimer’s. Life changes completely and dramatically on a daily basis. The only thing we are able to do is to pray, educate ourselves, and try to navigate our way forward. We have been extremely blessed in finding a few supportive agencies and talking with others that have experience with the disease, however, the group of now called National Dementia Minds was the “Brain” child of a few core people like Brenda & Mark Roberts who clearly saw the need for a supportive group particularly for those living with the disease. As a care partner, I have taken countless seminars, trainings, etc. to be able to meet the needs of my spouse but it is he who needs the support, comradely, of others who have similar difficulties he’s facing. This group has been our lifeline to giving him a sense of identity and belonging. There are not many tasks he can do as he once did but he finds purpose and energy when the group meets. There is always laughing which is so important as mostly he’s in a depressed state and it’s hard for me to get him out of it. Only a sense of self-worth and love from his “brothers in arms” seems to work. There are also women who share and various age groups, but he looks at this as his work buddies and he’s always loved to work! Thank you and God Bless all who have made this possible and continue the work to bring hope for another day."

"Too often people think of dementia as a death sentence, or maybe something to be ashamed of, rather than what it is: a chronic disease that a person is likely to live with for many years. Because of this, we miss out on opportunities for people to continue to live well, with purpose and joy.

"Dementia Minds is composed of a group of remarkable individuals. Each member demonstrates courage as they share important and valuable personal experiences, insights, and expertise in living with their brain changes. As a group, they provide their audiences with perspectives from a variety of dementias. As a team, they are unified in their desire to have others better appreciate and understand the very real challenges and issues they cope with each day. And yet each person communicates a firm belief that living purposeful, meaningful, and hopeful lives is not only possible but happening on a regular basis. Members of this group, guided by Brenda Roberts have provided our team with programs that have given us details and specifics on so many brain changes they have to navigate and sometimes struggle with to keep their lives going. Their thoughtful and sometimes humorous observations among group members and with their audience is engaging and rewarding. I highly recommend the programs they offer to any organization, educational conference, or gathering of people that want to know more about this thing called dementia or intend to provide services to people who are living with dementia. Their programs use a combination of recorded clips and real-time questions and answer sessions. After each of their offerings, I have found my world is enriched by what was shared. It is my honor to have a strong and positive relationship with this amazing team. I hope you get a chance to get to get to know them and all they have to offer, as well!"

"This is an amazing initiative that should be shared with families, health care professionals, researchers, etc. Interacting with the Black Dementia Minds group has been a life-changing experience for me. I have gained a new outlook on life that now influences my research. To improve the quality of life for persons living with dementia, we must listen and learn from them."

"When I first started volunteering with the Dementia Minds, I thought ‘won’t it be great to help these folks.’ What I have found is that I have been challenged and changed through interacting so closely with persons living with dementia. It is an honor to sit with this group and listen to their stories with empathy and wonder. I am thankful each day that I met Brenda through the Journey with Dementia Minds program."