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Volunteer Resources

Thank you for being part of the National Council of Dementia Minds (NCDM) volunteer community. NCDM volunteers play an essential role in creating welcoming, supportive spaces where people living with dementia can connect, share experiences, identify advocacy opportunities, and explore new ways to live with meaning, purpose, and joy.

This page includes key resources to help you get started, grow in your volunteer role, and support NCDM’s mission in a way that centers the lived experience, dignity, and voices of people living with dementia.

Getting Started as a Dementia Minds Volunteer

This short guide walks new volunteers through the onboarding process, including the background check, volunteer training, observation and practice sessions, Zoom readiness, and assignment to a Dementia Minds group. It also outlines volunteer expectations, including confidentiality, collaboration, monthly Support Team meetings, and regular participation in group meetings.

Download "Getting Started as a Volunteer" here

The Power of Words

The words we use matter. NCDM is committed to using language that supports dignity, personhood, autonomy, and respect. This guide explains why language matters and offers preferred alternatives to words and phrases that may be stigmatizing or “othering.” It includes examples such as using “care partner” instead of “caregiver,” and “living with dementia” instead of “suffering from dementia.”

Word Choices Matter

Download "The Power of Words" here

Volunteer Expectations

As an NCDM volunteer, you are part of a team that helps create safe, respectful, and hope-filled spaces for people living with dementia. Volunteers are expected to:

- Participate consistently in your scheduled Dementia Minds™ group meetings.
- Arrive early and remain briefly after meetings for planning and reflection with co-facilitators.
- Work respectfully and cooperatively with co-facilitators, group members, and NCDM staff.
- Attend monthly NCDM Volunteer Support Team meetings whenever possible.
- Maintain confidentiality of personal stories and information shared during group meetings.
- Uphold NCDM’s mission and values by centering the voices and lived experience of people living with dementia.

Monthly Volunteer Support Team Meetings

NCDM Volunteer Support Team members meet over Zoom on the second Wednesday of every month at Noon ET / 11:00 CT / 10:00 MT / 9:00 PT. These important meetings provide an opportunity to stay connected, ask questions, share ideas, learn from one another, and continue growing together as a volunteer community. Contact Lisa Cooper for upcoming meeting links and agendas.

Thank you for making the world a better, more inclusive, and more caring place by sharing your time and talents with NCDM.

Watch this video to hear from several members of our Dementia Minds™ groups about the value of having peer support.