Our History
Supporting dementia caregivers since 1984
The Alzheimer's & Dementia Resource Center began with one family who felt unprepared, overwhelmed and unsure where to turn for help. When they couldn't find the support they needed, they created it themselves, starting with a caregiver support group in their own living room.
More than 40 years later, the Alzheimer's & Dementia Resource Center continues that mission, helping dementia caregivers across Central Florida find information, support and practical guidance.
It started with one family
In 1982, Central Florida resident Jack Jimison was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His family quickly realized they weren't prepared for what lay ahead.
"After the initial shock, we knew our lives would never be the same again. People in the early '80s were not as educated about Alzheimer's disease as they are today." — Shellie Brassler, Jack's daughter
Jack, his wife Pat and their daughter Shellie looked for information and support but found few resources to help them understand Alzheimer's or navigate the challenges of caregiving.
It's a feeling many caregivers still recognize today: "I don't even know where to start."
So the Jimisons decided to create the support they couldn't find. They posted fliers around Orlando inviting other caregivers to join them. On a rainy Sunday afternoon in July 1984, the first support group met in the Jimisons' living room.
That gathering would become the Winter Park Alzheimer's Disease Family Support Group.
From a support group to a resource center
By the end of the group's first year, it was clear that many other caregivers needed the same things the Jimisons had been searching for: information, connection, practical guidance and a place to turn.
In December 1984, the organization became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated as the Alzheimer Resource Center, with Pat Jimison serving as its first Executive Director.
Today, we are the Alzheimer's & Dementia Resource Center (ADRC), but the purpose that brought caregivers together in that living room remains at the heart of what we do: caring for dementia caregivers, because no one should walk the dementia journey alone.
Milestones
1982
Jack Jimison is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. His family struggles to find local information and support.
July 1984
The first caregiver support group meets in the Jimisons' living room, leading to the Winter Park Alzheimer's Disease Family Support Group.
December 1984
The Alzheimer Resource Center incorporates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with Pat Jimison as its first Executive Director.
1987
The Center begins its affiliation with the State of Florida Brain Bank.
February 1988
The Brain Bank performs its first brain autopsy to further dementia research.
Over the years
ADRC grows to offer more support groups, caregiver education, Care Navigation and other resources, while moving to larger spaces as the organization grows.
January 2026
ADRC moves into its current home on Gene Street in Winter Park.
A commitment to research
In 1987, the Center began its affiliation with the State of Florida Brain Bank. Pat Jimison served on the Advisory Committee of the state's Alzheimer's Disease Initiative alongside Dr. Ranjan Duara, principal investigator of the Florida Brain Bank Research Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.
Dr. Duara asked Pat to create a Brain Bank program in Orlando as a satellite site for the Miami program. Pat believed caregivers deserved a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. She recruited Dr. Gary Pearl, a neuropathologist at Orlando Regional Medical Center, who donated his time to help build the program.
In February 1988, the Orlando Brain Bank performed its first brain autopsy. Today, ADRC serves as the Central Florida enrollment point for the State of Florida Brain Bank, continuing our partnership with Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. We educate people about the program, help participants through the enrollment process and provide support in understanding the findings in the neuropathology report.
Brain donation from people with and without dementia helps researchers better understand these diseases and move us closer to better treatments and, one day, a cure.
Becoming Central Florida's go-to source for caregivers
From the Jimisons' living room, ADRC kept growing. We moved into larger spaces as our programs expanded, adding support groups across Central Florida, skill-building workshops, the Informed Aging Podcast, music programs for care partners (read about the power of music in dementia) and a wide range of virtual resources for caregivers wherever they are.
ADRC has called several Central Florida locations home. Today, we're proudly based once again in Winter Park, where our story first began.
Carrying out the mission: caring for the caregivers
For more than four decades, the ADRC team has given thousands of caregivers the education, practical training and emotional support they need. That support helps them care for their loved ones and, just as important, for themselves.
We serve care partners and the person they're caring for, through connections to resources, support groups and education. Some families lean on us through every stage of the journey, for years. When they call, we'll listen.
The mission the Jimisons started is still the heart of everything we do. Meet the team carrying it forward.
Find us in Winter Park
Alzheimer's & Dementia Resource Center (ADRC)
1470 Gene Street, Winter Park, FL 32789
Serving Orange and Seminole counties and caregivers across Central Florida
- Monday to Friday: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Closed on government holidays.
Help write the next chapter
For over 40 years, donors have helped keep our services at no cost to caregivers and care partners. Your gift helps the next family who calls us, not knowing where to start, feel a little less alone. Each year you can also give on Giving Tuesday.