Support groups are a wonderful experience for everyone involved in them. If you do not have such a group around you, you could create one!!
To start support groups close to you begin with evaluating the following questions;
- Who is to be included in this group? The attendees may be just the patients and their caregivers or you could invite professionals from the field too.
- When are you going to meet? Meetings can be quarterly, every other month, monthly, or even weekly. It is advisable to start with fewer meetings and increase the frequency as you are able and the need demands. You also need to determine the day of the week, time of day you want to meet and how long your meetings will be.
- Where are you going to meet? Some smaller groups meet in a home, but generally its better to chose a public place, such as a community hall or a meeting room in community centers, hospitals, schools or churches.
- What is the purpose of your group? This may be the most important question of all. Most groups want to educate and encourage members. Beyond that, you may want to develop programs that will benefit the group, aim to spread awareness in your community, generate funds and create welfare programs etc.
Its best to start small and expand your goals as your members express an interest and show a willingness to participate in other areas.
Once you have the above details in place, you will need to work on details like publicizing the group to generate members and setting a schedule/ format for the meeting.