Support Groups
Within a support group, members provide each other with various types of help. Generally support groups provide support that is nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared and generally burdensome, characteristic. Help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy.
What makes a good support group
An Understanding Boss
“At the office, my husband’s boss and co-workers let him concentrate fully on me and my recovery. There was no one counting sick-time hours or danger of a reduced paycheck. He was told to take the time he needed and the boss even told him that he couldn’t return full-time until the three of us had lunch together”.
“He was true to his word and my husband was able to do what needed to be done at home for his wife and two young children without being concerned about the impact on his work life.”
Although the needs and potential benefits may be different for each person, there are some basic components that make a particular support group effective for an individual. These include:
- Provision of current and reliable information
- The ability to respond in a timely manner to individuals and their questions
- Regularly scheduled meetings and or correspondence such as newsletters
- Access to appropriate professional support if needed
- Strong leadership and a clear confidentiality policy
- Content relative to the members specific needs: common interests and experiences and other members that can relate to what is happening to you
Starting a Support Group
Establishing a new support group is time consuming and requires dedication. Often help can be enlisted from a local hospital or religious organization to get the group started. Studying existing support groups can be helpful as it may provide information about a group structure that works well, or can help identify educational materials that have already been developed. Once a group is started it may be of benefit to make sure local organizations or hospitals are aware of its existence so that they can offer support and refer individuals to the group.
Insights from a Survivor
“Planning for your own imminent death when you have just survived SCA may sound like a contradiction, but is very real”.
“I was 33 years old when I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. I had been saving for retirement, but had always wanted to travel more. Trying to balance the need to plan for a future with the likelihood of there not being one- made it very difficult for me to continue to save money for things in the distant future”.
“During my first post-arrest follow up appointment with my cardiologist, I asked if I should continue saving for retirement or if I should spend the money on a trip around the world. He told me to keep saving. This was very good advice. However, I really did want to know if I was going to die quickly so that I could do some very cool stuff with the money I wouldn’t be using in retirement!”
SCA Survivor Groups and Advocacy
Survivor groups can provide a focal point for members to inform the public about sudden cardiac arrest. There are a number of advocacy activities that can help to improve survival from SCA within a community.
Some activities that survivor groups can support include:
- Sharing survivor stories can have powerful influence on the public and can be leveraged to challenge the public to learn CPR and place AEDs in their neighborhoods.
- Increasing awareness of SCA using media campaigns and fund raisers such as sports competitions. Funds raised can be used to purchase AEDs for local businesses or churches.
- Survivors can take an active role in providing CPR training and in encouraging citizens to provide bystander CPR.
- Survivor groups can provide assistance to community groups who wish to purchase and place AEDs.