Home Hemo Patients,
I am currently finishing my nursing degree and currently in the middle of an assignment. I chose to develop a support group for both home hemo pt. and their caregivers. I would appreciate any feedback from this community on the need and level of interest of this type of support group. Any information would help me with this project.
Thanks
[QUOTE=studentnurse1;13270]Home Hemo Patients,
I am currently finishing my nursing degree and currently in the middle of an assignment. I chose to develop a support group for both home hemo pt. and their caregivers. I would appreciate any feedback from this community on the need and level of interest of this type of support group. Any information would help me with this project.
Thanks[/QUOTE]
What exactly would you want to achieve through this type of support group or are you asking what home patients would like in such a group? Personally, I am all for support groups. They are great for continuing education and provide an outlet for those who share the life of home dialysis to compare notes, figure out better ways to do things and fellowship over a common shared lifestyle. I think support groups are very underutilized when they can provide so many benefits. It takes the type patient who enjoys improving his tx and getting together with others who do also. That sometimes means the group will be small, but it can still be very meaningful for those who join in. And it is especially nice when these patients and the professionals get to know each other more closely and a deeper level of education and humanity is shared.
We Nxstage users at the Rubin Center in Clifton Park, NY have a support group that only the caregivers are invited to once a month.
This is really a great thing.
We are able to talk about issues with our partners there to hear.
We also get ideas from each other on how to cope with things.
Pat
[quote=studentnurse1;13270]Home Hemo Patients,
I am currently finishing my nursing degree and currently in the middle of an assignment. I chose to develop a support group for both home hemo pt. and their caregivers. I would appreciate any feedback from this community on the need and level of interest of this type of support group. Any information would help me with this project.
Thanks[/quote]
I think a support group can come in all flavors, cater for certain types of people and interests. If you look around the web you’ll find many support gorups online and all have something for everyone. There are also support groups offline where people meet in person on certain set dates. Those kind of groups come in handy where every member live in the same area close by.
In your case, you want to start a support group targetting home patients and their caregivers but you didn’t state whether this group will be an offline group or on online group. Anyway, I think both online and offline groups have their advantages and disadvantages. For the most part something you present in your design of the group’s ideas and plan of meet will entice a number of members that will find your service unique to the communmity.
I think that is exactly what this board and others like it are–an online support group.
I have tried to set up in-person support groups for Alzheimer’s patients and their families in the past, but attendance was always a problem. First off, finding a time that fit everyones schedule was a challenge. Then, after a few months, finding different programs was a problem.