At some point in your recovery from a stroke or TBI, someone may have mentioned going to a support group meeting.  These groups can provide at least 4 benefits:

1.  The opportunity to be around people who know what it is like to live with a stroke or TBI.  No matter how much friends, physicians, nurses, or therapists care, they probably don’t know what it is like to live day-in-and-day-out either with a stroke or with someone who has had a stroke.  Whether they are offering suggestions or advice or simply just “being there,” stroke groups can provide you with a network of people who understand. 
2. A chance to get out and interact with people.  Often, the social network you had before your stroke or TBI significantly decreases.  Attending a support group can introduce you to a whole new group to get to know.  The bonus?  These people will understand if it is difficult to say everything you want to say or if it takes a little longer or even if you say something that wasn’t really what you meant.
3. Learn something new.  Many support groups have a speaker each time the group meets who presents on a specific topic.  This can provide a great opportunity to learn something new or ask a question.
4. Have fun!  Support groups sometimes plan fun activities like going to the museum or to a play.  Sometimes members get together for coffee before or after the meeting just to enjoy each other’s company.  Either way, the focus is on enjoying being together and having fun!

Where do you find support groups?  You can start by asking your physician, case manager, therapist, or other professional on your next visit.  You could also contact your local university or hospital to see if they have support group in place.  Or, you can look for resources online.  Two good websites to look at include:

1.  Stroke: http://strokegroup.americanheart.org/strokegroup/public/zipFinder.jsp
2. TBI:  http://www.braininjuryguide.org/braininjurysupportgroups.html

Once you decide to go to a support group, make sure that you can say the following types of things on your communication device:

1.  Your name, where you live, how many children you have, or other personal information.  The others in the support group will want to get to know you so it will be good if you can introduce yourself.
2. Information about your communication device.  It is likely that some people in the support group will never have seen a communication device.  Be prepared to tell them the name of your device and even let them see exactly how you use it.
3. Common questions and the answers that go with them.  You will likely have an opportunity to have simple conversations with others at the group, so be ready with questions like “How are you?” or “What did you do over the weekend?”  Make sure you have answers because people will likely answer and then say “How about you?”  If you are using a DynaVox device, look for these kinds of questions (and blank spaces to add your own) on the My Phrases page.
4. General comments you can use during the meeting.  Making comments like “good,” “really,” “I like that,” or “I don’t know” can be a relatively easy but powerful way to participate in a meeting or other discussion.  Plus, they are the same kinds of messages the verbal people in the room will likely be using.  If you are using a DynaVox device, look for these kinds of comments on the Talk/Quickfires and My Phrases pages.

Once you have attended several meetings, you might also want to prepare messages ahead of time that are specific to the topic of the meeting.  We will talk about the idea of preplanning for communication in an upcoming blog entry.  In the meantime, I would love to hear about your experiences at a support group!