Support Groups Provide Information, Combat Isolation
When 16 people get together in a room, things happen. When all those people are coping with the same life-altering condition, powerful things happen.
The Macular Degeneration Partnership?s monthly Beverly Hills AMD Support Group meets on the second floor of the Beverly Hills Library. Nearly all attendees are senior citizens, ranging in age from 60 to well into their 90s. Some are long-timers, having attended the group for more than 15 years. Some are new, looking for a place to learn and commune with other like-minded folks.
?Studies have clearly shown those who participate in support groups do better coping with their disease,? says MDP Executive Director Judi Delgado, who runs the groups.
Participants in the monthly group learn about treatment breakthroughs, get reports from professional meetings and conventions, test low-vision assistive devices and hear presentations from low-vision specialists ? and they get to talk with each other, which may be the most important part.
?The support group helps me a lot,? says Simone Kent, who has been attending since the group?s inception. ?It feels like a fraternity, because we all have the same thing.?
?The camaraderie developed by people who regularly attend our support groups is inspirational,? Delgado says. ?They share their stories, their trials and tribulations. It is really unusual to hear about a challenge someone is facing without another member of the group piping up to say they’ve had the same challenge and offer suggestions, advice and support.?
?I have had macular degeneration for 15 years, and I learned more yesterday than I’ve ever learned before from anyone,? said Erika Green the day after attending the Beverly Hills support group. ?The hallucinations [from Charles Bonnet Syndrome due to low vision] were driving me crazy, and it was so reassuring to hear other people talk about it. I left there a new person ? I came home whistling.?
Older people often feel isolated and, sometimes, depressed; it can be even worse for those grappling with low vision, who might not be able to get around by themselves or do things they once did.
?It?s hard to feel isolated in a group of people who are dealing with the same issues you are,? Delgado says. ?There really is power in numbers.?
MDP support groups meet monthly in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Huntington Beach. Click here for more information.
Posted February 2014