Caregivers’ Support Group: The Power of Sharing
By Margie Noonan | Participant | Voices in Motion
It is with gratitude and thanks to Rick and Erica for their perception during the pandemic in recognizing the need to form a Caregivers’ Support Group that would meet by Zoom.
We are a group of caregivers who meet weekly for an hour. Rick moderates our discussions, and we share in an honest and helpful manner, respecting each other’s privacy.
In the early days, Rick gave us a topic to reflect on, but as we got to know each other and felt more relaxed and comfortable, we decided just to share with each other whatever was important to us at the time.
We share our challenges and good times. We bring to each other any new learnings we’ve acquired, or questions we have. Our dialogues might be about changing behaviours that we’ve noted in our partners, community supports that are available, information about medications, long-term care, respite opportunities etc., as well as taking care of ourselves as caregivers. Basically, whatever we want to bring up is on the table! The group is open and fluid – we welcome new people from our choirs at any time and people can flow in and out according to their situations any given week.
We all learn from each other and support each other in this journey of caregiving for our partners with dementia. We share our wisdom and loving care with each other. In our hearts, we know we are not alone in this journey! The Caregivers’ Support Group is truly a very important aspect of our VIM family!