What Are They ?

There is no formal definition of what a Support Group is, or does. It could be a scheme run by a charity or government department as part of a social wellbeing project, or it could also be a collection of people who share thoughts and ideas and who support and help one another whenever they can.

Support Groups often meet on a regular basis in a designated room, hall, building, or even someone's own home depending on the size of the group and the facilities made available for its use. Some Support Groups are even virtual, (such as the forum on this website), and members might be spread across the width and breadth of the country. It really depends on the size of the group and the wishes / needs of the people accessing it.

More often than not, Support Groups are run from local community centres and are organised by the people who attend the group. Usually the task of organising and arranging the meetings will be taken up by a Carer of one of the group members. Sometimes it will be run by volunteers.

There really is no hard or fast rules as to what defines a Support Group, but generally it is a collection of people who get together on a regular basis with a common goal to help and support each other through the day to day issues that affect their lives.