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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide basic guidelines to successfully establish a support group for caregivers of persons with dementia. Support groups should provide its members with a community of support, as well as coping and management strategies to improve daily function of loved ones. This should improve the care provided, and the quality of life for the caregiver and the care recipient. Suggestions related to establishing the foundation and creating a meeting agenda are discussed with examples from a recently established group. The appropriateness of the speech-language pathologist as a support group facilitator and the application of these guidelines to establishing support groups for other clinical populations are discussed.

Keywords

support group caregiver dementia speech-language pathologist

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References

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A Speech-Language Pathologist’s Guide to Creating a Support Group for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

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