A Survey of Family Support Group Leaders

A survey was conducted on 19 leaders of family support groups for the caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease patients to help understand the group facilitation experience and determine the leaders' perceived training needs. Results of this survey indicated that these family support group leaders come from diverse work backgrounds and have led groups in different settings for varied time periods. Helping others was the most frequently listed "major reward" of being a support group leader. Problems with group process, structure, and inadequate information were reported as disadvantages. The leaders perceived mutual support as a major strength of a support group and sporadic member participation a major weakness. Almost all leaders believed that special training should be required for group leaders and that this should include sessions on group leaders and that this should include sessions on group process issues, content issues, and available community resources. In response to these findings, a support group le...