Well Spouse Support Group

A new Well Spouse support group meeting the fourth Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Center on the Hill at the Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill.

Facilitators for the group are Fern Zeigler, Claire Salvi and David Hale. All have many years of spousal caregiving. All care about helping the caregiver.

When one is ill, two need help. When a person gets a diagnosi s of a disease or becomes physically disabled, their spouse/partner is there to help, but who is there to help the “caregiver”? This can be a lonely and sometimes overwhelming and frightening pursuit for the “well spouse/partner.”

When someone becomes a caregiver for their spouse or partner, their life changes. What were once shared activities/responsibilities begin to fall more and more on the caregiver. Meals, shopping, laundry, cleaning, child care and financial matters are just a few of the things the caregiver may begin to carry alone. Vacation plans and dreams inevitably change. Friends may disappear. Family may not be as available as one would hope. Some level of depression may occur.

One form of self-help is a support group. This is a group of people who face similar problems. It is a place of respite and even laughter, a place where you are truly understood and you don’t have to explain yourself. It is also a place for sharing of resources and ways to care for self.

For more information, contact Fern Zeigler at 484686-7689 or fernzeigler@ gmail.com or Claire Salvi at 215-407-5567.