Support Groups and You By Jackie Puerta Whether you ve recently received a diagnosis of ALS or have been living with the disease for years, MDA ALS support groups provide a powerful outlet for expressing concerns and learning from others through the gift of sharing. MDA support groups are confidential and provide valuable emotional support as well as practical information to individuals and families dealing with ALS. The group provides a place for people with ALS (PALS) and their caregivers to exchange ideas, provide suggestions and solutions for everyday problems and to share information on a variety of topics. Guest speakers act as a valuable resource as they inform the group about the latest research, respite care, in-home care, transportation services and durable medical equipment (DME s), to name a few, all of which may enhance quality of life. Participants begin to feel empowered, informed and encouraged as they share similar experiences and challenges. As Phyllis Silver stated, the support group has been a source of information for us, comradery for Stan as a patient with fellow patients and for me with other caregivers. We can share moments of laughter as well as receiving hugs on difficult days. No mundane talk. We get right to the matters that count and we can count on each other as well as our wonderful facilitators and our MDA representative. If you are not ready to attend a support group or are unable to attend our meetings, an alternative is our MDA Phone Friends Support Network. MDA Phone Friends provides an opportunity for people to privately communicate with other individuals either by phone or e-mail, which are experiencing the challenges of living with ALS. For more information on how to participate in your local ALS support group or how to take advantage of MDA Phone Friends, please contact Jackie Puerta at (212) 689-9040.