Last week, I was contacted by CNIB asking
me if I would participate in a phone survey regarding the agency’s peer support
group program. I have been a facilitator of our local group for a long time now
and I was pleased to answer the questions for the survey. Joe asked about my
responsibilities as a group facilitator and also asked about the involvement of
the other members of the group.
I am quite proud of our local group. I know
for a fact that the members enjoy our monthly meetings. We are excited to learn
about the latest advances in optical research. We listen to guest speakers who
give us more information about our eyes and how we should take care of them. We
have heard from a local optometrist, a pharmacist and staff members from
CNIB. We listen to each other talk and
we offer emotional support. We always enjoy chatting over refreshments at the
end of a meeting. Our peer support group offers members practical ways of
continuing a full and active life in spite of our various degrees of vision
loss. Our members frequently comment that the peer support group helps reduce
the sense of isolation that often accompanies both vision loss and aging.
I am pleased that CNIB is evaluating the
benefits of the peer support group program and the role of volunteers in the organization.
I was also pleased to be able to express some of my own thoughts to Joe in our
phone conversation. If nothing else it gave me the opportunity to re-examine my
own commitment to the group. As blind and partially sighted people, our
involvement in the peer support program gives us an opportunity to learn from
and lean on each other. For as much as I have given to our group, I have reaped
far more in the way of support and friendship from the group members. My hope is that CNIB continues to recognize
the importance of the peer support group program and possibly would even apply
more funding to its expansion.
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