What is peer support and why is it important ?
Peer support involves individuals who have undergone a comparable experience, providing one another with motivation, optimism, aid, counsel, and empathy. Peer support can assist in the process of coping with your condition.
Living with a chronic pathology can sometimes lead to feelings of loneliness or frustration, especially when faced with the incomprehension of your loved ones. Online support groups can give you the means to be heard and understood by people who live the same thing as you on a daily basis.
How can you integrate peer support in your life ?
There are different ways to integrate peer support in your life. This can either be virtually or face-to-face, depending on your preferences and availability in your area. Following types of peer support are relatively easy to start with:
- A social network group (e.g.: on facebook, instagram, twitter…): There are private groups created by patients’ associations dealing with one type of pathology. ( ex : Spondybook deals with spondylarthrose )
- Online peer support application: An online peer support application was specifically developed to provide peersupport via a social network for patients with a chronic condition. Patients can participate in different group or chats on certain topcis. These networks also provide additional information for patients with expert videos, doctor interviews, patient testimonials, …
- Forum: Forums are different from private group discussion because they provide anonymous information available for everyone, you can decide to post questions or advices with an alias. These forums are not monitored in real time by healthcare professionals, which can lead to delays in responding to urgent questions or errors in advice given.
- Coffee group : Meeting in friendly places among people with the same pathology. Coffee groups use the same principles as online support groups, but then in real life . They occur from 3-4 times a year to once a month and are intended for people who have recently been diagnosed.
- Become a member of a patient association : Associations provide information, organize regular events for their members, and can help you join an online support group.
Our tips to select the right peer support platform :
Before joining a online support group there are few things you need to pay attention for :
- Is there a group entry charter?
A charter establishes rules on how to act and publish in a private group discussion, e.g.: what content is allowed to be published or not. This avoids ads, inappropriate comments, fake profiles, and sales of “miracle” products. Each charter is specific to the group, it is the administrators/moderators of the groups who create it. - Is there a moderator on the platform?
A moderator is someone who filters spam posts, fake news, warns or excludes group members with inappropriate comments. - Is it possible to interact anonymously?
Anonymity can be very important for some members on these kind of platforms, so that each member feels free to post or ask their questions without being judged by anyone. - How big is the community?
The size of the community also plays an important role. The bigger the community is, the faster the answers will be.