Creating a Stroke Support Group
Author, group facilitator and stroke survivor Art Gottlieb shares the story of starting his stroke support group that has been thriving for over 30 years.

Reaching Out to Survivors
Author, group facilitator and stroke survivor Art Gottlieb shares insights on reaching out to survivors and getting them involved in a stroke support group.

The Power of Community
When you’re new in town, with no family around, and you have two strokes in six months, you need help from somebody. Chuck Couchman of Pueblo, Colo., found it by creating a stroke support group.

Des Moines Stroke Club:  Successful and Thriving
The top 10 keys to this group's success.

The Healing Power of Connection
Support groups come in many different types and sizes.  There’s the AOL Strokechatters, an online support group that had an annual gathering in Ft. Worth, Texas. Then there’s the aphasia support group at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.. And Ted and Irma King, a Buffalo, N.Y., a couple that started five support groups that all met at McDonald's. Plus, 10 reasons why survivors should join a stroke support group from the members of the support group at Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa.

Moving On Together – The Difference a Group Makes
A crew of caring therapists in New London, Conn., put together a post-stroke exercise program where survivors can continue enhancing their recovery. The group, called “Moving On,” has become a boon not just for the physical recovery of the survivors, but for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Ten participants share their feelings in this story written by one of their caregivers, Lucy O’Neil.

Illinois Stroke Family Camp
Marylee Nunley of Peoria, Ill., is doing a good thing – she has put together stroke camps where survivors and caregivers can get away for a weekend of “Retreat and Refresh.” The camps are staffed by trained therapists. Stroke caregivers have the opportunity to relax and the survivors get the chance to engage in outdoor activities and pampering from a local cosmetology school.

Aphasia Book Clubs: Making the Connection
Sometimes reading can be difficult for people with aphasia, and may contribute to feelings of isolation. To remedy this, the Aphasia Center of California (ACC) developed a book club called Book Connections for people with aphasia. The book club, which is run by a speech therapist, uses “reading ramps” to help readers, no matter their ability, participate in the book club.