Support Groups - Why do patients stay away?????

NancySmiles · August 23, 2006

I have been asked several times lately by our Lap-Band Support Group "regulars" about HOW to get the others or even the other regulars, to come to the meetings. There should be over 150 patients at the meetings and last week we had 8 - EIGHT - 8 - EIGHT!!! Is it due to the vacation season??? Not sure....

If anyone has ANY ideas on how to drum up interest in the meetings, make them more interesting, get more people to participate, etc. If your group has done something to motivate more attendance....PLEASE let me know!!!

thanks!!

NANCY

Alexandra · August 23, 2006

Nancy, attendance at our meetings is very irregular, too. I don't think it's anything to worry about; when people need support they'll be there. 8 is a good number, it seems to me--everyone has time to talk and the participants can get to know one another. When our meetings started sometimes there were only two or three people in attendance! Now we typically get between 6 and 20 or so, never more than that even though our doctors' office has done hundreds of bands.

One thing you might try is having the doctors you work with tell preops about your meetings. We often have people come who are thinking about being banded and want to meet bandsters face to face. And while scheduling topics or visitors (such as personal trainers, therapists, nutritionists, etc.) always sounds great, it seems like at our meetings there never enough time to just chat.

cathgr8 · August 23, 2006

I don't know about your meetings, but mine usually have 30-40 people. In the alloted time, the moderator speaks for 5-10 minutes, usually about a topic, each attendee gets about 1-2 minutes, usually off the topic, and then we go home. I don't find it at all helpful, and prefer these boards, since there is so much information available on every subject relating to the lap band any time of the day or night. The support group is about 65% bypass patients and 35% lap band, so a lot of what's said doesn't even apply.

Fauxnaif · August 23, 2006

Frankly, I stay away from our local support group meetings for a couple of reasons.

1. I am so in the groove with the band that I don't want to think about it all the time.

2. There was a really, really annoying person who ran our group who thought she knew everything and I couldn't stand her.

Idea-have a social event where families are invited! Some people feel weird without their spouses or can't find sitters, etc.

jcbydesign · August 23, 2006

I go to a great small local group that meets once a month (6-10 usually) and we have lunch together and just 'talk' band. It's more like this forum only in person. I much prefer this to the official support group where they have speakers and very little personal interraction. Maybe you should consider changing your format?

Just a thought.