Find Online Support After a Stroke

Patients and caregivers with serious illness have for many years had support groups available to them at local hospitals or other care facilities. However, these groups need a cluster of patients and the patients and caregivers need to be able to travel to the group. With the advent of the Internet, patients and family members can obtain support regardless of their location or ability to travel.

Stroke victims and their family caregivers have a variety of sites from which to choose. In most cases sites offer connection to other caregivers and stoke victims through message boards and forums. Look at a variety of sites and find one that meets your needs.

Here are six web sites that offer support for stoke victims and caregivers, in a variety of formats.

Stroke Safe. (www.strokesafe.org). This site is all about helping the patient and caregiver cope with the stroke diagnosis, treatment and recovery. A variety of online support groups which operate as list serves offer separate venues for stroke survivors and caregivers. There is a stroke survivors group, a caregivers group, a group that includes all who have survived or care about a stroke survivor, and a list serve that focuses on the latest developments in treatment and rehabilitation.

The Family Caregiver Alliance of the National Center on Caregiving (http://caregiver.org/) provides caregiver support to all caregivers regardless of illness of the patient. Support through extensive information, an outstanding patient navigator that provides caregiving support information by state and a caregiver's list serve. You can sign up on the site for the list serve used to post questions and discuss caregiving issues.

The Stroke Network ( www.StrokeNetwork.org ) provides gives the stroke survivors and caregivers a variety of services that reflect their goal of enabling stroke survivors and caregivers to connect with others in similar circumstances and learn from each other. These services include instant massaging and chat sessions not found on other sites. The Network also provides a variety of forums, blogs, message boards and email capability for specific questions.

Strokesurvivors International. (http://strokesurvivors.org/) This online list serve pulls in support from around the world. Stroke survivors moderate the list serve. The site is clear that they are fellow survivors offering support and encouragement and not medical advisors.

The Pediatric Stroke Network (www.pediatricstrokenetwork.com/) is specific to the needs of family and friends of children who have experienced a stroke. They are helpful in finding other parents who are struggling with the aftermath of a childhood stroke. A list serve provides connection to other families who can act as experienced resources.

Generation S Young Stroke Survivors.(http://www.orgsites.com/pa/generation-s) A small but increasing number of stroke survivors are young adults. This site specifically targets the young stroke survivors and offers message boards and an assigned e-buddy.