Observations of Groups
Observation of Groups: Community and Professional
Tammy Abraham
Purdue University Calumet
Observation of Groups: Community and Professional A baccalaureate prepared nurse needs to be able to function in many capacities. One such capacity is as a leader and communicator within groups whether community based or professional. Community groups include educational and support type groups. Professional groups include policy and procedure type committees. I had the privilege of attending an informal support group and a committee group meeting at my hospital. I have changed the names of those involved in these groups for confidentiality.
Support Group The support group I attended was called Alzheimer’s/ Related Illness Spousal Support Group. It was held at an assisted living facility in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of this group is to provide a non-judgmental environment for spouses and significant others of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s to come together and share their experiences and feelings and support each other. It also provides an opportunity to share ideas on how to decrease stress and to share new information about the disease and any new resources available. The leader and organizer of this group name is “Susan”. She is a licensed certified social worker for a Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s disease Center at a large medical faculty foundation in Chicago, Illinois. Susan had many roles during this group meeting. The group members had started a conversation regarding the prices of nursing homes and caretakers and what insurances would and would not pay. After several minutes of allowing the members to converse, “Susan” stepped in and became the initiator first by stating the tasks and goals of the group and then by opening the conversation up by asking how everyone was doing and if anything new was happening. She had the members introduce themselves. She acted as gate-keeper by keeping the conversation flowing and focused on feelings and
Tammy Abraham
Purdue University Calumet
Observation of Groups: Community and Professional A baccalaureate prepared nurse needs to be able to function in many capacities. One such capacity is as a leader and communicator within groups whether community based or professional. Community groups include educational and support type groups. Professional groups include policy and procedure type committees. I had the privilege of attending an informal support group and a committee group meeting at my hospital. I have changed the names of those involved in these groups for confidentiality.
Support Group The support group I attended was called Alzheimer’s/ Related Illness Spousal Support Group. It was held at an assisted living facility in Chicago, Illinois. The purpose of this group is to provide a non-judgmental environment for spouses and significant others of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s to come together and share their experiences and feelings and support each other. It also provides an opportunity to share ideas on how to decrease stress and to share new information about the disease and any new resources available. The leader and organizer of this group name is “Susan”. She is a licensed certified social worker for a Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s disease Center at a large medical faculty foundation in Chicago, Illinois. Susan had many roles during this group meeting. The group members had started a conversation regarding the prices of nursing homes and caretakers and what insurances would and would not pay. After several minutes of allowing the members to converse, “Susan” stepped in and became the initiator first by stating the tasks and goals of the group and then by opening the conversation up by asking how everyone was doing and if anything new was happening. She had the members introduce themselves. She acted as gate-keeper by keeping the conversation flowing and focused on feelings and