In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy.
Cancer support groups are meetings that offer a safe space for people affected by cancer to share their experiences and emotions with other people who have cancer. People in stressful situations benefit from having a good social support system, and a cancer support group can be part of a support system.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1949, is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer in the world. The LLS's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
The Canadian Cancer Society is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.
A Patient Safety Organization (PSO) is a group, institution, or association that improves medical care by reducing medical errors. Common functions of patient safety organizations are data collection, analysis, reporting, education, funding, and advocacy. A PSO differs from a Federally designed Patient Safety Organization (PSO), which provides health care providers in the U.S. privilege and confidentiality protections for efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of patient care delivery
Patient advocacy is a process in health care concerned with advocacy for patients, survivors, and caregivers. The patient advocate may be an individual or an organization, concerned with healthcare standards or with one specific group of disorders. The terms patient advocate and patient advocacy can refer both to individual advocates providing services that organizations also provide, and to organizations whose functions extend to individual patients. Some patient advocates are independent and some work for the organizations that are directly responsible for the patient's care.
An e-patient is a health consumer who participates fully in his/her medical care, primarily by gathering information about medical conditions that impact them and their families, using the Internet and other digital tools. The term encompasses those who seek guidance for their own ailments and the friends and family members who go online on their behalf. E-patients report two effects of their health research: "better health information and services, and different, but not always better, relationships with their doctors."
Online health communities are online social networks related to health. They primarily provide a means for patients and their families to learn about illnesses, to seek and offer social support, and to connect with others in similar circumstances. These online groups can be composed of individuals with illnesses, groups of medical professionals with shared interests, non-professional caregivers and family of patients, or a combination. The term "online health community" is primarily academic jargon.
The American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), previously named Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization dedicated to childhood cancer.
Colorectal Cancer Alliance is the largest and oldest colorectal cancer non-profit organization in the US.
Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK-wide charity in the UK providing care, support and information to anyone affected by breast cancer. The charity's headquarters are in London, with additional offices in Sheffield, Cardiff, and Glasgow. It is regularly quoted by media looking for the perspective of patients on breast cancer.
The Chernobyl Forum is the name of a group of UN agencies, founded on 3–5 February 2003 at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, to scientifically assess the health effects and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and to issue factual, authoritative reports on its environmental and health effects.
ICanServe Foundation, Inc., formerly Information on Breast Cancer and Other Services, is a non-stock, non-profit organization that advocates early breast cancer detection through breast self-examination. Based in Manila, Philippines, and co-founded in 1999 by journalist Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, a breast cancer survivor, the advocacy group empowers women with breast cancer and women cancer-related information so they can have a voice in their own health care. Its mission is to arm women with breast care health and breast cancer information so they can make informed decisions about their health. It also provides access to special services that will help the breast cancer survivor recover and heal more effectively.
The British Thyroid Foundation (BTF) is a UK-based, patient-led, registered charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping their families and people around them to understand the condition.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) charity that funds research, provides patient/caregiver support, conducts community outreach and advocates for increased federal research funding for those affected by pancreatic cancer.
HelpAge India is an Indian organization where Jibby and the government are focused on the concerns of elders and support geriatric initiatives. Established in 1978, The aim is to serve disadvantaged elders in a holistic manner, enabling them to live active, dignified, and healthier lives.
Roger Holzberg is an American health innovator, creative director, teacher, writer, and inventor. He is the co-founder and creative director for Reimagine Well, as well as the founder of the organization My Bridge 4 Life. He also previously served as the Creative Director (consulting) for the National Cancer Institute. Through My Bridge 4 Life, Holzberg provides a wellness network for people facing health crises. Holzberg was for twelve years a Vice President / Creative Director at The Walt Disney Company, both at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online and at Walt Disney Imagineering, until he left to found My Bridge 4 Life in 2008. He teaches the Healthcare by Design class at the California Institute of the Arts. His personal use of triathlon as a part of his own wellness plan, and as an inspiration for survivorship, was featured by ABC news in Los Angeles in a promotion for the Malibu Triathlon. In 2015 he became a USAT age category elite athlete qualifying for the USAT national triathlon championships.
The Bite Me Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c) organization, founded in Fairfax County, Virginia, in September 2010 by Nikki Ferraro and her parents, Sharon Ferraro and C. Michael Ferraro. Bite Me Cancer was founded with the goal to support teenagers with all types of cancer, in addition to providing direct funding to research and improve awareness and advocacy for thyroid cancer. Bite Me Cancer partners with the American Thyroid Association to raise awareness and fund grants across the world. Bite Me Cancer seeks to both support teenagers with all types of cancer and directly fund for thyroid cancer research.
Ovacome is a charitable incorporated organisation based in the UK which exists to support anyone affected by ovarian cancer. The charity's main office is located in London, with a regional hub in Dudley.
Inspire is an Arlington, Virginia-based healthcare social network. It builds and manages online health communities for patients and caregivers, and connects patients to life science companies for the purpose of research.
