Welcome to the homepage of the SSF's Greater Boston Support Group

Next Meetings:

The Greater Boston Sjögren’s Syndrome Support Group invites you to join us

Saturday, January 27, 2007^*
10am — noon
Tufts Dental School
Becker Student Lounge, 7th Floor
1 Kneeland Street, Boston, Massachusetts
* — Inclement weather date: February 3, 2007

Over the past two years, many of you have asked for an opportunity to discuss the challenges you face in dealing with Sjögren’s Syndrome and to brainstorm ways to better address them. Please join your support group leader as she introduces the topic:

"Care and Share...Do I care to share? If I share will you care? If I share and you care, do I care?"

Support/caring/sharing means different things to each of us. In partnership with Teri Rumpf, Ph.D., I will begin the program with an overview of the topic to help guide our group discussions through the maze of challenges. After an introduction to the guidelines for the program and a survey of members’ goals, we will break into small groups, each with a facilitator for brainstorming, after which I will ask each group to present a brief summary for discussion. Far from a game of words, what and how things are shared can and does make all the difference in our well-being.

We are honored to have Helen Krasovec, Mary Simmen, Joanne Levy, Cynthia Smellie & Ruth Segaloff join us as facilitators for the small groups. Following the small group meetings, we will reconvene to hear summaries from each group facilitator.

Proposed group topics are:
A- Your well being: lifestyle issues, diet, finding what you can/can’t do
B- Dealing with docs: meds, medical tests and procedures
C- Employment related issues: challenges, restrictions, and disability
D- Being the ‘other’: When someone you care about/love/live with is ill

Please RSVP to: lcepstein@earthlink.net and indicate your preferred choice of group A, B, C, or D

For you planning convenience:
Please mark your calendars to come to the January 27th meeting and once again bring friends and family with you, as well as your stories and suggestions for the Greater Boston Support Group.

For those taking the MBTA: The "Tufts-New England Medical Center" Orange Line stop is located across from the main hospital entrance on Washington Street.

For those who prefer to drive: Parking is available in the Medical Center's garage at 274 Tremont Street, next to the Wang Center and parking tickets will be validated at the meeting for reduced parking rates.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Lynn C. Epstein, MD
Greater Boston Support Group Leader

You can reach Dr. Epstein through Dr. Athena Papas's office number (617) 636-3932.