Peer
support is a central part of the rehabilitative process. Peer support puts a
system of giving and receiving help into practice. It is founded on the key
principles of respect, shared responsibility and mutual agreement about how to
help each other. Peer support is about identifying with another’s situation
through the shared experience of physical, emotional, and psychological
understanding.
The
vision of the Peer Support Program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is to
focus on the challenges commonly faced by people with spinal cord injury and
brain injury, both during their rehabilitation in the hospital and after they
go home. In almost all cases, peers work in a group setting facilitated by the
coordinator of the program.
Meetings
for the TBI and SCI peer support groups take place at Santa Clara Valley
Medical Center and at the Camden Community Center. All meetings are open to any
current or post-injury patient and their family members.