Women Experiencing Menopause: A Support Group Formation Proposal

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This is a proposal for the formation of a support group for women experiencing the transitions associated with menopause. Menopause creates feelings of loss and uncertainty making it important to provide women a friendly environment to find answers to questions about this process. These meetings will assist the participants in creating a positive response to these changes resulting in a better adjustment period. This proposal provides the introductory framework necessary to create this group, including the rationale of the group, the process of group formation including selecting leaders and a meeting place as well as the outline of a standard meeting. An individual will be able to take the suggestions presented here and create a similar group if necessary.

Introduction and Type of Group

This proposal is to define the creation of a group dedicated to supporting women undergoing the transition of menopause. Menopause support groups are a great way to connect with people that are experiencing similar symptoms as their bodies go through this change. The group will provide additional support for women who are used to finding support from their families either there spouse, children or members of the extended family. During the transition of menopause it might not be possible to do so if they have not gone through these mental, hormonal and emotional changes that occur during menopause.

The participant population for this group will be the leaders and co-leaders who will be women who have already gone through the majority of the changes associated with menopause. This will provide them with the necessary experience to lead the group and provide discussions for the women who have just entered this stage of their life.

During this time women are experiencing many physical changes and would have an increased openness to advice and guidance from women who have experienced these changes. As women are also undergoing the process of redefining themselves in other ways this group will provide additional activities; these activities will assist the participants in finding new activities and friends to enjoy them with. They will be able to move past the image of mother or spouse and explore interests and hobbies that they might have neglected while raising their children. This group will assist the participants while they make these adjustments as well as finding sources of inspiration, new friends and possibly becoming somebody else’s source of inspiration.

Menopause support groups offer a way to express and chart their journeys through this time as well as learn from the experiences of others. This support group environment allows women in this situation to feel less isolated during this transition.

Rational

Because menopause encompasses many transitions over a period of several years the age range of the women in this group will be diverse. When providing a service such as this to a diverse group of ages it is important that the content of the meetings and the actives is suitable for the majority of the participants. A secondary concern for a group of this type is that due to the changes that are occurring in a women’s body it often brings feelings of uncertainty and change. These feelings can produce volatile outbursts that could prove upsetting to other members of the group.

As this period of life can be broken down into three phases, the physical, spiritual and interpersonal, the support group will attempt to address each of the three phases.

The group will address the physical aspect in two ways. The first is providing support, understanding and answers for the individuals undergoing these transitions. This will address the physical changes that are occurring in their lives. The other way that the group will address the physical aspect is to provide physical activities that will motivate the group participants to increase physical activity and possibly result in some weight loss.

The group will address the spiritual through readings from the bible at the start of each session. The bible verses will be chosen for their inspirational ability as well as their ability to provide motivation to the women as they undergo this transition. Possible bible verses include but are not limited to:

  • Is not this thy, fear, thy confidence, thy hope and the uprightness of thy ways? (Job 4:6)
  • For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (Job 14:7)
  • But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding (Job 32:8)

As individual’s age and experience various transitions it is very important that their self worth is not affected by those changes (Ellison, 1991). By maintaining their spiritual strength the women will be able to enhance their self image and self worth.

The group will address the interpersonal aspect by providing a safe environment for these women to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions with women undergoing similar changes. The women will be able to develop friends through the group meetings and activities.

Through this group women will be able to move past the medical definition of menopause and experience their life more fully. Clinical communities and popular culture have depicted the process as only a biological process associated with feelings of loss. The medical community treats menopause as a deficiency of reproductive hormones and treat it as a cluster of symptoms rather then an overall medical condition (Dillaway, 2005). The medical profession focuses on the disagreeable symptoms and negative aspects of this transition period and women can get caught in these negative interpretations of the aging process. In this support group women will be able to receive the emotional support that is necessary during this time.

Life events are events that have a distinct and tangible effect on an individual. These events include marriage, the birth of children, children leaving home, menopause and other aspects of aging. These have different effects, depending on the conditions under which they occur and the resources available to individuals experiencing them. It is suggested that various factors will increase the stress experienced by the individual going through these transition phases. Factors that can increase the stress include personality, economic resources, coping efforts and social relationships (George, Linda K, 1993).

Objectives and Outcomes

In this support group it is hoped that women who are going through the transitions of menopause will receive the support and inspiration from women who either have experienced or are experiencing similar changes and transitions. Through this group the women will be encouraged and able to find inspiration in the changes that are occurring rather then only focusing on the negative aspect of what physical capabilities are being lost such as the ability to bear children.

There are many different treatment options available to treat the medical conditions associated with menopause. However not all the treatments are effective for the every individual (Wasaha and Angelopoulos, 1996). By being part of a group all the participants will be able to benefit from the experiences of the others and achieve a measure of comfort during this transition.

It is hoped that the women will leave the group with a strong support network of friends that they have shared this time of their lives with as well as the ability to face the additional challenges and opportunities that life will bring them with optimism and hope.

Marketing or Recruiting

The group will advertise its meetings at local libraries, coffee shops, medical centers and community centers. It is hoped that with this wide range of locations that a diverse group of women will be attracted to the meeting. With a diverse group of individuals the meetings will be more attractive to new members joining as well as provide diverse experiences and advice for all the members.

Because of the differences in social and historical facts that are unique to every individual inside a population, a population of individuals will have different life courses if their social and economic backgrounds are similar (George, Linda K, 1993). Due to this if the group is made up of diverse social and economic backgrounds then additional support, understanding and experiences can be gained by the group members.

Screening and Selection of Group Members

Membership of the group will be on a voluntary basis open to any women experiencing some form of menopause. Forms of menopause include but are not limited to physiologic, pathologic and artificial forms of menopause. As the membership is open to all women that fit these medical conditions, exit from the group will also be voluntary and members can leave the group at any time.

Studying these transitions will increase in importance as the baby boom population is rapidly aging. In the 1900’s the percentage of individuals was only 4.1 percent of the population. That percentage is expected to reach 20 percent by the year 2030, that increase will bring the aging process into the forefront of medical and psychological research (Alder, 2003).

Selection of Group Leaders

The group will select leaders every six month through an election process. The group will be organized by a board of individuals including president, vice-president and secretary. The role of President and vice-president will provide leadership to the group, they will present information and ideas to the group but will not vote on issues effecting the group unless a tie breaking vote is required. The secretary will be responsible for taking minutes of the meeting in order to maintain records of decisions made by the group. Depending on the size of the group individuals will be asked to volunteer for to research activities and events to present to the group during meetings.

The meeting will be an informal meeting with 30 minutes devoted to choosing the monthly activity and any business that was not discussed at the previous meeting while the remainder of the time will be spent socializing with the other group members. This will provide the opportunity for the women to discus any changes that they are going through and get advice from individual women without having to inform the entire group unless they chose to.

Because the group is voluntary and their will be the option of changing leaders every six months it is very unlikely that there will be issues with individuals undermining the purpose of the group (Morrill, Zald and Rao, 2003). In groups where there is either no opportunity or limited opportunity to replace the leaders can create situations in which members of the group would cause additional issues that would detract from the purposes of the group.

Location, Time and Duration

As the members of the group have outside activities and interests it is important to keep the time spent with the group to a manageable amount. This will increase the participation in the group because the group meeting will have the mental image of an event rather then an obligation (Orlikowski and Yates, 2002). The amount of time spent however will still provide the necessary interaction that is necessary to provide the physical, spiritual and interpersonal support necessary for the participants.

In order to keep membership in the group free, the group will meet at a local church. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6 pm to 7 pm. Every 3rd Saturday the group will meet for a fun activity in order to maintain the strength of the group by sharing experiences. The individual members will be required to pay for all expenses incurred by these outings. Outings will be suggested by group members and the group will decide which activities to go on through a simple vote. Participation in both the regularly scheduled meetings and the activities will be on a voluntary basis.

Structure and Ground Rules

Maintaining organization change involves by definition the transformation of an organizations structure. It is important for the maintenance of the group to provide a means of creating a positive and effective change. Without a form of organizational maintenance the organization or group can not succeed.

It is very important for any group to provide both structure and ground rules for the member’s behavior (Barnet and Carroll, 1995). By creating rules for the group the group is able to maintain its structure and keep its organizational focus. The ground rules will start with the meetings will start and end on time. This will ensure that individuals will arrive promptly and respect the group. An additional way of ensuring that the group is respected is by not allowing members to be admitted more then fifteen minutes after the meeting has started. The group members will be on a rotational schedule to provide light snacks and drinks for the meeting. Depending on the size of the group members could be responsible for bring refreshments between every month or every three months. In order to provide for organizational strength the members of the group will be able to elect new members every six months. This will allow new ideas and new leadership into the group and prevent the group leaders from having to cope with additional stress. The group will have the ability to create and enforce additional rules as the need for the rules is recognized.

If additional rules are presented to the group the group will have the ability to vote on the rule. This will prevent inefficient rules from being created and allow the membership to maintain a voice in the groups operations. By maintaining the structure of the group the organization will be able to maintain its structural integrity as well as provide enough flexibility to ensure the group will be able to maintain its cohesion over several years.

Group Sessions

The group will be held at a local church close to the center of town. This will provide greater access to members of the group located at various locations. The group will start with a brief introduction of new members. This will allow the group time to adjust to the new members and allow the new member to adjust to the group. At this time if there were any decisions or business carried over from the last meeting will be discussed. This will allow new members to receive additional information about the group and their activities.

After the meet and great period the leader will begin to discus activities that the group might be interested in for the next several months. The group members will be able to discus those activities and decide upon which ones they would be interested in doing.

The group will then discuss current problems or issues that they are having with the transitions through menopause. The members of the group will be allowed to ask questions and provide support to the other members.

After this stage the leader will read a passage from the bible that speaks of hope or inspiration. The bible verse will be used to bring comfort and to deepen the spiritual awareness of the members of the group.

During the meeting the members of the group will be able to snack on the refreshments. It is hoped that through this schedule of events the women will be able to maintain a level of comfort and companionship.

Initial Stage

In the initial stage the group will be introduced to new members through an introductory period. During this time individuals will introduce themselves with their name and a brief statement about themselves. If there are no new members this step will be replaced with the members greeting each other. The women will be invited to enjoy the light refreshments provided by the members. The members responsible for bringing the refreshments will be acknowledged by the group leader.

Transition Stage

After this period any business from the last meeting will be discussed through a reading of the minutes from the previous meeting. The minutes will only track the decisions that affect the group such as outings or changes to the rules. Personal issues will be kept within the group and not written down. This will allow all members to be brought up to date with the group’s activities and decisions. This is important in order to maintain the integrity of the group. If the members missed a meeting or are new to the group this stage will keep all the members with the same knowledge about the group.

Working Stage

During the working stage the members will be able to engage in a question and answer forum. In this stage the women will be able to discus any new issues or concerns that have occurred since the last meeting. The member’s will be able to provide advice and comfort to the group members through this process. This stage is important because the founding principles of the group are to provide information, comfort and inspiration to the members of the group.

Final Stage

In the final stage the leader of the group will read a passage from the Bible to the participants. The Bible verse or passage will have been selected ahead of time to ensure that it is properly marked and easily accessible to the group leader. If the leader of the group is absent the co-leader will read the passage and perform the other duties of the leader. By having secondary leadership support the group will be able to function if the leader is unable to attend a meeting or an event.

The Bible verse is read for several reasons, the first being to bring comfort and hope to the participants as they undergo this transition in their lives. The second is to deepen the member’s spiritual awareness.

Conclusion

This group will provide a safe and friendly environment designed to enhance a women’s experience through the transition of menopause. Because this transition can be affected by many factors including their general physical and emotional health the experience can be extremely different from one individual to the next. This transition can create feelings of loss if they view this transition as the loss of status and beginning of old age. This can create feelings of either anger or sadness and continue to focus on the missed opportunities in their life. This group will assist them in moving past these feelings and increase their feelings of hope and possibility and decrease the feelings of loss.

Sharing experiences with other women will assist these women in gaining perspective about their past and future life. Through this sharing process the women will be able to reflect on the possibilities presented to them during this transition stage. By adding the focus on reading from the Bible they will receive the greatest long-term benefit will come from tending to religious or spiritual needs to achieve balance amid all of the physical and emotional changes that will occur during menopause.

The model of the group can be utilized in any town or city to assist women who are going through this transition. By having groups in multiple locations additional women can participate allowing them an additional outlet for any stress or anxiety that they might be feeling. The group outing will allow the women to enjoy activities together which will increase the bonds between the group members.

References

Alder, Tina. (2004). Aging Research: The Future Face of Environmental Health. Environmental Health Perspectives. 111(14), A761-A765.

Barnett, William P and Carrol, Glenn R. (1995). Modeling Internal Organizational Change. Annual Review of Sociology. 21, 217-236.

Dillaway, Heather E. Menopause Is the “Good Old”: Women’s Thoughts about Aging. (2005). Gender and Society. Vol. 19(3), 398-417.

Ellison, Christopher G. (1991) Religious Involvement and Subjective Well-Being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 32(1), 80-99.

George, Linda K. Sociological Perspectives on Life Transitions. (1993). Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 19, 353-373.

Hunter, Melissa and Harris, Jerri. (2005). Dealing with the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Menopause: Finding Hope in the Midlife. Haworth Press, Inc NJ.

Morrill, Calvin, Zald, Mayer N and Rao, Hayagreeva. (2003). Covert Political Conflict in Organizations: Challenges from Below. Annual Review of Sociology. 29, 391-415.

Nelson, T. (Eds.) 1982. Holy Bible, New King James Version.

Orlikowski, Wanda J and Yates, JoAnne. (2002). It’s about Time: Temporal Structuring in Organizations. Organization Science. 13(6), 684-700.

Wasaha, Susan and Angelopoulos, Frances M. (1996). CE Credit What Every Women Should Now about Menopause. The American Journal of Nursing.(1), 24-33)

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