ABSTRACT
Individuals coalesce into a support group because of life-altering circumstances, such as chronic illness, dependency, or grief. For those who come to the Oley Foundation, the circumstance is severe bowel dysfunction that has led to the need for home parenteral and/or enteral nutrition (HPEN). For many of them, HPEN has been life saving. However, they are aware that potentially life-threatening complications come hand in hand with HPEN’s life-saving properties, and that both HPEN and the illnesses that lead to HPEN can come with psychosocial side effects [1-5]. The HPEN consumer or caregiver has his or her hands full with care issues, and then often faces grieving, depression, and feelings of isolation and bewilderment as well [6-9]. Financial stress, too, often accompanies chronic illness and expensive therapies such as HPEN [10,11].
