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A support group for people affected by or interested in learning more about osteoporosis is being formed in Oak Ridge. It's sponsored by the Women's Center of Methodist Medical Center in conjunction with the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), a voluntary, nonprofit health organization.
Meetings will be held the first Monday of each month from 12 noon-1 p.m. at the Women's Center, 671 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. The first meeting is scheduled Monday, Feb. 2.
Few osteoporosis support groups exist in Tennessee, according to Women's Center director Flavia Hage. The local group, which will be called The Circle of Strength, is the only such group in East Tennessee. Statewide, the only other osteoporosis support group affiliated with NOF is in Memphis, she said.
Karen Nelson, who's on the staff of the Oak Ridge Breast Center, will serve as the group's facilitator. A registered radiologic technologist and clinical nuclear medical technologist, Nelson has five years of experience in performing bone densitometry examinations to screen for osteoporosis.
"Living with osteoporosis is a day-to-day challenge," according Hage. "It weakens the bones and accounts for 1.5 million fractures every year. Osteoporosis can cause pain, long-term disability, and even death.
"With the support group, we hope to give people an opportunity to share their coping strategies, management skills, frustrations, and successes with osteoporosis."
For more information, call the Women's Center at 481-1828.
