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About the Group -- Our Mission and More We are a non-profit, self-help support group whose primary purpose is to share information with each other about living with our various dizziness disorders. By offering personal support, Group members help one another to cope with problems and challenges, and to learn of possible medical treatments. The group also helps to increase the public's awareness of dizziness and balance disorders through educational programs. We serve residents of the Buffalo and Western New York State area, plus neighboring regions, including the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, Canada. Anyone with a dizziness/vertigo/balance condition is welcome to join us. Our group is associated with the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) based in Portland, Oregon, in that we're listed in their literature, and most of our patient information comes from them. However, we function independently of VEDA, and we don't receive funding from any outside sources. Our group members voted in favor of having "optional dues" of $10.00 per year, or whatever each member feels he or she can afford to contribute.
A Brief History of Our Support Group
Our group was started during late 1995. At that time, several
Buffalo-area residents, including myself, had been experiencing chronic dizziness and were communicating with one another, thanks to VEDA's "Link List" for New York State. We felt grateful for the mutual support and agreed there was a need for an "official" dizziness support group in Western New York. So I thought I would try to start such a group.
There were just a handful of us at first. Then potential members were
sought via a
notice published in the Health section of the Buffalo News, plus VEDA ran a blurb about our formation in their quarterly newsletter, "On the Level." Our membership base began to build,
slowly but steadily.
During the spring of 1996, the group was mentioned in two
local newspaper articles and a television news feature story about dizziness problems. This kind of publicity reached many people who requested information on the group.
Likewise, our Managing Dizziness and Balance Disorders Seminar was spotlighted in the Buffalo News
during February of 2001, resulting in dozens upon dozens of inquiries.
Today, we have nearly 200 people on our postal mailing list. Among our members are residents of the Rochester, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier areas, plus Niagara Falls, USA and across the border into Ontario, Canada. We also have "long distance members" in places including Iowa and Australia.
Sometimes it can be disheartening, knowing that many people are dealing with dizziness problems--but it's also comforting to know there's a "place" where we can all come together and not have to feel so alone.
Meetings
Our meetings primarily consist of group discussions and the showing of videos from VEDA. Occasionally we feature guest speakers.
Past speakers have included physical therapists (specializing in vestibular rehabilitation), neuro-otologists, audiologists, and a chiropractor.
Next Meeting: possibly in the fall of 2008, to be announced
Online Support
We have an online version of the support group through Yahoo! Groups. It is called wny-dizzies. To learn more about this group and to sign up, please go to this address: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/wny-dizzies. (A new window will open in your web browser.) Anyone with a vestibular disorder is welcome to join. Although wny-dizzies is mainly Buffalo and Western New York state oriented, people from other areas who feel they could benefit from this group are certainly welcome, too.
Or, you may click on the button/link below if you would like to join wny-dizzies:
Click to join wny-dizzies Other online support networks regarding dizziness & balance problems include the following: Dizzinews -- an e-mail-based discussion group devoted to helping people who are suffering with inner ear and balance disorders Dizzytimes - A Community for Dizzy People -- a huge message board posting type of group, based in the UK but includes members from all over the world
How to Contact Us
If you are interested in being on our mailing list, and/or if you have
questions about the group, please visit the Contact Information page.
Please note: None of the information presented at this
site, and/or via the related liks, is intended to be medical advice or a substitute for
professional medical care.
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