People with chronic pain often suffer alone as they stay hidden away in their own homes, unable to join in the day-to-day routines of society.

However, a Canadian advocate for chronic pain sufferers is coming to Hamilton next week from Halifax, intent on showing chronic pain sufferers in this area that banding together and offering each other support and advice is an effective way to improve their quality of life.

Terry Bremner is the speaker at a public forum on Tuesday, Aug. 9, that will give those affected by chronic pain the chance to share their experiences and learn how to launch their own support group. The session is being held at 7 p.m. at the Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West.

“I want to show them that it's not something you have to be alone with,” says Bremner, himself a chronic pain sufferer. “There are other people out there that suffer daily, the same as you.”

As support group development officer for the Chronic Pain Association of Canada, Bremner is dedicated to helping sufferers create their own means of support in cities across the country. There are currently about 20 chronic pain support groups functioning in Canada.

Bremner hopes that Hamilton area chronic pain sufferers will come out to learn how a support group can help them develop strategies to manage their pain.

Bremner explains that support groups are not a substitute for medical treatment. Rather, they provide a method for sufferers to learn more about their conditions from others in similar situations, and find out how to access available resources.

“Support groups can help you develop strategies to better manage your pain, and can maybe show you that it's better to pre-act rather than react when you have a flare-up.”

The forum is sponsored by the new Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care at McMaster University.

Scientific director James Henry says 30 per cent of the population suffers from some form of chronic pain, often alone and in silence. However, he says, the Internet has become a way for them to keep in touch with each other and share their views, experiences, frustrations and anger.

“On the chat sites we could see that many sufferers felt alone and disenfranchised from society,” says Henry. “They are angry at the world and the health care system, and they are huddling together through the Internet.”

The move towards developing support groups is one way to funnel that energy along a constructive path, he says. And as the number of support groups grows, it's becoming obvious that they are an important force for those trying to manage chronic pain.

Henry says the forum is intended as a first step to get chronic pain sufferers in this area to share experiences and talk openly about their conditions, creating greater public awareness of the problem of chronic pain.