Association Alopecia Areata Switzerland – Who or what are we?
The association Alopecia Areata Germany / Switzerland is an independent association which has been recognized as particularly supportive one.
Our organization is made up of committed volunteers, mediating between those affected and self-help groups, physicians, health insurance funds, wigs producers, etc., and a medical advisory board consisting of physicians who support us with their knowledge and experience. Our objectives, support and advice for Alopecia Areata patients and their interests, as well as informing the public about this disease and the promotion of research, are clearly defined in the association’s statute. Through contributions in the press, on radio and television and through our own homepage, we are well-represented in the media.
What do we want?
Help for the patients! We want to provide help, advice and moral support for people affected by Alopecia Areata. First of all, an affected person’s own uncertainty about the disease is too hard to bear, while self-confidence and self-esteem are very often greatly weakened. The problems are manifold: starting from the tensions in the interpersonal relationships and family environment, the fear in the workplace, the shyness one may feel for the next shopping trip to the mall, or generally the loss of self-esteem. Often depression can also develop as a result of hair loss.
But just as diverse are the possibilities to help:
- Other members of our association who have experienced such situations can often give good advice. Affected persons are not alone with their problems!
- Group meetings take place regularly.
- Telephone and personal advice.
- In our various publications, current information, research results, medical reports and readers’ letters are published.
- Assistance with the applying for financial aid to fund purchasing of wigs, hairpieces, permanent make-up, etc. in health insurance funds.
- Support for appeals and objection proceedings relating to health insurance funds.
- Annual General Meeting
- The “Come together” conference takes place annually and is attended by many renowned professors, doctors, exhibitors, as well as affected persons and their family members. Here you will find lectures on the latest research results, lots of tips and tricks, as well as the possibility of establishing contact and exchanging experiences for both young and old through personal discussions.
- Family Events
Attention!
Time and time again, new miracle methods are discovered, which bring no lasting improvement, as it turns out, but always incur great spending from the patient. Quite a few of us have already paid a lot of money for such treatments. Such miracle methods are introduced as a result of the so-called spontaneous healing. The proportion of these spontaneous healing cases without any therapy is relatively high. Thus, no patient can be guaranteed success of the given therapy as every case is different.
Help for the doctor!
In addition to the multiple ways of help for patients, our work also focuses more on the information and education of dermatologists interested in the disease and doctors specializing on other related fields.
Our goals are:
- To help doctors understand the needs of our patients.
- To promote collaboration between doctors and Alopecia Areata Germany / Switzerland Association.
- To offer help to patients as partners and assistants in the areas where doctors do not have time or possibility to provide further care.
- To inform interested physicians about therapeutic possibilities and latest developments in research.
- To cooperate with doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, to research and evaluate the disease and therapy processes, to guide the research towards further development of better treatment methods.
- We want to be a link between patients, doctors and research.
How does the Alopecia Areata Germany / Switzerland help you?
Alopecia Areata Germany / Switzerland has been offering contact exchange for parents of affected children since 1996. Take the opportunity to share this with other parents. At our annual congress, there are children’s groups in which the affected children can play together and thus share their experiences.
Addresses of clinics with supervised childcare and youth camps for children with autoimmune diseases are also available and can be obtained from the office.