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Psychosocial Factors Affecting Children and Families Living with Chronic Illness

2024-03-28T20:59:12-04:00May 6th, 2019|Categories: eNews, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Pediatric Kidney Disease, Support, Webinar|

During this webinar, Amy Walters, PhD, Clinical Psychologist will discuss: 1) the psychological and emotional side effects of chronic illness on children and families, 2) how illness impacts different stages of childhood development, 3) common concerns reported by parents and children and 4) ways to support children and their families in coping with chronic illness. About the Presenter Amy Walters, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Behavioral Health Services for St. Luke’s Humphreys Diabetes Center in Boise, Idaho. Dr. Walters works with patients to overcome barriers to behavioral change, learn to cope with chronic illness, and address issues [...]

Living with Kidney Disease: Tips for Teens on How to Cope

2024-03-28T20:59:14-04:00April 22nd, 2019|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, Pediatric Kidney Disease|

By Elizabeth Lewan, Communications & Grassroots Program Coordinator at the American Psychological Association Your kidneys have many functions in the body and play an important role in your overall health and wellness. They help the body eliminate harmful toxins by filtering waste and extra fluid from your blood, control blood pressure and keep your bones healthy. Although you have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, you can still live a meaningful and healthy life. You may be feeling scared or unsure about your health or the changes happening to your body. It may seem like you’re on an emotional roller coaster, [...]

Maintaining Personal Relationships While on Dialysis

2024-03-28T20:59:19-04:00March 25th, 2019|Categories: Mental Health, Sex and Intimacy, Support, The Kidney Citizen|

By Alex Purcell People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who have gone through dialysis can tell you that it is exhausting—and so can their loved ones. Not only does dialysis take a physical toll on the patient, it can also put significant stress on the patient’s relationships with their friends and family, right when they need those relationships the most. This dynamic can be especially complicated if the primary caregiver is a spouse or close relative. If you’re in this situation, as either a patient or a loved one, you may be feeling frustrated, sad or lonely. But there’s hope: transplant [...]

Free Monthly Webinars/Conference Calls

2024-03-28T20:59:20-04:00March 21st, 2019|Categories: About DPC Ed Center, Costs for Treatment, Diagnosis of Kidney Disease, Early Intervention, Employment, Home Hemodialysis, Humor and Laughter, Immunizations, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Lifestyle, Medication, Mental Health, Music, Nutrition, Pediatric Kidney Disease, Peritoneal Dialysis, Physical Health, Sex and Intimacy, Stages of Kidney Disease, Stress Management, Support, Symptoms, The Kidney Citizen, Webinar, What Causes Kidney Disease|

The DPC Education Center invites people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), their families and professional staff to join us for our monthly webinars. You can also join by phone or view the recordings online at a later time. The webinars are planned for the fourth Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. Eastern time zone, except for November and December when they will be held during the third week of the month. You can download monthly webinar fliers to share with others and/or register for webinars at www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/education-webinars. Join by phone by calling 1-877- 399-5186 and [...]

Two Therapies Found to Help Dialysis Patients with Depression

2024-03-28T20:59:27-04:00February 27th, 2019|Categories: eNews, Medication, Mental Health|

For almost 50 years, hemodialysis has extended lives of people with chronic kidney disease. But when a patient first learns that their kidneys have failed and dialysis is necessary to survive, it can be a jolting overture of mortality. These patients usually have lived for years with diabetes or hypertension – diseases onerous for their medication regimens and lifestyle constraints. Adding dialysis, a four-hour, thrice-weekly therapy, can easily push patients into depression if they don’t already have that diagnosis. With this backdrop, researchers report today that two treatments, cognitive behavioral therapy (counseling) and the drug sertraline, effectively reduce depression among people [...]

When Your Parent is Sick: Tips for Children on Managing Feelings

2024-06-07T11:43:33-04:00February 11th, 2019|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, Mental Health, Pediatric Kidney Disease|

By Elizabeth Lewan, Communications & Grassroots Program Coordinator at the American Psychological Association Having a sick parent can be scary and stressful, especially if there are long hospital stays or physically intense treatments. Having a parent diagnosed with a serious health condition, like kidney disease, can seem especially frightening if you don’t know how it will affect your family. It is estimated that one in seven adults have chronic kidney disease.1 Your parents, doctors and family members can help you get through this tough time. Here are some tips to help you manage your feelings: Prepare for change. You may notice [...]

25 Ways to Find Joy and Balance During the Holidays

2024-03-28T20:59:45-04:00December 1st, 2018|Categories: Blog, Fact Sheet, Mental Health, Stress Management|

By Steve Wilson (download PDF) Feeling down during the holidays can be tough, especially since you seem so out of step with the world. Everyone else seems to be beaming, ruddy-cheeked, bursting with holiday spirit. You’re feeling wretched and exhausted. But here’s something to cheer you up the next time you’re stuck in a room of revelers at a holiday party. Plenty of them are probably unhappy, too. Recommendations Related to Depression Are You at Risk for Depression? Knowing what factors increase your risk of having major depression may help you get the best medical help when you need it. Depression [...]

Everything You Need to Know About Beating the Holiday Blues and Post-Holiday Let Down

2024-03-28T20:59:53-04:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: Blog, Mental Health, News & Events, Quality of Life, Stress Management|

By Steve Wilson (download PDF) Emotionally Loaded Months You probably can guess why October, November and December are called the “emotionally loaded” quarter of the year. The post-holiday period has emotional perils, too, but probably not what you think they are. What can you do to have an easier time of it all? To do a really good job of managing holiday stresses, you will need some sense of control, some sense of predictability, some optimism, and some solid practical strategies. The information in this article will help you be smarter about holiday stress, so you can beat it before it beats [...]

Positive Psychology Exercises May Help Dialysis Patients Combat Depression

2024-03-28T20:59:59-04:00October 13th, 2018|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, Treatment|

Dialysis patients that participated in technology-based positive psychology exercises reported “significantly” lower symptoms of depression and saw improvements in “quality of life, emotional well-being, physical vigor and social interactions,” as published by one study. The exercises focused on building on the patient’s “personal strengths, cultivating gratitude and using positive reappraisal to reinterpret events.” The findings may provide alternatives for dialysis patients who are looking for ways to manage their depression. Depression is the most common psychiatric illness among individuals with kidney failure, with occurrence ranging from 22.8 to 39.3 percent as reported by a group of researchers. Patients in the study [...]

Mindfulness May Help Dialysis Patients Decrease Pain

2024-03-28T21:00:06-04:00September 17th, 2018|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, News & Events, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Treatment|Tags: |

An article published by Medical News Today reports that mindfulness may be an effective way for some people to decrease chronic pain, and mindfulness meditation may decrease pain more effectively than some standard treatments. The findings may provide alternatives for dialysis patients who are looking for ways to manage their pain. Mindfulness is the state of an individual being present and aware of their actions and surroundings in a way that is not exceedingly reactive or anxious. Some people have a predisposition to being more mindful, and thus report lower levels of pain on average. However, mindfulness can be increased with [...]

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