News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
DPC Education Center Launches New Website
The DPC Education Center just launched a new and fully-responsive website, making it easier than ever for dialysis patients, family members and healthcare professionals to get informed and lead healthier lives. Check out the website today at: www.dpcedcenter.org Education Through Empowerment
Scientists Hope to Eliminate the Need for Anti-rejection Drugs After an Organ Transplant with Experimental Procedure
A patient who received a liver transplant decreased his anti-rejection drugs from 40 to one (with the hope to eventually eliminate all anti-rejection medications being taken) with the help of doctors and an experimental procedure, as published this week by The New York Times. The procedure involves training the immune system of the patient receiving the organ into not attacking the new organ by manipulating white blood cells from both the organ donor and the recipient and later reincorporating those cells into the recipient. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Anti-rejection Drugs In order for organ transplants to be successful, patients must take multiple drugs to decrease the chances of the body rejecting the donated organ. [...]
Two Employment and Financial Resource Overviews for People with and Without Disabilities
Here are a couple employment and financial resources that may be helpful to people with and without disabilities.
When Your Child Is Diagnosed with Kidney Disease: Tips on How to Cope
By Elizabeth Lewan, Communications & Grassroots Program Coordinator at the American Psychological Association Parents want to make sure their child has a healthy and happy life, but sometimes a health complication can change things. Having a child diagnosed with pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) can leave parents feeling overwhelmed, anxious and scared for their child’s overall well-being, especially in the beginning. However, you can play an active role in your child’s care and treatment by providing the emotional support he/she needs and educating yourself about kidney disease and its treatments. Below are some tips that parents and caregivers may find helpful as they go through this journey: Understanding the diagnosis and treatments. News of your [...]
Don’t Make New Year Resolutions! Six Happiness Habits
Most people make and break resolutions every year. 80% of people fail New Year Resolutions by February. Learn happiness habits instead that can change your attitude and your health on a daily basis. About the Presenter: Steve Wilson, a member of the DPC Education Center Advisory Council, is an author, psychologist, trainer and business consultant. He is also the founder of the World Laughter Tour, which trains people in laughter therapy across the country as it promotes health, happiness, and peace.
Airport Screening Resources for People with Disabilities or Medical Conditions
There are airport screening resources available for people with disabilities and/or medical conditions that are planning to fly. These resources include: Contact information for TSA Cares where you can ask questions and express concerns related to airport screening Information about connecting with a Passenger Support Specialist and/or customer service manager at the airport (Note: the level of assistance will vary) Enrollment information for TSA Pre✓®, which may result in shorter lines and wait times at the airport Additional information about what to expect during the airport security screening process if you have a disability or medical condition A link to download and print out TSA’s Disability Notification Card Click here for more information.
Support the DPC Education Center When Shopping for the Holidays
Shopping online for holiday gifts this year? Consider supporting DPC Education Center through AmazonSmile. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchases to the DPC Education Center without added cost. The DPC Education Center is dedicated to empowering kidney disease patients through education, with continual collaboration from health professionals. Support the DPC Education Center
25 Ways to Find Joy and Balance During the Holidays
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 treatment is most effective early on. “I think a lot of people would say [...]
Dialysis Patients Looking to Quit Smoking May Be Eligible for Free Counseling Sessions
Smoking cigarettes can damage your kidneys. Quitting smoking may help your blood pressure, which can lower your risk for having heart attack or stroke. Individuals with high blood pressure have a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure may have chronic kidney disease). Medicare Part B covers up to eight counseling sessions centered around quitting smoking during a 12-month period. Make sure your healthcare professional is recognized by Medicare and accepts Medicare’s payment. Visit Medicare’s website for more information.
Remembering Bob Lee
Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Education Center mourns the sudden passing of Board Member Robert “Bob” Lee, 54. Lee was a dedicated activist from Oregon who played a critical role in educating policy makers about the importance of protecting patient choice and access to care. Specifically, his continuous outreach to Senator Wyden helped secure passage of legislation to open Medicare Advantage to dialysis patients. Lee traveled to Washington, DC multiple times to meet with Members of Congress. He also travelled to Salem to testify at hearings before the state insurance commissioner. His involvement with DPC started when he became a Patient Ambassador in 2014. He joined our Board in 2016. Lee’s dedication and passion for life [...]
You Can Help Today
Support the Dialysis Patient Citizens Education Center We want to take this opportunity to say thank you. As you know, it is our mission to reduce the occurrence and delay the progression of kidney disease. We work to accomplish our goals by: developing unique educational programs to empower patients, increasing public awareness of kidney disease and developing favorable public policy solutions. Our organization is led by kidney disease patients for kidney disease patients. We cannot accomplish our critical mission without you. Join in our efforts to improve patient quality of life and delay the occurrence of end-stage renal disease by donating today. To find out more information about our programs, visit us HERE. From all of [...]
Medication Use and the Role of the Pharmacist Recording and Slides
If you were unable to attend our last education seminar, the recording is now available! Please see the video and links below for details. We want to keep getting better. Please help us by sharing your comments and suggestions here: Webinar Review View the Recording: Download the slides. Additional Videos Mentioned During Presentation: Patients Stories of Pharmacists' Care Expert Shares Key Steps in Staying Healthy with Kidney Disease Pharmacist Discusses Medications for Kidney Disease
Support the DPC Education Center on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Excited about avoiding the crowds on Black Friday and Cyber Monday? When shopping online for deals, consider supporting the DPC Education Center through AmazonSmile. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchases to the DPC Education Center without added cost. The DPC Education Center is dedicated to improving kidney patients' quality of life and reducing the occurrence of ESRD through education and awareness of dialysis and kidney disease issues, improving the partnership between patients and caregivers, and developing favorable public policy solutions. Support the DPC Education Center.
What’s So Funny About Kidney Disease?
Download the flier Have you giggled or laughed out loud today? Or yesterday? Or last week? Laughter is considered one of the best medicines we have, and we want you to start seeing its benefits! Join us to learn more about the health benefits of laughter and how to find humor in your life as you live with chronic kidney disease. Find out when Steve Wilson, a clinical psychologist and founder of the World Laughter Tour, interviews Karyn Buxman, RN. When: December 12, 2018 at 2:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM CT, 12:00 PM MT, 11:00 AM PT What: DPC Education Center Webinar Register: www.dpcedcenter.org/education-call-rsvp
CDC Advises Patients and Their Families to Be Antibiotics Aware
People with chronic medical conditions, such as kidney disease, are at a higher risk of getting an infection, which can lead to sepsis. Antibiotics are life-saving drugs and critical tools for treating infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising patients and their families to use antibiotics only when necessary to further reduce antibiotic resistance, the spread of superbugs, and protect patients from side effects from antibiotics. During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and throughout the year, CDC promotes Be Antibiotics Aware, an educational effort to raise awareness about the importance of safe antibiotic use. The Be Antibiotics Aware initiative educates the public about when antibiotics are needed, when they are not, how to take antibiotics appropriately, and [...]
Bladder Health and Chronic Kidney Disease
November is Bladder Health Month. The bladder is part of the urinary system, which also includes the kidneys. Taking care of the bladder is important for individuals with kidney disease as infections in the bladder can spread to the kidneys, which can cause permanent damage to the kidneys. Additionally, diabetes, which is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease, can contribute towards bladder problems. The National Institute of Health has some resources on how the bladder changes as we age and ways to keep your bladder healthy. Check out the resources below: Bladder Health for Older Adults – Discusses how the bladder changes as we age, common bladder problems, conditions that affect bladder [...]
Everything You Need to Know About Beating the Holiday Blues and Post-Holiday Let Down
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 you! You may not be able to control everything that’s about to happen, but [...]
Laugh Will and Testament: Using Humor to Contemplate Mortality and Enjoy Life Recording and Slides
If you were unable to attend our last education seminar, the recording is now available! Please see the video and links below for details. We want to keep getting better. Please help us by sharing your comments and suggestions here: Webinar Review Download the handouts. Download the slides. Tears study article mentioned during the presentation. View the Recording:
Bad News for Individuals with Kidney Disease That Use Marijuana
Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) that use marijuana may lose function of their kidneys more rapidly than non-users, as found in one study. Researchers compared the mean annual rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among the two groups of participants. The eGFR was 3.22 mL/min/1.73 m2 among marijuana users and 1.42 mL/min/1.73 m2 among non-users. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measures kidney function effectiveness by documenting how well the kidneys are filtering the blood. Scientists did not observe a decline in kidney function among individuals that use marijuana and do not have CKD. Read the full article.
RSVP for Next Month’s Webinar – Medication Use and the Role of the Pharmacist
Presented by: Wendy St. Peter, PharmD, FCCP, FASN, FNKF, Professor at the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often times… have other medical conditions require many medicines have several doctors that prescribe medicines go to more than one pharmacy to get medicines It can be hard for patients, doctors and other healthcare professionals to keep track of all the medicines their patients with CKD take. The issues above can lead to medication therapy problems (MTPs). MTPs can…. reduce the good effects of medicines lead to safety issues (e.g., bad reaction to a medicine) result in non-adherence to medicines In this webinar, Dr. St. Peter will discuss: how pharmacists can help [...]
