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Patient Information: Support Group:

Support Group Meetings: 2008-2009

Tuesday is new day and we have new times, See below

Just Come to a Meeting! No Advanced Notice is Necessary!

Next Meeting Details :Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 1-2 PM CLICK Date or topic for Meeting Details.

New Day is TUESDAY for all Meetings; Pizza will be served

Meeting Lecture Summaries

Meeting Ground Rules & Goals

Other Uveitis Support Groups

NEXT SUPPORT GROUP MEETING

Participants are committed to a process of mutual support and information exchange. All are welcome. Support Group activities are free. Membership is open.

Tuesday August 12th, 2008

1:00PM to 2:00PM

Answering Questions about Uveitis/OID

Location: MERSI

5 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA. 02142

Email Topic Suggestions for future meetings

MEETING GROUND RULES & GOALS

Ground Rules:

1. The support group is not analytical in nature.
2. Meetings do not delve into the past but focus on the present situation.
3. History is acknowledged only as it pertains to the present situation.
4. Relationships between group members should focus on helping each other deal with the external issues and the crisis of uveitis/OID.
5. There is little confrontation or interpretation of interpersonal group relationships.
6. Interactions with others are confidential and nonjudgemental.
7. It is not appropriate to present complaints about past and present care.
8. Medical advice is not given unless by a person with appropriate education.

Goals of the Self Help Group Meetings:

1. Meeting is to be run by members of the group with one or two trained group facilitators.
2. To provide education regarding uveitis/OID.
3. To provide support by sharing experiences related to living with uveitis/OID, which will give understanding and assurance to others that they are not alone.
4. To provide information on coping to enhance one's repertoire of coping skills so one can take control of their inflammatory eye disease.
   

Living with Uveitis Documentary DVD Series,

Alison Justus, MSPM, Producer

Two Documentaries to choose from:

Living with Uveitis, Original
Living with Uveitis, The Adult Experience

The two primary goals of these Documentaries:
• A teaching aid for patients and their families as well as physicians on preventing blindness with early intervention of immunosupressive therapy.
•An aid to coping with a chronic disease, uveitis at all ages

Living with Uveitis: The Adult Experience

It features 3 adults, who all developed uveitis in adulthood. It takes you through their lives from diagnosis to current status. It focuses on how the illness has affected their lives, how they have learned to cope and adjust, their treatment experience, and outcomes to care.

The objective of this video is to communicate that the occurrence of permanent damage and irreversible blindness in-patients with uveitis can be prevented with:
1. Early diagnosis
2. Proper education
3. Cooperation among physicians of diverse specialties with uveitis specialists
4. Cooperation of patients with uveitis specialists
5. Adjustment to chronic illness in Adulthood

The documentary explores 3 different personal cases of patients with uveitis and provides commentaries by Dr. Foster. These commentariess include an explanation of the disease and his philosophy of a progressively aggressive “step ladder” approach to treating it. Although, there has been tremendous progress in uveitis research and treating patients with uveitis in the past 50 years, there is still a tremendous lack of education and confidence among ophthalmologists in proper diagnosis and treatment as well as rheumatologists. Ultimately, the audience should feel that with more funding for ophthalmologists (and physicians of other specialties) to be trained in diagnosis and treatment of the disease, permanent damage and irreversible blindness could be prevented.

If you wish for a copy of the DVD, please email Frances Foster . A donation of 20 dollars is requested. Details for payment will be included in email response.

Living with Uveitis, Original

Alison Justus, MSPM, conceived of and directed this documentary as her thesis for her Masters in Philanthropy and Media from the Visionaries Institute of Suffolk University. She decided to do her thesis on uveitis because she has had juvenile idiopathic arthritis related uveitis since age 5. The challenge of struggling with uveitis all her life created an opportunity for her to make a difference in the lives of the many adults and children struggling with this disease, including her own.

The objectives of this video are to communicate that the occurrence of permanent damage and irreversible blindness in-patients with uveitis can be prevented with:
1. Early diagnosis
2. Proper education
3. Cooperation among physicians of diverse specialties with uveitis specialists
4. Cooperation of patients with uveitis specialists
5. Adjustment to chronic illness from childhood to adulthood

These objectives are shown in action through the exploration of 3 different personal cases with commentaries by Dr. Foster. These comments include an explanation of the disease and his philosophy of a progressively aggressive “step ladder” approach to treating it. Although, there has been tremendous progress in uveitis research and treating patients with uveitis in the past 50 years, there is still a tremendous lack of education and confidence among ophthalmologists in proper diagnosis and treatment as well as rheumatologists. Ultimately, the audience should feel that with more funding for ophthalmologists (and physicians of other specialties) to be trained in diagnosis and treatment of the disease, permanent damage and irreversible blindness could be prevented.

If you wish for a copy of the DVD, please email Frances Foster . A donation of 20 dollars is requested. Details for payment will be included in email response.