PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
April/May 2005

Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net

"The Guided Source for Health Information"

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In This Issue:

* From the Director
* Quotation of the Month
* Special Subscription Discounts
* News About Patient2Patient
* Health Matters
* Patient Best Practices Feature Article -"A Terrific Online Resource -
Assistive Tools and Devices"
* Humor

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~ From the Director ~

Beginning with this issue we are adding a new column to our Newsletter
entitled "Health Matters." In this column we will be discussing some broader
issues of health care on the national and political level and their impact
on individual patients. In this first column we will be discussing an
important personal lesson every patient and caregiver should learn from the
Terry Schiavo case.

We look forward to any comments or suggestions that you have about the
column and any topics you feel we ought to discuss.

This month's Patient Best Practices Feature Article has the least "sexy"
title of any article to date. Sorry we couldn't come up with anything
better. But anyone suffering from a long term or short term disability knows
the terrible frustration of not being able to accomplish daily chores, or
losing the ability to enjoy hobbies and activities. The online catalog that
we have found features the best assistive devices that are available to help
people suffering from disabilities to continue accomplishing their goals.

Maybe we should have entitled the article "Everything you want to do that
Viagra can't help you to do."

Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient, LLC

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 ~ Quotation of the Month ~

"Nobody sees anyone truly but only through the flaws of their own ego.
                That is the way we all see each other in life."

	             -- Tennessee Williams --

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~ Special Subscription Discounts ~

As patients and caregivers know, finding the right information and resources
can make all the difference in coping with a debilitating illness. Not
finding the right information can be a terrible loss.

If you are a member of a health related organization or group, take
advantage of the group discounts offered by Patient2Patient when purchasing
any of our Medical WebGuides.

Patient2Patient WebGuides provide quick access to the best up to date
information for your condition. Our interactive Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
Disease WebGuide Reports contain comprehensive information on these diseases
organized into more than twenty critical topic areas. Each WebGuide Report
includes detailed analysis and quick links to the best Online resources for
the latest medical, treatment, support and medical news as well as essential
caregiver information and insights.

The way our group discounts work is: The individual members of eligible
organizations can receive a discount on a one-year WebGuide subscription. In
addition, your organization or group will receive a percentage from the sale
to benefit its ongoing work.


Join over one million prepared patients and caregivers who benefit from
access to our Medical WebGuides. For information, contact Andrew Robinson at
ajrob@Patient2Patient.net

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~News About Patient2Patient~

Patient2Patient is pleased to announce that it has received Trademark status
from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its logo:
Patient2PatientR.

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~Health Matters~

There are probably not enough gigabytes in your computer to contain
everything that has been written about the Terry Schiavo case. Stepping
aside from the politics (which is extremely difficult) there is a critical
message that everyone, patient and caregiver, should take away from what
happened -

Make sure you have a Living Will.

A Living Will is a legal directive that tells your doctors what measures
they can and cannot take to keep you alive if you fall into a coma or
vegetative state. No one likes to think about this possibility. More
important, no one wants to end up with family, doctors, lawyers, courts, and
heaven forbid - politicians - fighting about what will happen to them in the
case of a medical crisis.

Each state has its own legal requirements for a valid Living Will. The
easiest and most cost effective way to find a proper form for your state is
to go online and in your favorite search engine enter the words "Living
Will" and the name of your state. If you have special requirements or
questions due to your religious beliefs, speak to your Rabbi/Minister/Priest
about the proper language and where to find a suitable legal form.

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~ Patient Best Practices Feature Article: "A Terrific Online Resource -
Assistive Tools and Devices"~

Many of us, as a result of our illness, complications, or the effects of old
age, have difficulty with our daily tasks. Due to nerve or joint damage,
arthritis, muscle or bone pain, trying to accomplish daily activities makes
us feel like salmon swimming upstream. It can be exhausting, frustrating and
at times saddening.

As part of a public relations campaign Abbott Laboratories has developed a
site for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. Within this site is an online
catalog that describes and provides a host of assistive products. The
products available on the site are useful for anyone whose abilities have
been limited due to joint, muscle, bone and nerve problems. Abbott offers
these assistive products through a supplier that provides a money back
guarantee, a low price guarantee and no handling charges.

The tools and devices are arranged by categories: Bath and Grooming,
Exercise and Therapy, Dressing, Health Accessories, Kitchen Dining and
Household, Rest and Relaxation, Hobby Products, Technology Solutions, Visual
and Writing, and Workplace Solutions.

The catalog offers some terrific devices that can make life much easier. I
particularly like the Kitchen Dining and Household products such as a
cordless electric can opener, a portable swivel seat cushion, a wide handled
key turner, doorknob grips and a tea kettle/ pot tipper.

To view the Abbott Laboratories RA site and the assisted devices catalog Go
To: www.ra.com.

On the RA Home Page click one of the links to the RA Catalog.

On the RA Catalog page click on any of the assisted devices categories -
Bath and Grooming, Dressing, etc.

A broader selection of assisted living devices and tools for other
conditions can be found on the site www.ActiveForever.com. Active Forever
reviews and provides the assistive tools and devices found on the ra.com
site. The Active Forever site incorporates orthopedic and ergonomic aids as
well as products for Parkinson's patients.

To view the selection of assistive devices on the ActiveForever site Go to:
www.ActiveForever.com;

On the Active Forever Home Page browse the "Solutions" and "Departments"
links on the left hand side of the page.

Click on the appropriate link to view specific products.

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~ Humor ~

In response to our last newsletter I received an email from Michael
Millenson, one of the members of our Advisory Board. Michael, who is one of
the thought leaders in the field of health care, was writing to point out
that that we had not properly recounted the classic doctor joke in last
month's "Humor" section. In addition to his outstanding work in health care,
Michael has also been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes. So we have to
respect his opinion.

This month we are taking extra care in making sure that our humor section is
flawless.

By the way, if you are looking for a good medical read, Michael's book
"Demanding Medical Excellence" is a ground breaking work on the impact of
the information revolution on healthcare. Michael is a great writer and the
book is fascinating.

Although this month's joke is about Passover, you can apply it to a number
of other holidays:

An elderly man in Phoenix calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to
ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing.
Forty-five years of misery is enough." "Pop, what are you talking about?"
the son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the
old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this,
so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her," and he hangs up.

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone, "Like hell
they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls
her father immediately and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting
divorced! Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother
back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU
HEAR ME?" and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay," he says,
"They're coming for Passover and paying their own airfares."


Feel Good!

The Staff of Patient2Patient

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