Mayo Clinic and the Inspire health care social network recently launched “Experts by Experience,” a new series of articles written by patients and caregivers.
Everyone has a story to tell. It has been well-established that telling one’s narrative helps build hope and connections. In a press release from Inspire and Mayo Clinic, Farris Timimi, M.D. spoke to the importance of caregiver and patient stories: “We have long believed that patient and caregiver stories have considerable power to not just improve their own health care experience, but to improve health care overall.” Farris Timimi, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and medical director for the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network, a collaborative learning community and resources for advancing the use of social media in health.
Experts by Experience articles will feature members of Inspire and Mayo Clinic Connect, which are online support communities for patients and caregivers that connect over 1 million people. Contributors to the series have received care from centers and organizations in various health systems around the world. The articles will appear monthly on the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network and on Inspire.
The first article in the series, Kindness at the Margins for Caregivers – Experts by Experience by Renata Louwers, was published on Februray 2, 2018. Renata Louwers, patient advocate and writer, is the editor and co-founder, with her husband, Tim Louwers, of the literary journal and nonprofit organization, Months To Years. It explores death, dying, and mortality through creative nonfiction, poetry, and art. She was the caregiver to her first husband, Ahmad Khoshroo, during his 11-month treatment for stage IV bladder cancer.
Here’s a link to an earlier article introducing the series.
I applaud both Mayo Clinic and Inspire for launching this new initiative!
The Healthcare Marketer 
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