Webinar Available for Crohn’s and Colitis Patients

New York, NY — To provide Crohn’s and colitis patients with coping mechanisms, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) will participate in a Webcast called, ‘Tips for Building a Support Network.’ The Webcast will be hosted through HealthTalk.com.

The presentation will feature advice from two CCFA experts on how patients can reduce stress, manage depression, and sustain employment in connection to their illness.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are lifelong diseases that can be challenging and may even require emergency care. Coping can be difficult for people who do not have a personal and/or professional support network.

"The most important thing any inflammatory bowel disease patient or caregiver can do is create a care plan for handling periods of flare or emergency,” said Kimberly Frederick, MSW, LCSW, vice president of patient and professional services for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

“During these problematic times, patients may not be able to do their everyday activities for themselves, like taking one’s kids to school, personal care, household chores, and so on,” she said. “A plan helps you ensure someone is going to be there to take you to the hospital or to see your gastroenterologist, or even call your employer, and cook you dinner.”

The Webcast will include information on:

            -Establishing a medical proxy who is authorized to make medical decisions on the patient’s behalf

            -How to access and maintain personal medical records

            -Online and telephone resources for finding support groups, buddy programs, insurance and financial assistance, and local CCFA chapters

            -Web-based ‘physician finder’ databases

            -How to approach and select potential support-network members

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine.

Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases.

More information on the Webcast can be found at and can be found at www.ccfa.org.