Epilepsy affects approximately 3 million Americans and is associated with substantial disability, reduced quality of life, heavy stigma burden, and premature mortality. In addition, mental illness is disproportionately common in people with epilepsy and contributes to the complications and mortality associated with epilepsy.
The Targeted Self-Management for Epilepsy and Mental Illness (TIME) program was developed with input from a community advisory board composed of people with epilepsy, family members/close friends, clinicians and other community stakeholders.
Martha Sajatovic, professor of psychiatry, will present “Targeted Training in Epilepsy Self-Management: Bringing Together Patients, Clinicians, and Researchers” at the next Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods seminar.
Self-management approaches empower individuals with chronic health conditions and lead to better outcomes. The use of peer educators (patients who have experienced a health condition that they can talk with others about) may be particularly effective in modeling epilepsy self-management. Peer educators can relate to the participants as someone who “has been there before” and thus can advocate for treatment engagement.
Nurse educators help guide people with epilepsy in their recovery and self-healing process. The results of the TIME study show that the intervention helped engage individuals to actively participate in self-management and reduced depression symptoms. As part of the presentation, the nurse educator and peer educators who took part in the project as well as TIME study team members will share their experience and perspectives.
Sajatovic is a researcher, educator and clinician who has devoted herself to the study and treatment of traditionally underserved populations with central nervous system disorders. She holds the Willard Brown Chair in Neurological Outcomes at University Hospitals Case Medical Center /Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
The seminar will be held Wednesday, June 8, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the ground floor conference room of the BioEnterprise Building.
Parking is available a light lunch is served. Contact Susan Petrone at smp146@case.edu for more information.