PEPP Patient Speaker Program

Patients Educating Patients & Professionals (PEPP), a program of RSN, is transforming the kidney community!

The PEPP Patient Speakers Program was initiated by RSN in 2005.  Since then, through over 100 speaking engagements to more than 9800 listeners, PEPP is continually engaged in working with patients and professionals to enhance awareness about chronic kidney disease, to empower patients by educating them about their disease, and to provide health care professionals with a link between the delivery of health care and the patients' needs.  These educational programs are led by patient-speakers who have been professionally trained, tested and certified to deliver these programs at meetings of renal patients and healthcare professionals. The speakers intertwine their own inspirational story adding immediacy to the message. 

PEPP speakers are available at no charge to organizations if they meet the RSN criteria.

Below is a summary of the PEPP programs now available (the programs run from 30 to 50 minutes):

NEW Kidney Survivor: Lessons Learned from Experience
Living with CKD has all the elements of a really good game…it’s challenging, requires team effort, calls for strategy, and, at times, can be amusing. The truth is, however, we know surviving CKD is not a game. So what does it take to be a survivor? Patient Speakers will share their experience, strength and hope.  Target Audience: patients & family members.

NEW Kidney Survivor: Tips to Help Your Patients Thrive
Surviving chronic Kidney disease requires a team effort.  Healthcare professionals will learn the history of dialysis and patient survival, as well as ways to support and encourage patients who want to be more involved in their own care with successful long-term results.  As survivors, patients motivate and encourage fellow patients through their own long-term survival techniques. Target Audience: healthcare professionals

NEW Make Yourself a Perfect 10! Ten Tips for Living a Better Life on Dialysis

Patients will learn ten things they can do to live better while on dialysis. PEPP Speakers will share words of wisdom as well as solid advice to help the audience understand some of the critical issues that contribute to good health. Target Audience: patients & family members.

  
Your Achy Breaky Heart: What you need to know about secondary hyperparathyroidism
This presentation is a mix of medical facts and advice for the patient on how to help prevent or control secondary HPT, sprinkled with the patient-speaker's personal experiences. The audience will come away feeling empowered and hopeful despite the complexities of this condition--which are explained in uncommonly clear-cut terms. They will be provided with suggestions on how best to work with their healthcare team to prevent/control the comorbidities of secondary HPT. Target Audience: patients & family members

Taking Charge and Adding Life to Your Years
Living long and well with CKD is dependent upon maintaining good outcomes. This presentation looks at what the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) has revealed regarding nutrition, mineral metabolism, anemia management, vascular access, depression, and use of multivitamins and statins. This information will give patients the knowledge they need to take charge of their health.
Target Audience: patients & family members

Promoting Patient Participation in the Dialysis Setting
This presentation provides insight on how healthcare professionals can encourage patients to become actively involved in their treatment plan. It emphasizes strategies and suggestions that healthcare professionals can use to assist patients in reaching their full potential, interspersed with personal success stories of the patient-speaker.
Target Audience: healthcare professionals

Empowering Patients to be Their Own Advocate
Dealing with a chronic disease requires patients to acquire skills in self-advocacy. In this presentation, healthcare professionals will learn ways to support and encourage patients who want to be more involved in their own care. As these patients are motivated by their own successes, they will be a catalyst to inspire fellow patients.
Target Audience: healthcare professionals