Each year, thousands of people around the world receive a diagnosis of a chronic disease. This diagnosis has become a major border in many developed countries. The overview that World Health Organization (WHO) provide for them is that chronic diseases, also know as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioral factors.
The diagnosis of a chronic disease changes people’s lives in an instant. The process of facing such a diagnosis is neither simple nor linear. Rebuilding after that is not easy. Sometimes, in this situation and throughout the process, the patient may ask unanswered questions. This will cause her/him have doubts and fears. This is when the role of non-profit organizations can be of great help, since through interdisciplinary groups they provide services to guide the newly diagnosed in this process. A comprehensive psychological department or mentoring service can be very helpful in these early stages of diagnosis.
The mentoring service is very useful for recent diagnoses, but it can also be helpful at any stage of the process. This is provided by the figure of a mentor, person who gives younger o less experienced in a NCDs concretes and the process, who can be a volunteer or an que expert patient who is adept in identifying some needs that are not considered or are only poorly considered by doctors and other healthcare professionals. A Mentor is a person who gives a younger or less experienced person help and advice over a period of time at any time during the process. Mentor is an important figure that will not give opinions as to what the patients should do, she/he poses open questions to the person seeking mentoring and maybe enables the mentee to reflect on acts he not considered before. Mentor helps the patient make their own decision whit his advice and personal experiences. This process helps the mentee to increase self-confidence that is sometimes lost when you have a chronic disease. The relationship between the mentor and the mentee must be trust and confidentiality. A few examples about this program can be found in a different non-profit organization around the world or volunteer organizations like AGDEM in Granada (Spain), which works with multiple sclerosis patients.
Good support through transversal teams, in which there are, for example, the figure of mentors and psychologists, is the key in recovery processes, inclusion and empowerment of new patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. Only by working together can we have a more inclusive world.
Congratulations and thank you for your dedication and innovative approach to patient care!