Finding Community and Support Through the RA Healthline App

Healthline has created such a positive network, community, and resource for those of us living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or rheumatoid disease (RD).

It’s been almost a month since the RA Healthline app launched and in this post I want to share my favorite features and why I am still excited about this growing community for anyone living with RA or RD.

If you haven’t joined yet, you must download the free app today!

FAVORITE FEATURES:

Live Chats

I talked about the daily live chats in my first blog post and they are still my favorite feature. If you haven’t checked it out yet, live chats occur in each of the different Groups at least five days each week. The chats are hosted by our RA Guide, Ashley, or by a Guest Co-Host such as myself. 

In fact, Thursday night, June 25, at 8pm ET/5 pm PT in the Diagnosis Group, I will be hosting a chat on the subject of RA diagnosis—Who Diagnosed Your RA? For me, it wasn’t a rheumatologist who initially said, “I think you have RA.” It was my hand surgeon. 

Groups

The groups themselves are my next favorite feature. This section is organized by tabs that lead you to ongoing discussions surrounding different categories. Not everything is about RA though. My favorite group is the “Escape from RA” group. Other favorites include the “Mental and Emotional Health”, “General Health”, and “Daily Life” groups. 

But that’s only 4 out of the 15 groups!! So much to choose from and so many discussions to explore. 

By entering a group, you will find conversation threads pertaining to the overall group topic. It’s easy to navigating through the threads, ask a question, answer a question, leave a comment, or simply offer words of support. 

Community

It’s not always easy to talk about your disease, to truly be open and honest. The community is growing every day and the conversations are rich and bountiful. Within the RA Healthline community, you will find people who totally “get it.” It’s a place you can be vulnerable and give comfort. Most importantly there’s always room for you to add your voice!!

THE IMPACT OF RA HEALTHLINE:

Have you ever wanted to easily find articles about RA. relationships, diet, exercise, symptoms, treatments, or more? The RA Healthline app will notify you of an article of the day each morning. Within the app, additional material from their main website are highlighted. It’s like having access to the Healthline website within the app itself.

Have you ever wanted to ask a question about RA or about dealing with friends who don’t understand? Here is where you can do that and receive responses from a broad community of people living with the disease. And you don't need to be tied to your computer to do so. The app goes wherever you go.

RECAP:

RA Healthline app offers different types of support all wrapped up in one location. In short, the app provides:

• Connection with real people living with RA
• Live chats covering all sorts of topics
• Informative Healthline articles and resources
• A place to give and receive advice and support
• Portability — It goes with you wherever you have your phone.
• Everything at your fingertips, literally

Are you looking for support and a community who understands? Download the free app here (Apple or android). Create an account. And jump right in!! I hope to meet you there!

RA Healthline: A New App Designed for the RA Community

This post is sponsored by Healthline, a partner of mine. I am so excited to be working with them to help get the word out about their new app, RA Healthline. This will be a great resource offering unique ways to make connections with the RA community. Download your free RA Healthline app today!

For many people, smart phones are their lifeline to friends, business, information, entertainment, and support. Hundreds of health-related apps have been developed to help us keep track of physical activity, food/meals, symptoms, mood, appointments, and more.

I’m excited to tell you about a new app, simply called RA Healthline, that is developed by Healthline with whom I have partnered to help get the word out as the app officially launches on June 1, 2020. 

The RA Healthline app is unique in that it features a combination of some of the best elements of a Facebook group, support group, discussion forum, live chats, and curated articles in a moderated, safe community. 

I have already been working with Healthline for several months to co-host group chats within their well-established MS Healthline app. So I know what kind of coolness you will find when you explore the RA Healthline app and help shape this unique RA community from the beginning.

RA Healthline Features:

Home: 

The Home tab looks a bit like your typical Facebook newsfeed. You get to see what new comments, posts, or questions have been posted within the community. 

Groups:

The Groups section is where you’ll find a list of categories like Relationships, Diagnosis, Symptoms, Work, Complications, Lifestyle, Medication, and more. The Groups section reminds me of traditional forums where members can interact with and support each other. Tap on a group to view the conversation threads and add to the discussion. You can ask a question, respond to a conversation, or share a story. 

Live Chats:

Alternating within different groups will be a daily “live chat” with our Guide Ashley or co-hosted by one of our special guests, including ME!! Keep your eyes out for the alerts. Our first chat will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, at 8 PM ET in the General Group.

I will be hosting a live chat on Thursday, June 11, 2020, at 8 PM ET in the Navigating Healthcare Group. We'll be talking about "How to Make the Most of Your Rheum Visit."

Members:

Within the Members section, you can be custom matched with other members who share characteristics with you based on age, interests, and more. You can also view all the members, see whose online, and strike up a conversation.

Messages:

This section is where your one-on-one conversations will be stored. Think of this like your text message app within the RA Healthline app.

Discover:

The Discover section is where you can find all the best articles and expert resources related to RA from healthline.com. It’s like having the website show up inside the app. How cool is that?

RA Healthline app offers different types of support all wrapped up in one location. In short, the app provides:

• Connection with real people living with RA
• Live chats covering all sorts of topics
• Informative Healthline articles and resources
• A place to give and receive advice and support

Check it out and let me know what you think! Download the free app here and join the community today!

Brass and Ivory honored by Healthline

My good friend and colleague Cathy Chester, author of the blog An Empowered Spirit  and writer for HealthCentral, submits a guest post today.  Cathy is a new administrator/writer for Healthline and I must say that I've seen a wonderful MS community developing under her leadership, especially with their Facebook presence.  Cathy informed me that my blog has been honored as one of the top MS blogs by Healthline.

Finding credible information on the web about Multiple Sclerosis can sometimes be challenging.  You need to find a website that is both reputable and informative. Healthline is the site you should read.  Their slogan is “The Internet site doctors prescribe most”, while their mission is to “improve health through information.”  What more could you ask for?  Healthline offers readers, “Objective, trustworthy, and accurate health information, guided by the principles of responsible journalism and publishing.” Their Facebook page is a large caring community of readers learning from Healthline’s articles, while forming relationships with one another through shared experiences.

This premier website has published their “Top 18 Multiple Sclerosis Blogs”.  It comes as no surprise to people with MS that Lisa Emrich’s Brass and Ivory: Life with MS & RA made this prestigious list.  Read what Healthline had to say about her blog:

 “Lisa Emrich is the amazing mind behind the wonderful Brass and Ivory: Life with MS & RA. Lisa’s creative genius helps show readers a fun, balanced approach to life with chronic illness.”

“Brass and Ivory allows Lisa to open her world of personal reflections and MS updates to readers everywhere. She weaves a powerful and compelling story, and makes huge strides for the MS community as a whole through this blog and her other endeavor:  Carnival of MS Bloggers. Thank you, Lisa, for all you do—you are one musician and writer who has certainly found her MS muse!”


Congratulations to Lisa and Brass and Ivory: Life with MS & RA on her nomination, and for her tireless efforts with her successful blog. She continually amazes us with her honesty, wisdom and poise as she masters the art of sharing her life with those of us with MS and RA.   We thank you, Lisa, for your ongoing commitment and dedication to making our lives a little easier.

Thank you!