With the right support, many people with arthritis can learn to manage their condition and gain back control of the disease and their lives. Arthritis Ireland’s life changing award-wining support programmes have enabled people with arthritis to significantly improve their health and wellbeing and to communicate more effectively with their health professionals.
Living Well with Arthritis
Living Well with Arthritis is a six week programme that will help you to manage your arthritis effectively. The course is delivered by people with arthritis and those who work with people with arthritis. Once a week you can learn more about your condition, share helpful tips and experiences with peers and equip yourself with the knowledge needed to live with having a chronic disease.
Breaking the pain cycle
This half-day programme is a self-management workshop designed to help you understand your pain and identify ways to manage it by developing a personal pain management plan. Participants learn how to take an active role in their pain management, where to get help when it is needed and will become equipped with the various tools that can help them live with chronic pain.
Working with Arthritis
This four week programme consists of workshops that will help those currently in employment or those seeking to re-enter the workforce to learn ways to manage their arthritis at work, reduce pain and deal with fatigue. The programme will also provide you with practical advice on CV writing, applying for jobs, communicating with your employer about your arthritis, employment legislation, re-training and access to grants.
Effectiveness of programmes
Evaluation of Arthritis Ireland’s self-management programmes has shown that after just six months, participants report a 20% increase in their ability to manage pain, visits to their doctors decreased by 9%, hospital stays of one night or more decreased by 5% and hospital stays of four or more nights decreased by 8%.
To find our more about a self-management programme near you, contact Arthritis Ireland on 01-6618188 or visit www.arthritisireland.ie