Time to take your life back - that's Arthritis Care's message to 7.8 million* people in the UK who live with chronic day-to-day pain. The 61-year old charity today marks its awareness week (12th-18th April) by launching its new Challenging Pain programme across the country..
Around half of those living with long-term pain end up losing their jobs*. It can cause insomnia, exhaustion, depression, destroy mental concentration, ruin mobility, social, family and work life, and ultimately may lead to reduced income, poverty and isolation.
'Pain is sometimes called 'the silent epidemic'. It's the main reason why people visit their GP - and arthritis is its most frequent cause. With pain being the number one reason why people call the Arthritis Care helplines, we decided to create a specific 'Challenging Pain' workshop. It addresses a wide variety of long-term conditions, equipping anyone experiencing pain with skills and techniques to combat their symptoms', said Rachel Gondwe, Arthritis Care's head of training.
Arthritis Care pioneered American style self-management training in the UK during the 1990s, and Challenging Pain was developed from its successful Challenging Arthritis course.
'Anyone can sign up for Challenging Pain. It's available across the UK and is totally free to participants. Employers can run it in the workplace for workers, or primary care trusts commission it for patients. The course was developed and piloted in collaboration with pain management specialists, and it's designed to complement not replace the care people receive from their health professionals', said Rachel Gondwe.
Challenging Pain was piloted and road-tested in Devon, and it was exported to Australia by Arthritis Care in February 2008. The charity decided to 'roll it out 'across the UK during Arthritis Care Awareness Week because the week's self-management theme, 'Time to Take Your Life Back', perfectly described the workshop's purpose.
'I saw an ad for a 'Challenging Pain' workshop in my free local paper. The timing was ideal because I was feeling very down. I've been active all my life, but the pain from osteoarthritis in my knee was preventing me walking far, and from doing my usual activities, and this had resulted in my putting on weight', said Mrs Erilys Smith, who did the CP course in Cornwall in September 2007.
'We were shown many useful techniques, which were easy and effective. The whole workshop helped me a great deal, talking to others who were in the same boat as me, learning how to manage my negativity, how to deal with stress, and to pace myself to prevent tiredness', she said
'Following the workshop I continued at home using the Exercise Handout we were given. The exercises were not too strenuous, and I could do many sitting in a chair watching television. I found that my whole body was feeling better - my health and well being had improved', said Mrs Smith.
'The exercises had helped especially to keep the muscles strengthened around the joint. The physiotherapists told me to tell other people that Challenging Pain was a first-rate service which could be of benefit to many people in pain, and to many like me who were waiting for joint replacement surgery', she added.
'Pain has a huge impact on your well-being and ability to work. If you can control pain, you really can reclaim huge parts of your life. The Challenging Pain course reduces the fear, anger and frustration that pain often causes; it helps you to think about your pain differently, and to be more confident in your ability to perform daily activities. You learn new techniques for dealing with pain, and discover better ways of communicating your needs to your family, friends and your doctor. Many participants report that they are able to think more positively about the future and to plan ahead after doing the course,' said Gondwe.
*British Pain Society figures
Arthritis is the UK's biggest single cause of physical disability, affecting around nine million people of all ages, including 12,000 children. Founded in 1947, Arthritis Care is the UK's largest voluntary organisation committed to supporting people with arthritis, and it actively campaigns locally, nationally, and internationally for people with the condition in any of its 200 forms.
Arthritis Care
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий