Arthritis self-management courses to be delivered by arthritis sufferers

Home

Sections

Living

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 07 February 2007

Arthritis self-management courses will take place in Days Hotel, Dublin Road, from today (Wednesday) and in Galway Bay Hotel, on Tuesday 13 February.

The Arthritis Self-Management Programme is a course designed to help people with arthritis to manage their condition more effectively. It will enable them to deal with pain and stress by giving helpful techniques such as exercise, relaxation, problem solving and by sharing experiences with others.

The course comprises of six weekly two-and-a-half-hour workshops. As it is funded by a grant from the HSE, the cost to the participant is only €20. The courses will be delivered by Tina Waldron from Oughterard, Claire Gorman from Galway City, Nano Burke and Anna Maria Curran both from Merlin Park Hospital. Places are limited to 18 people per course and are expected to fill quickly.

What is unique about the course is that it is delivered by people who have arthritis and work with people with arthritis. Therefore, they understand the difficulties that people with arthritis face. The emphasis is on learning what they can do for themselves and how to make the most of the information they get from their health professionals. It's a supportive group where everyone shares helpful tips and experiences.

Research and evaluation of the programme has clearly shown that people who participated in the course experienced a reduction in their pain, sometimes reduced disability, improvements to quality of life and reduced utilisation of medical services compared to those who did not.

The Arthritis Self Management Programme is endorsed and recommended by the Centre for Disease Control, the Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology in the USA. To find out more about the course, and to register contact Arthritis Ireland on 01-6470208 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Comments (0) »