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Living Well with Arthritis and Related Conditions course

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Reduce your pain and reclaim your life from arthritis by signing up for our 6- Living well with arthritis image week Living Well with Arthritis and Related Conditions course. Developed by Stanford University, this award-winning course covers every area of self-management.

You will be equipped with a variety of tools and techniques to help you better manage your condition. Some 6,000 people have successfully completed this course since it was introduced in 2006..

Is there a course in my area?
What does it cost?
10 BIG reasons to sign up today
What will I learn on the course?
What do past participants say?

1. Is there a course in my area?

Autumn 2019 courses are listed below. Most of them completed. Spring 2020 schedule will be published shortly. In meantime you can email you interest to training@arthritisireland.ie

Location	Venue	Date	Booking
Dublin North, Portmarnock	Portmarnock Sport & Leisure Centre	Mon 14th Oct, 10am-12.30pm	Started
Dublin South, Deansgrange	Deansgrange Parish Centre	Fri 11th Oct, 10.30am-1pm	Started
Dublin West, Lucan	Finnstown Hotel	Wed 11th Sep, 11am-1.30pm	Completed
Dublin City Centre, Dublin 2	Carmelite Community Centre	Tue 3rd Sep, 6pm-8.30pm	Completed
Kilternan, Co. Dublin	Kilternan Parish Centre	Wed 11th Sep 6pm-8.30pm	Completed
Mountmellick, Co. Laois	Mountmellick Youth and Community FRC	Wed 28th Aug, 6pm-8.30pm	Completed
Kilkenny	New Park Close FRC	Sat 24th Aug, 11am-1.30pm	Completed
Leixlip, Co. Kildare	Leixlip Youth and Community Centre	Wed 9th Oct, 10am-12.30pm	Comlpeted
Longford Town	Family Centre, St.Mel's Road	Tue 10th Sep, 7.30pm-10pm	Completed
Cork City	Bru Columbanus, Wilton	Mon 2nd Sep, 7pm-9.30pm	Completed
Tralee, Co. Kerry	Trale Education Centre	Tue 3rd Sep, 7pm-9.30pm	Completed
Limerick City	Irish Wheelchair Association	Wed 16th Oct, 2pm-4.30pm	Completed
Clonmel., Co. Tipperary	Clonmel Community Resource Centre	Tue 22th Oct, 6pm-8.30pm	Started
Castlebar, Co. Mayo	Mayo Education Centre	Tue 3rd Sep, 7pm-9.30pm	Completed
Carrick-on-Shannon	The Hive	Tue 8th Oct, 6.30pm-9pm	Started
Letterkenny, Co. Donegal	Station House Hotel	Wed 4th Sep, 7pm-9.30pm	Completed
Cavan Town	Teach Oscail FRC	Thu 5th Sep, 11am-1.30pm	Completed

2. What does it cost?

There is a small fee to participate in the workshop which covers a small portion of the cost of providing the programme and provides you with Living a Healthy Life with Cronic Conditions book, an excellent resource written by arthritis specialists Dr. James Fries and Prof. Kate Lorig.

Course fee: full price - €32, discounted price (for medical card holders) - €24 (plus booking fee)

3. 10 BIG reasons to sign up today

Reduce your pain
Reduce your fatigue
Reduce the number of times you need to see your doctor and healthcare team.
Understand your arthritis, medication and other treatments
Improve your relationship with your doctor and healthcare team
Start or improve your exercise regime
Improve your mental health
Improve your diet
Improve your problem solving
Learn to set realistic goals and plan to achieve them

4. What will I learn on the course?

The Living Well with Arthritis and Related Conditions course is taught over a six-week period in weekly 2.5 hour sessions. Each group usually has 18 people and is led by two trained leaders. Most of the leaders have conditions themselves or are health care professionals. They are all interested in helping people with arthritis and related conditions, and have successfully completed a Leader Training Workshop.

Session One

Introduction to the Workshop
Group Introductions
The Mind-Body Connection/Distraction
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Introduction to Action Plans

Session Two

Feedback/Problem-Solving
Dealing with Difficult Emotions
Introduction to Physical Activity and Exercise
Preventing Falls and Improving Balance
Making an Action Plan

Session Three

Feedback
Making Decisions
Pain and Fatigue Management
Endurance Exercise
Relaxation: Body Scan
Making an Action Plan

Session Four

Feedback
Better Breathing
Healthy Eating
Communication Skills
Problem solving
Making an Action Plan

Session Five

Feedback
Making Healthy Food Choices
Medication Usage
Making Informed Treatment Decisions
Positive Thinking
Making an Action Plan

Session Six

Feedback
Working with Your Health Care Professional and Health Care System
Weight Management
Looking Back and Planning for the Future

5. What do past participants say?

Anne-Marie Gannon: “I had just had a new baby when I was diagnosed with arthritis. I was in an awful lot of pain and it got to the stage where I couldn’t even pick my new son up. The Living Well with Arthritis course was a real turning point in my life. It taught me that I was in control of my disease, not the other way around.”

Quentin Carrick:

“Going into the Living Well with Arthritis course I hadn’t had one positive thought for three years. The course changed all that. Instead of focussing on not being able to run five miles, I started concentrating on being able to do a five-minute walk. I now make a weekly action plan and completing it gives me a great feeling of achievement. I also switched to an automatic car which makes driving easier. Previously I would have seen this as giving in. Now I see it as something that can help me function normally.”

Erica Mitchell: “Initially I was worried that everyone on the Living Well with Arthritis course would be way older than me but it wasn’t like that at all. We had a whole spectrum of ages, from 27 up. It was great to be able to speak to others who knew exactly what it was like to be a young person with arthritis.”