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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?

In spring 2020 courses we run courses in the following locations; online booking for all courses is currently open.

Location	Venue	Start date, time	Booking
Dublin South	Deansgrange Parish Centre	Fri 28th Feb, 10am-12.30pm TBC	Book
Dublin Centre	OLH Harolds Cross TBC	TBC
Dublin North, Swords	Holywell Community Centre	Wed 25th Mar, 10am-12.30pm	Book
Celbridge, Co. Kildare	Celbridge Manor Hotel	Fri 28th Feb, 11am-1.30pm	Book
Drogheda, Co. Louth	Scholars Townhouse Hotel	Tue 25th Feb, 7pm-9.30pm	Book
Athlone, Co. Westmeath	Shamrock Lodge Hotel	Wed 25th Mar, 7pm-9.30pm	Book
Wexford Town	Riverbank House Hotel	Tue 24th Mar, 7pm-9.30pm	Book
Cork City	Bru Columbanus, Wilton	Thu 27th Feb, 1030am-1pm	Book
Limerick City	IWA Center, Roxboro	Thu 20th Feb, 6.30pm-9pm	Book
Tralee, Co. Kerry	Education Centre Tralee	Thu 12th Mar, 6.30pm-9pm	Book
Waterford	St. Joseph's Centre, Response TBC	Fri 12th Apr 10am-12.30pm	Book
Letterkenny	Station House Hotel	Tue 31st Mar, 7pm-9.30pm	Book
Galway	Connacht Hotel	Wed 11th Mar, 7pm-9.30pm	Book
Westport, Co. Mayo	Quay Community Centre TBC	Wed 11th Mar, 7pm-9.30pm	Book

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.”