Courses Living Well with Arthritis (and Related Conditions) Self-Management Programme What exactly is 'self management'? What topics does the course cover? How could I benefit from this course? What other details do I need to know? Where can I book my place? What do others have to say about this course? Reduce your pain and reclaim your life by signing up for our 6-week Living Well with Arthritis and Related Conditions course. Developed by Stanford University, this award-winning course will equip you with a variety of tools and techniques to help self-manage your condition. This course has been proven to help people living with arthritis (and related conditions) to manage their pain and fatigue by developing a healthier lifestyle. This autumn we had 10 community and 10 online courses. Next round of courses starts in spring 2024, we will offer online courses and courses in community. The schedule will be published in January 2024. What exactly is 'self management'? Self-management entails the active involvement of people in their own healthcare. The Living Well with Arthritis course is about living life to the full, despite having a long-term condition. It covers things like healthy eating, exercise and getting a good night’s sleep in order to improve the quality of your day-to-day life. On initial diagnosis, people can feel overwhelmed and disempowered. Our intention, with this flagship programme, is to empower people once more. It is about giving people the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to better manage their own condition. Some aspects of self-management include; Managing the symptoms of your condition Learning new skills, such as healthy eating, to help manage your physical wellbeing Learning new techniques and communication skills to help manage your emotional wellbeing Working as an active (rather than passive) partner with your healthcare team Planning for flare-ups and knowing what does (and doesn’t) work for you as an individual managing a chronic condition. Back to top What topics does the course cover? The course covers every area of self-management including: Pain management Relaxation techniques Medical management Improved communication with health professionals Healthy food choices Improving your overall sense of wellbeing Dealing with difficult emotions The benefits of physical activity Back to top How could I benefit from this course? There are so many benefits. Here we summarise the top 10 reasons to do this course: Reduce your pain Reduce your fatigue Learn to set realistic goals and plan to achieve them Understand your arthritis, medication and other treatment 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 Connect with other people living with arthritis Back to top What other details do I need to know? The Living Well with Arthritis course is led by trained leaders, who either have the condition themselves or are healthcare professionals. It consists of six weekly sessions, each 2.5 hours long, and is offered free of charge. Each group has about 18 participants and is delivered both online and within the community. Back to top Where can I book my place? Details about our upcoming courses can be found here. If you wish to receive regular updates about the schedule in advance, please subscribe to our monthly ezine here. Back to top What do others have to say about this course? “Sometimes our disease makes us feel that we’ve no control,” says course attendee, Margaret, “But, through these courses, you learn that there are some things that you can actually control, such as your emotions or your perspective on things." “Although it’s true that there’s a lot that you already may know about self-management, sometimes you simply get out of the habit. The course gets you to focus on what you can do for yourself once more. That then lifts you out of the rut of simply focusing on the pain and you start to see things more positively." “Also, you get to enjoy the support of one another in the group, including the shared experiences. You end up chatting about really practical things, such as how to prepare to meet with your consultant and information around your medications, or meditation and relaxation." “They can be very simple things, but they can make life a lot easier. The courses are very empowering. I come away feeling like I’m in the driving seat again, and that truly makes a huge difference in all aspects of my life.” Back to top Sign-up for news and updates about our self-management courses and Arthritis Ireland Donate Manage Cookie Preferences