Community Impact
Arthritis Action staff are often invited to give talks and presentations about arthritis, on the phone, in person and online to various community groups.
Our team is asked to give information on the symptoms, causes and treatments of arthritis. They also explain how self-management can help people manage their condition better.
Leah from Arthritis Action gave a fabulous presentation to our phone groups during lockdown in November 2020. As we couldn’t meet in person, we decided to provide phone groups for our community members so we could continue to support people. More recently, in January 2023, we invited Leah back to talk to our phone groups again.
As our phone group members range from around 75-97 years old, many have arthritis or are in the age group that may develop it, so any preventative or soothing tips are welcome. We could also all do with a general overview of what arthritis is, and what can cause it, as this often seems to be a bit of a grey area.
Our members found the Self-Management for Arthritis booklet provided (and we posted to them in advance) especially helpful. The talk answered a lot of questions members had been unsure about and gave great general lifestyle advice for an older person, not just for people living with arthritis. It was good to hear that members are not alone in experiencing pain, that those around us may not understand, and that there is a support available.
We learned a lot about arthritis that we did not know. For instance, how many types of arthritis there are and possible causes. Apart from all the information given in the talk and the booklet, it was great to have an opportunity to ask personal questions. One member really took onboard the message of pacing yourself, and how this could be applied to other conditions as well. Several people enjoyed hearing about the healthy recipes that Leah described which are available on the website.
Open Age Westminister
We invited Ruth, from Arthritis Action to come and speak to our Memory Cafés as our guests are older people, some of whom have arthritis. As many of our members live with dementia we needed the talk to be brief but engaging and informative, highlighting positive health messages. Ruth was indeed engaging and very inclusive and interactive in her approach. Our members were able to gain relevant and interesting information about arthritis. The group leader was pleased to see many of our members joining in and asking questions. It was a very helpful and useful session.
Leicester Shire & Rutland Age UK
Moorlands and Rural Primary Care Network is a group of GP surgeries working together and we would like to thank Ruth for her fabulous talk to our patients. Our attendees were really engaged and gave us great feedback.
We asked Arthritis Action to present to our group as we know how debilitating arthritis can be. Anything that helps a patient to better manage their condition, offers support and provides awareness of what support is available in the community, such as Arthritis Action does, we wanted to signpost people to. It’s important to us to help support patients affected by arthritis.
We were particularly interested in hearing more about exercise as people have a tendency not to do anything too active as they fear it will increase pain. People said that hearing about pacing was really helpful as there isn’t always much information available on diagnosis. Learning more about diet, self-care and managing the condition to live as full and active life as possible was very interesting.
We were keen to find out what support is available and be part of a community. If people just want information, it may be more suitable for them to visit a website like Arthritis Action’s or get peer support, rather than visit their GP. In the future this could hopefully reduce the need for GP appointments and encourage people to feel more empowered.
Our patients said they now know more about the support available, and felt it was useful, interesting and very informative. People commented that Ruth presented well, understood us and allowed time for questions. Several said that they would go to the Arthritis Action website to access support and information in the future.
We will be in touch about asking you to another presentation for us next year.
Moorlands and Rural Primary Care Network