Arthritis Consumer Experts
#210 - 1529 West 6th Avenue V6J 1R1 Vancouver, BC, Canada

Il est important de comprendre les inégalités en matière de santé auxquelles sont confrontés les peuples autochtones du Canada dans le contexte de notre collectivité arthritique. Ayant un taux d’arthrite grave ou mortelle parmi les plus élevés au monde, les peuples autochtones courent un risque accru de devenir handicapés par l’arthrite et sont confrontés à des taux élevés de comorbidités telles que les maladies cardiaques, l’hypertension, l’asthme et le cancer. Dans ce numér...o du JointHealth insight, le comité ACE, en collaboration avec Graeme Reed, président du conseil d’administration de l’Association canadienne de la spondylarthrite et personne d’origine mixte anishinaabe et européenne, examine les éléments du racisme structurel ayant un impact sur les résultats de santé des autochtones. https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm #IndigenousHealth Canadian Spondylitis Association APTN Assembly of First Nations/Assemblee des premieres Nations Arthritis Research Canada The Faculty of Native Studies APNQL - AFNQL

Thank you to award winning Canadian journalist Pamela Fayerman for championing the #SaveTAPNow campaign and helping us spread the words about saving The Arthritis Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre. The TAP program is unique and celebrated, not just in Ontario, but across Canada. It opened in 1991 with government funding of about $600,000 a year and a plan to offer all-encompassing arthritis care under one roof. TAP includes not only dedicated medical staff but also... occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiology, dieticians, and a dedicated pharmacist. Read Pamela's full coverage on her website: https://medicinematters.ca/amidst-a-pandemic-penalized-ont/ Write to your MPP to save the program: https://bit.ly/SaveTAPNowLettertoMPP

The health inequities faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada are important to understand in the context of our arthritis community. Indigenous Peoples have some of the highest rates of serious or life-threatening arthritis in the world, are at greater risk for becoming disabled by arthritis and face high rates of co-morbidities such as heart disease, hypertension, asthma and cancer. In this issue of JointHealth insight, ACE, in collaboration with Graeme Reed, Chair of the Can...adian Spondylitis Association's Board of Directors, and a person of mixed Anishinaabe and European descent, examines elements of structural racism impacting Indigenous health outcomes in Canada. Continue reading here: https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm #IndigenousHealth APTN Assembly of First Nations/Assemblee des premieres Nations GCIndigenous First Nations & Indigenous Studies The Faculty of Native Studies Spencer O'Brien Arthritis Research Canada

- This week's episode of Arthritis At Home features Dr. Steve Morgan, Professor of Health Policy, University of British Columbia - In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, Dr. Steve Morgan discusses reimbursement access to medications in Canada and the current challenges during the pandemic. Dr. Morgan also looks at the concept of a national pharmacare program, explaining what a national pharmacare program would look like and how it could benefit individuals, households and the ...country as a whole. Dr. Morgan’s research focusses on policies to provide universal access to appropriately prescribed, affordably priced, and equitably financed prescription drugs. Dr. Morgan has published over 150 peer-reviewed research papers, received more than $4 million in peer-reviewed research grants, and provided policy advice to governments across Canada and around the world. He has won many awards for his work. Most recently, Dr. Morgan was named the 2019 Emmett Hall Laureate for career-long contributions to health system equity, fairness, justice and efficiency. Check out these helpful resources Pharmacare 2020 - https://pharmacare2020.ca/ Arthritis Consumer Experts Arthritis Medications Report Card - https://jointhealth.org//Repo/JointHealthReportCard_En.pdf

When The Arthritis Program (TAP) at Southlake Regional Health Centre closes in January, 2021, it will affect 2,200 + patients like Carrie Barnes who live with rheumatoid arthritis and others living with inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, and juvenile arthritis.TAP saves the healthcare system millions of dollars annually by reducing need for ER visits, hospitalizations, joint replacements and expensive biologics through the early assessment, di...agnosis and treatment of inflammatory arthritis. "What was most significant for me was this unified approach. I met with numerous healthcare providers and they all had the same answer...they all seem to speak to me about my treatment. I was included in the decision discussion." - Carrie Barnes, rheumatoid arthritis patient at TAP Tell your local paper and MPP how closing the TAP program affects you and your community. Here are the ways you can help #SaveTAPNow: 1) Contact Minister of Health and ask the Ministry to intervene and provide funding support for TAP’s continued operation: Ontario Minister of Health: Christine Elliott Email: [email protected] Address: Ministry of Health 5th Floor, 777 Bay St. Toronto, ON M7A 2J3 Telephone: 416-327-4300 2) Contact the Southlake Regional Health Centre and urge them to work together with TAP and the Ministry of Health to ensure the continuity of care for arthritis patients affected by TAP closure: Patrick Horgan, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Chair Board of Directors Email: [email protected] Arden Krystal, Southlake Regional Health Centre, President & CEO Email: [email protected] Dr. Steve Beatty, Southlake Regional Health Centre, Chief of Staff Email: [email protected] 3) Contact your local media. 4) Join the conversation online with #SaveTAPNow and tag local influencer and arthritis patient advocates or patient organizations. Learn more: https://bit.ly/SaveTAPNowACENewsRelease Cassie and Friends Society for Juvenile Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases Canadian Spondylitis Association Sjögren's Society Of Canada Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance Arthritis Society Lupus Canada

Excerpt from our September issue of JointHealth insight Health and Wellness Decision Making During a Pandemic As COVID-19 cases spike across Canada, we are reminded of this message and the collective responsibility we share in keeping one another safe If you feel that someone close to you is making unsafe decisions, consider sharing this message with them or check out our tips on self advocacy during the pandemic: https://bit.ly/3mtSX1A

Changing arthritis: By raising our voices together, we can help shape public policy. The arthritis patient voice is extremely powerful. When we stand together, we can provide media, government, and healthcare decision-makers the real story of arthritis. As the people most affected by policy decisions, people living with disease must look for ways to be heard and to advocate for fairness and excellence in health care. To support patients become effective advocates, Arthrit...is Consumer Experts (ACE) has launched a new Advocacy resource webpage. Whether you are looking to advocate for yourself in the workplace, to government or the media, ACE’s new webpage and resources provide the tools to help you take action: https://advocacy.jointhealth.org/ Learn more: In the latest episode of Arthritis At Home, Kelly Lendvoy, ACE’s VP Communications & Public Affairs, takes viewers on a virtual tour of the new Advocacy webpage. Kelly shows us what tools and resources patients can find there and explains why advocacy is such an important part of ACE’s mission. French: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=2014&lang=fr

Dr. Carter Thorne, a rheumatologist at The Arthritis Program (TAP), talks about the benefits of TAP and how to ensure the continuation of care and TAP for patients. #SaveTAPNow Write to your Minister of Health now: https://jointhealth.org/lettertoMPP.cfm?locale=en-CA

- This week’s #ArthritisAtHome features Parkash Ragsdale, Pharmacist; Lecturer & Coordinator, Practice Innovation Primary Care, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia - On this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn has a conversation with Parkash Ragsdale, a licensed pharmacist with over 25 years combined experience in academic, non-profit, corporate, regulatory and primary care environments. Parkash answers commonly asked questions about the... flu vaccine, including: - What is a flu vaccine and how does it work? - Why is it important for people who are immunosuppressed to get the flu vaccine? - How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected timely access to and how you receive the flu vaccine? Check out these helpful resources: The Public Health Agency of Canada: Flu: https://www.canada.ca//services/diseases/flu-influenza.html BCCDC 2020/21 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Eligibility: https://bit.ly/BCCDC2020-21SeasonalInfluenzaVaccineEligibil The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia’s Find a Pharmacy Tool: https://www.bcpharmacists.org/search-pharmacy Immunize BC’s Influenza Clinic Locator: http://www.immunizebc.ca/clinics/flu#8/49.246/-123.116 French: https://arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/?p=2059&lang=fr UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Not all disabilities are visible. Many people living with arthritis struggle with the invisible nature of their disease and often get told by others that they look healthy despite dealing with significant pain, fatigue and other serious symptoms on a daily basis. People with invisible disability and illness face unique challenges when it comes to seeking accommodations and advocating for their needs. Help make arthritis visible during #invisabledisabilitiesweek

Ontario’s leading arthritis centre The Arthritis Program (TAP) at Southlake Regional Health Centre will be closing on January, 2021, leaving TAP patients stranded and lost in the middle of a pandemic. Last year, TAP had 9000 patient visits (2,200 unique patients). TAP has received awards for achieving best practices that include utilizing a team of interdisciplinary care providers, training students on a team approach to arthritis conditions that is effective and cost ...effective, providing patient education to improve self-management strategies. We are seeking the public’s help to #SaveTAPNow. Please write to your local MPP and Ontario’s Minister of Health and ask to keep TAP open you will be saving the lives of current and future arthritis patients! To download advocacy resources, please click here: https://advocacy.jointhealth.org/advocacy-toolkit/

One of the most effective ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 & other viruses is also one of the simplest ways! Help keep your community safe through frequent hand washing with soap #GlobalHandwashingDay Hand washing tip from the World Health Organization: Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing "Happy Birthday" twice

October 19th is National Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Day! Live with Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and want to share your story? Send us a short video that we can use to raise awareness! Visit https://www.spondylitis.ca/psa-day/ for more info Arthritis Society Canadian Spondylitis Association Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance Canadian Association of Psoriasis Patients Canadian Psoriasis Network

Learn about osteoporosis and it's relationship with inflammatory arthritis in this #CRArthritis interview with Timothy Kwok from University of Toronto https://bit.ly/2QkhCZj #WorldOsteoporosisDay

Remembering the brave men and women who fought and sacrificed to make this country better. Thank you <3 #RemembranceDay2020 #CanadaRemembers

Kids get arthritis too and the new school year is presenting unique challenges for youth living with arthritis and their families. Want to share your experience? Complete this short 5-minute survey on school during #COVID19 : https://bit.ly/30ny3s2 #PediatricBoneandJointDay

On #WorldArthritisDay, we celebrate all the arthritis community has achieved but we also recognize areas where we must do better. Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) experience unjust health differences, barriers to accessing arthritis care, underrepresentation in research and racism in healthcare settings. Our Health Inequities Series aims to bring attention to these important issues. The series currently includes the following articles: Understanding ...Health Inequities in Canada: What shapes a person’s health? https://bit.ly/2UWjGbc Spotlight on Indigenous Peoples and Barriers to Arthritis Care: https://bit.ly/2VFsqTQ The Language Gap: https://bit.ly/2GIxt1z Who is and Who is Not Represented in Research: https://bit.ly/3nDboSG See more

Today is #WorldArthritisDay - a global initiative that brings people together to raise awareness for arthritis Over the last 6 months, ACE has been working to (virtually) bring people together through our Arthritis At Home program, now featuring 48+ conversations with members of the arthritis community: https://bit.ly/3jXuWyw

Today is World Obesity Day. Did you know that for every pound of extra weight a woman has, she is putting four pounds of pressure on her knees? Lifestyle and prevention strategies play a big role in our health outcomes and quality of life as we age. People who are overweight are at a greater risk of developing painful hip, knee and hand osteoarthritis. Here is a infographic from Obesity Canada - Obésité Canada that summarizes the findings of a study titled "The Awareness, Car...e, and Treatment in Obesity MaNagement (ACTION)". http://obesitycanada.ca//uploa/2019/10/Action_IG_Final.pdf #WorldObesityDay Arthritis Society Arthritis Research Canada

Today is National Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Day - PsA is a serious disease that can damage your body, and can also trigger other dangerous conditions like heart disease or stroke To learn more, consider enrolling in our free online PsA patient education course: https://bit.ly/3e0E16p #CdnPsAday #JHed

Lindsay Knazan, yoga therapist living with #AnkylosingSpondylitis, leads an arthritis-friendly mini yoga class in this episode of Arthritis At Home Following along with her poses is a great way to promote spine health on #WorldSpineDay! https://bit.ly/351RhoD World Spine Day Canadian Spondylitis Association

In honour of World Mental Health Day, we have upload Dr. Susan Bartlett's interviews on emotional wellness during the pandemic as podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Finding emotional wellness during COVID-19 with Dr. Susan Bartlett: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1182689/5808883... Isolation and loneliness in the age of COVID-19 with Dr. Susan Bartlett: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1182689/5809042 #WorldMentalHealthDay McGill University Johns Hopkins Medicine CMHA National / ACSM National Arthritis Research Canada

Now that the non-stop activities of Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada are over, it’s time to recover and gather new strength to change arthritis. Let’s roll this episode of Arthritis At Home with Lindsay Knazan, yoga therapist at FierceHeart Yoga Therapeutics, to help us do just that. This episode of Arthritis At Home features Lindsay Knazan, yoga therapist at FierceHeart Yoga Therapeutics in Victoria, British Columbia. She leads an arthritis-friendly mini yoga class. She d...emonstrates different tools and poses that people with arthritis can use and practice from their homes. All you need to follow along is a tennis ball, a wall, and a chair! Lindsay Knazan is a Yoga Therapist and Co-Owner of Fierce Studios: Home of Fierce Martial Arts & FierceHeart Yoga Therapeutics in Victoria, British Columbia. She is an embodiment specialist who has been helping shift minds and bodies through yoga and mindfulness for two decades. As someone who lives with ankylosing spondylitis, Lindsay has an uncanny ability to relate to people challenged by chronic pain and to support them in moving with ease and towards wellness despite the realities of their disease. Visit Arthritis At Home online: https://www.arthritisathome.jointhealth.org/ Check out these helpful resources: Arthritis Broadcast Network: #CRArthritis interview with Lindsay Knazan https://bit.ly/CRArthritis2020LindsayKnazan FierceHeart Yoga Studio website https://www.fierceheartyoga.com/ Principles of Movement YouTube video https://bit.ly/PrinciplesofMovement Yoga Therapy: Unwind Body & Mind YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch

On World Mental Health Day, we want to highlight some of our mental health resources that may be helpful to you or your loved ones : 1) How arthritis is related to anxiety & depression https://bit.ly/3jCTUDz 2) Managing isolation & loneliness during COVID-19 with Dr. Susan Bartlett from McGill University: https://bit.ly/3nbf0e5 ... 3) Understanding psychosocial impacts of lupus with Dr. Paul Fortin from Arthritis Research Canada: https://bit.ly/2SkoANF

During a pandemic, vote by mail is a good option for voters with underlying health conditions and for voters who do not wish to vote in person at a voting place. In this BC-focussed episode of #ArthritisAtHome, Cheryl Koehn clarifies why some people who registered early for vote-by-mail package received only a Write in Ballot. Helpful resources... Arthritis Consumer Experts B.C. Election Home Page https://jointhealth.org/electionbc2020.cfm?locale=en-CA Elections BC Home Page https://elections.bc.ca/ Find the candidates in your electoral district https://elections.bc.ca//provincial-candid/candidate-list/

This week’s #ArthritisAtHome features Linda Wilhelm, President of Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance. The most commonly performed joint replacements are hip and knee replacements but the procedure can also be performed on other joints, such as the ankle, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. On this episode of Arthritis At Home, ACE has a conversation with Ms. Linda Wilhelm, President, Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, and a patient advocate based in New Brunswick, about shoulder r...eplacement surgery. Linda discusses the decision-making process to have both shoulders replaced, what patients can expect in terms of "pre-habilitation and post-surgery rehabilitation, including how to be the leader of your healthcare team and interacting with the orthopaedic surgeon and physiotherapist. Resources Arthritis Consumer Experts JointHealth insight: The Road to Joint Replacement Surgery - https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance - http://arthritispatient.ca Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation Learn how to prepare for and recover from shoulder surgery - https://whenithurtstomove.org/shoulder/ Canadian Institute for Health Information Canadian Joint Replacement Registry Annual Report - https://www.cihi.ca//hip-and-knee-replacements-in-canada-c ----------- Capsule 47 de À la maison avec l’arthrite Chirurgie de remplacement de l’épaule : point de vue du patient -En vedette cette semaine dans cette capsule de À la maison avec l’arthrite (#ArthritisAtHome), Mme Linda Wilhelm, présidente de l’Alliance canadienne des patients arthritiques- Les remplacements articulaires les plus courants sont ceux de la hanche et du genou, mais l’intervention peut également être pratiquée sur d’autres articulations, comme la cheville, le poignet, le coude et l’épaule. Dans cette capsule de À la maison avec l’arthrite , le comité ACE s’entretient avec Mme Linda Wilhelm, présidente de l’Alliance canadienne des patients arthritiques et défenseuse des patients au Nouveau-Brunswick, au sujet de la chirurgie de remplacement de l’épaule. Linda discute du processus de décision pour le remplacement des deux épaules, ce à quoi les patients peuvent s’attendre en termes de préadaptation et de réadaptation postopératoire, notamment comment être le chef de votre équipe de soins et interagir avec le chirurgien orthopédiste et le physiothérapeute. Ressources Arthritis Consumer Experts JointHealth insight : Vers la chirurgie de remplacement articulaire https://jointhealth.org/programs-jhinsight-view.cfm Alliance canadienne des arthritiques (en anglais seulement) - http://arthritispatient.ca Fondation canadienne d’orthopédie Les interventions en chirurgie orthopédique - https://whenithurtstomove.org/fr/my-surgery/ Institut canadien d’information sur la santé Rapport annuel du RCRA - https://www.cihi.ca//arthroplasties-de-la-hanche-et-du-gen

Looking for a fun and informative arthritis podcast to listen to while exercising, commuting or dog walking? Arthritis At Home (+ On the Go) allows you to listen to interviews with Canadian experts in clinical rheumatology, arthritis scientists & allied health professionals as well a patient experts and advocates. Listen on the most popular podcast streaming platforms https://bit.ly/2GzRpn4

Do you have rheumatoid arthritis and live in Canada? We need your valuable input! The Common Drug Review (CDR) is currently welcoming patients and their caregivers to provide input to patient organizations on the manufacturer’s submission for biosimilar infliximab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Please complete this survey by October 14, 2020. Thank you! English survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/78HY9SQ... French survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/72CKH2S #patientinput Arthritis Society Arthritis Research Canada

Children get arthritis too. In fact, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is one of the most common chronic diseases among children. Learn more about JIA and its impacts on #ChildHealthDay: https://bit.ly/36lmNjN

Looking for something to do on this #SundayMorning? Consider taking one of our free JointHealth Education courses: https://bit.ly/3e0E16p. Topics include: Rheumatoid arthritis Psoriatic arthritis... Ankylosing spondylitis Advanced therapies for IA Biosimilars See more