Living with arthritis

Living with Arthritis: Pain, depression, second-best, respondents tell it how it is

In a telling survey, people living with arthritis in Northern Ireland disclose that they feel their experience of the condition is dismissed and sidelined, even though it is the UK’s biggest single cause of physical disability. This report of the findings from the user survey which was sent out to one thousand respondents of all ages, was launched to an audience of healthcare professionals, voluntary sector organisations, policy makers, and people living with arthritis.

Shocking

‘The findings are quite shocking. They reveal that people with arthritis feel very short-changed – their pain, depression, and loss of mobility is often worsened by feeling disenfranchised by ignorance of their condition, and only sporadic support from their healthcare professionals’, says Kate Fleck, director of Arthritis Care in Northern Ireland.

Poorly understood

‘The survey shows arthritis is generally poorly understood, that there’s a lack of information about it, a lack of support for those living with it, and patchy commitment from healthcare professionals in making people with arthritis effective, informed partners in their own care. Six out of ten respondents said their condition was actually dismissed by a healthcare professional, and the same number said they were rarely, if ever, asked for their own opinion about managing their arthritis’ adds Kate Fleck, who commissioned the survey and report into the concerns of those living with any of the 200 forms of arthritis.

Download a PDF copy of 'Living with arthritis in Northern Ireland'