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Did you know that Arthritis Care pioneered the first self-management courses and workshops in the UK?
Before Arthritis Care, the concept of helping an individual learn to take control of their own condition was unfamiliar in the UK. It was more likely that you would be reliant upon the medical establishment. Arthritis Care’s Challenging Arthritis course was the first support of this kind for anyone in this country.
Origins in the USA
The idea originated in the USA. Kate Lorig, then a post-graduate student at Stanford University, California, devised an education programme for people with arthritis in the 1970s. Clinical trials involving 2,500 people over 11 years found that participants’ knowledge about arthritis improved and the amount they exercised and practiced relaxation increased. At the same time, their pain and depression decreased.
Known as the Arthritis Self-Help Course, the programme was adopted by organisations in the USA, New Zealand, Australia and Canada in the 1980s. In 1993, Arthritis Care piloted the course for the first time. The positive results led to the national roll out of the programme – people with arthritis all over the UK began to benefit.
Enhancing confidence
Research into the effects of the course continued in conjunction with Stanford. It was discovered that simply educating people about arthritis, diet and exercise wasn’t the main key to their improvements. Instead, by helping them to increase their confidence and belief in their own skills and knowledge, their experiences of pain and depression also improved. Conveying the facts was important, but giving attention to the individual and their needs was essential – and the course was developed to further emphasise this.
It is on this principle – enhancing people’s confidence and ability to cope – that Challenging Arthritis and all Arthritis Care’s other workshops and courses are based today.
