Canadian Pain Taskforce

We are pleased to announce that our very own President, Linda Wilhelm, was appointed to the Canadian Pain Taskforce. The Task Force has a three-year mandate to assess how chronic pain is addressed, conduct national consultations, and collaborate with key stakeholders. Linda is a longtime arthritis advocate and a patient partner with the Chronic Pain Network. She lives with chronic pain and has been working to ensure the voice of people living with chronic pain is heard in the health policy debate on opioid medications. Please stay tuned for opportunities to get involved in the work of the Taskforce!

What have we been up to?

Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) / Arthritis Health Professions (AHPA) meeting –  CAPA Vice-President, Laurie Proulx, attended the CRA / AHPA annual meeting held in Montreal. Laurie participated in a number of activities including presenting the pregnancy and parenting resource as well as presenting a poster on the #ArthritisParent Twitter Chat and a second poster focused on educational resources for patients and by patients. Laurie also met with various rheumatology leaders and will report throughout the year on how they are improving the lives of people with arthritis. Check out the first article and learn what trailblazer Dr. Ed Keystone is doing to support people with arthritis!   

People with Arthritis / Rheumatism in Europe (PARE) conference – CAPA Board Member Laurie Proulx was on the road again representing us at the PARE conference held in Prague. PARE is a network of national patient organizations across Europe who work together towards improving the quality of life for the more than 120 million people in Europe living with these conditions. The theme of this year’s conference was Time2Work and supports EULAR’s Don’t Delay, Connect Today campaign. Laurie shared our newly developed workplace resources during the best practices fair. We look forward to participating in future PARE activities and learning from the experiences of patient organizations in Europe! 

New workplace resources! We are pleased to share our newly developed resources to support people with arthritis in the workplace. The workplace resources were informed by a survey of people with arthritis where we explored workplace experiences, challenges, and solutions. The resources provide information on how to adapt the workplace to arthritis, self-care for work, and knowing your workplace rights. Many thanks to our partner, Dr. Arif Jetha, who reviewed the resources. Dr. Jetha is an expert in health and behavioural sciences, and works as an Associate Scientist at the Institute for Work and Health.

Last chance to take Methotrexate survey for childhood arthritis! We will soon be closing the Methotrexate survey for childhood arthritis, a project we are doing with the Irish Children’s Arthritis Network (iCAN). Share your opinion today! 

Meet trailblazer Dr. Ed Keystone

At this year’s Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) meeting, we sat down with Canadian rheumatology leaders who are making an impact. Read the firstof a three-part series to learn more about Dr. Ed Keystone, a researcher and rheumatologist based at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Keystone received the 2019 Distinguished Rheumatologist Award at the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) meeting – read this article to learn more about his contributions to the field of rheumatology!

Get Involved! 

From InVisibility to Inclusion (i2i) study – The i2i project is examining employment patterns of people with episodic disabilities. The researchers are looking for employed, self-employed and unemployed people living with episodic disability in Ontario to learn about your experiences with episodic disability and work. Learn more by visiting the study website.

Study on understanding micro-aggressions – A research team from Wilfred Laurier University and the University of British Columbia are doing a study on subtle forms of discrimination and affirmations experienced by people living with physical disabilities. It involves a 60-minute interview and an honorarium will be provided. Read the poster to learn more about the study!

Shape the future of disability and work in Canada – A national Canadian strategy is being developed to support people with disabilities at work. Feedback on the strategy is needed from people with lived experience. Have your say and take the survey now!

Quebec (INESS) recruiting citizen advisors  – The Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESS) is recruiting citizen advisors to advise on health and social services. Learn more by visiting their website!

Stay Informed!