• All About Vaccines: CAPA’s September Focus
• What have we been up to?
• Get Involved!
• Useful Resources
• Donate to CAPA

All About Vaccines: CAPA’s September Focus

This month, CAPA is focusing on all things vaccines to help people with inflammatory arthritis and other rheumatic diseases prepare for the winter respiratory virus and flu season.

In our latest blog “Vaccine Choice Matters: One Patient’s Experience”, CAPA President Linda Wilhelm shares her personal experience navigating COVID-19 vaccination, disease flares, infection, and the challenges of accessing different vaccine options while living with rheumatoid arthritis.

Read Linda’s story and follow along throughout September for our two mini-sessions on vaccines with people with lived experience and medical experts. Learn more and register on our website!

What have we been up to?

We are thrilled to launch our first-ever Peer Movement Program, bringing together an amazing team of healthcare professionals, experienced movement instructors, researchers, and patient experts with years of lived experience with arthritis. Together, they’ve co-designed a program to help you build the confidence to move safely and find movement strategies that work for you. Led by Dr. Manuel Ester, PhD Kinesiology, this program combines professional expertise with real-world patient experience to support you every step of the way. Learn more and register to join this exciting new program.

This month, CAPA is hosting a two-part webinar series exploring vaccination from both a practical and scientific perspective. These sessions will cover important topics such as how arthritis medications can affect vaccination, how chronic inflammation can affect vaccine responses, and other common questions and challenges. Learn more and register on our website!

CAPA President Linda Wilhelm recently spoke at a Partnership for Women’s Wellness (PWW) member meeting. During this session, titled “Bone Health as a Priority for Women’s Wellness”, Linda was invited to share her lived experience and perspective about why bone health matters for women living with arthritis.

Get Involved!

What helps you keep doing the things you love while living with arthritis?

Through the Finding Joy project, CAPA, Psoriasis Canada, Fibromyalgia Association of Canada, and Lupus Ontario are inviting people living with arthritis and related conditions to share the activities, adaptations, and everyday moments that help them keep doing what they love. Share your joy using the hashtag #CreateSpaceForJoy or through the community submission form.

If you attended our Menopause and Bone Health webinar in July or have feedback to share, we’d appreciate it if you could complete our short 3-minute survey. The survey is open to all!

CSPA’s Breaking Barriers Mental Health Virtual Workshop

Join the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance (CSPA) for a free virtual workshop where leading Canadian experts will discuss the relationship between skin conditions and mental well-being, share evidence-based coping strategies, and explore ways to build resilience. This event will take place on Wednesday, October 14, 6:30–8:00 p.m. EST. Save your spot today and register here.

Coffee for CAPA is back! In partnership with Sparkplug Coffee, you can support people living with arthritis just by enjoying your daily coffee — every purchase helps fund patient-led programs. Stay tuned for more information about this fundraiser! ☕️

Useful Resources

Looking for a quick overview of some of CAPA’s recent webinars? Check out our YouTube Shorts featuring key takeaways from our recent webinars on navigating the healthcare system, drug shortages, and getting on a biologic. These short videos highlight practical insights and important discussion points from our expert speakers and people living with arthritis. Visit our YouTube Shorts channel to watch!

It’s Arthritis Awareness Month! At CAPA, we’re celebrating by highlighting some of our exciting initiatives happening this month — from the Finding Joy project and our Move Well, Live Well peer movement program to upcoming webinars on vaccines and inflammatory arthritis. We invite you to explore these opportunities and find a way to get involved!

Heading back to school while living with arthritis can come with its own set of challenges. Check out CAPA’s resources for Youth and Young Adults with Rheumatic Disease to help make the transition back to school a little smoother.

Stay connected with CAPA for the latest resources, events, and opportunities to get involved. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to keep up with what’s new — and feel free to share with others who may benefit.

Donate to CAPA

CAPA is a small, grassroots organization that is supported by volunteers that live with arthritis. We keep patients, or people that live with arthritis, at the centre of all that we do. We welcome donations and support from people and organizations who can help us deliver on our mission and strategic priorities. Please click here to learn more about how CAPA works, our partnerships and our funding.

We accept donations through our Zeffy platform for both recurring and one-time donations. Small, monthly contributions add up to make a huge difference!