Arthritis affects one in six people in the UK
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Oct 2019 Health Conditions
Think of the people in your life: mum, dad, friends, colleagues… How many do you think have arthritis? How many talk about it? It’s the pain in the knees as you walk down the stairs, or in your fingers as you try and hold a spoon or to stir your tea. You can ignore it to a point but then it starts to affect your daily life. What do you do then?
Arthritis can affect people of any age. In fact, around 15,000 children and young people in the UK have arthritis . Traditional treatment extends to painkillers that deal with the effects, but they don’t address the causes. Arthritis Action (formerly the Arthritic Association) was founded in 1942 by Charles de Coti-Marsh, who developed a self-help programme based on a combination of diet and therapy.
Now, nearly 80 years later, we are continuing our tradition of helping people with arthritis enjoy a more active life with less pain. We are the only UK charity that gives hands-on, practical help – offering healthy eating and nutritional advice, access to clinical appointments with our network of osteopaths, physiotherapists and acupuncturists, exercise tips and pain management techniques.
"Both my parents have arthritis, so I know first-hand that the support we offer people is quite invaluable"
Although over 10 million people have arthritis in the UK, we know that everyone is unique in the way they manage their symptoms. This is why we tailor our selfmanagement approach to meet individual needs.
“Owing to my family history of arthritis, I was heading for a lot of pain and little else to relieve it, but since I joined up with Arthritis Action the positive attitude of people does give you expectations around being able to manage, and hopefully hold back the relentless progress of thiscondition via exercise and dietary control.”
JOHN PENNY, ARTHRITIS PATIENT AND MEMBER OF ARTHRITIS ACTION
“Both my parents have arthritis, so I know first-hand that the support we offer people is quite invaluable.”
NOHA AL AFIFI, DIRECTOR OR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS AT ARTHRITIS ACTION
“There isn’t a magic wand to cure arthritis, so it is so important to have a positive determined mind set in making your life as active and as interesting as possible, however hard this may be. It is very comforting to know Arthritis Action are there to help and advise when you need it. Their support is what’s needed to keep your body and mind stimulated as much as possible.”
DENISE GILDREN, ARTRITIS PATIENT AND MEMBER OF ARTHRITIS ACTION
The legacy our supporters choose to give is one of hope, empowerment, knowledge and choice – to try new things that fall outof their comfort zone and make the most of the time they have, despite the pain. It is difficult to see loved ones in pain - the gifts in Wills we receive allow us to give people the tools to lead positive lives.
That is our tradition and our hope for the future.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit our legacies page on our website or email iza@arthritisaction.org.uk
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