Arthritis ACT e-news. Arthritis of the Foot Presented by Dr Phil Aubin. Please book via Or

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1 1 Issue 7, September 2018 From the CEO Dear Members Arthritis ACT e-news I am very excited to let you all know we will be getting an occupational therapist on board in 2 weeks time. Jacqui (the second!) has come to us from the Independent Living Centre and we re really excited to have her joining us. She will be available to help our members and clients out with all aspects of helping the activities of daily living work better for you, whether it s having a look at modifications for your home, taking you out to try out equipment that might help you help yourself and/or mobilise better, or finding a general fix that just makes life easier. In particular, Jacqui will be able to prepare NDIS reviews for you. In the Arthritis world in particular, we are finding a good OT functional review is critical to gaining (and sometimes maintaining) access to the NDIS. Other exciting news is that Jacqui the first has completed the G:lad course which enables her to provide a holistic program to improve knee and hip osteoarthritis. The course includes education sessions, which we will be opening up to all members to attend the first session free of charge, and then a prescribed exercise program. As part of the program you can also elect to be part of the ongoing G:lad research program which is run through La Trobe University. You can improve your health and pain AND contribute to research! Further details are in this newsletter. Finally, a plug for Erica, our dietitian. A bit over a month ago I came into work and said enough I had slowly put on weight over a number of years, my pain was getting out of control, and I felt yuck. Well Erica has sorted me out. I have to say I ve never really dieted, so this was a complete change for me, but with a weight loss of 10% of my original body weight, my pain is almost gone. It s been hard work, but it s worth it not to be popping pills all the time, and not being grumpy and sluggish! Can you afford not to try? Contact us Visit us: 170 Haydon Dve Bruce ACT 2617 Office hours: 9am -3pm Monday - Friday Post: PO Box 908, Belconnen ACT 2616 Phone: Info@arthritisact.org.au Website: Click here Remember our next presentation from Orthopaedics ACT will be Thursday 27 September at 6:15pm Arthritis of the Foot Presented by Dr Phil Aubin Please book via info@arthritisact.org.au Or Rebecca Davey

2 UCH Pool Sessions Please remember to book for UCH Pool Sessions held at 0700 on weekday mornings and 1800 on weekday nights. Nursing staff will no longer allow us entrance to the pool unless there are 3 people present for a session. If we do not have enough bookings we will be cancelling the session. This may mean you turn up to an early session and find no one is there! Evening sessions are not so closely watched, however if you cannot make the session you have booked in for please let us know either by phoning before 3pm or text or call Rebecca on , or Rebecca rebecca@arthritisact.org.au if plans change later than 3pm. This will ensure a supervisor is present at the pool if you are coming but will also mean a supervisor does not have to venture out if no one is coming! This pool is beautiful especially first thing in the morning! Why not give it a try? 2

3 3 Welcome Jacqui Luff Occupational Therapist What is Occupational Therapy?Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent or live better with injury, illness, or disability. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include: an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person s goals, customized intervention to improve the person s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team. It is an evidence-based practice deeply rooted in science Jacqui will be available for home visits, to meet you at places such as the Independent Living Centre, or whatever you need. She will be able to assist people with pre NDIS functional reviews, to assist you gaining new skills that make your life better, and to assist you in getting your home more functional for your needs. Please contact us on or info@arthritisact.org.au to make an appointment. Jacqui will be starting work on the week of 17 September.

4 4 canberratimes.com.au The osteoarthritis treatment 'fads' that don't work, GP guidelines Kate Aubusson 5-6 minutes GPs have rubbished popular and "fad" treatments for osteoarthritis (OA), including opioids, acupuncture, glucosamine, stem cell therapy, insoles and surgery in new national guidelines aimed at helping millions of older Australians with the chronic condition. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' (RACGP) new guide for managing hip and knee OA strongly warned against surgeries such as knee arthroscopy, meniscectomy and cartilage repair. RACGP's new guide for managing hip and knee OA strongly warned against surgeries. Released on Wednesday, the guidelines championed no-drug, non-surgical options including weight loss, exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The GP guidelines strongly recommended against using opioids, doxycyline, interleukin-1 inhibitors and stem cell therapies for OA, citing the low or very low quality of evidence supporting their use. Complementary and alternative therapies that "should not be offered" included glucosamine, vitamin D and acupuncture, according to guidelines developed by a working group of rheumatology, orthopaedic surgery, GP, exercise and sports medicine specialists and Medibank clinical advisors. "OA is a really hard and terrible illness for people to have," RACGP president-elect Dr Harry Nespolon said. "The problem is most of the treatments we've got are pretty poor, so naturally people go looking for any treatment that might help. But really they'd be better off spending their money on something else. "Glucosamine is a classic example. People take it year after year but there's no good evidence that it changes the course of OA." Australia's ageing population and rising obesity rates are expected to drive up OA rates to an estimated 3.1 million by per cent of the total population. There were also conditional recommendations against a suite of non-drug treatments including therapeutic ultrasound, shockwave and laser therapies, cold therapy. Other products given the conditional thumbs down - indicating uncertainty over harm versus benefit of a treatment due to low or very low-quality evidence - included footwear marketed to OA sufferers, bisphosphonates, anti-nerve growth factor and omega 3 fatty acids. OA is a really hard and terrible illness for people to have.

5 A lack of high-quality evidence meant the college could make no recommendations for a range of other products, including shock-absorbing insoles, arch supports, electromagnetic or shortwave therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory creams, collagen, avocado, soybean, turmeric and pine bark extract. "Turmeric is all the rage... the latest fad,"dr Nespolon said. Sydney Orthopaedic surgeon Professor Ian Harris agreed the treatments were "a waste of money". "None of those are useful at all," he said. The guidelines also took aim at unnecessary and costly imaging, stipulating ultrasound, MRI and CT scans are not needed to diagnose OA and can lead to harmful interventions. The College s strong anti-surgery stance for OA -unless patients show signs of locked knee - supports recommendations from Australia s peak body for rheumatologists warning doctors against arthroscopic knee surgery for patients with OA, especially if they were over 55 years old. A growing body of evidence suggests these surgeries are at best placebo and at worst put patients at risk of serious complications. The new guidelines instead recommended regular exercise and managing weight to relieve pain and improve function for people with OA. RACGP president-elect Dr Harry Nespolon. Overweight or obese patients should aim to lose a minimum of per cent of their body weight, according to the guidelines endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council. It also strongly recommended muscle strengthening exercises including walking, Tai Chi, as well as stationary cycling and hatha yoga. Dr Nespolon said every patient needed to be assessed as individuals but exercise was the new treatment "frontrunner ahead of invasive surgeries and medications p5009f.html 5 Erica, our Dietitian, has started up a separate Facebook page where she shares information and tips about diet and pain management and also yummy recipes and food. If you are interested in keeping up with what Erica is doing, click here and like the page

6 Education session one will be held on Oct 15. This session will be free to members and $40 for non-members. This will provide you with information about the program and the relevant costs. Bookings are essential. 6

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8 8 Community talks from Orthopaedics ACT The team at Orthopaedics ACT have kindly put together a series of talks for our community. Please book with us ( info@arthritisact.org.au or phone ). All talks are free and will be held at Orthopaedics ACT in Phillip unless we inform you otherwise Thu 27 Sep 18 OACT Kitchen 6:15pm Dr Phil Aubin Arthritis of the Foot Tue 23 Oct 18 OACT Kitchen 6:15pm Dr Policinski Arthritis of the Shoulder Tue 6 Nov 18 OACT Kitchen 6:15pm Prof Smith Arthritis of the Hip STEPPING ON ACT Government Health Directorate conducts a 7 week program for older adults to help identify and address their falls risk. Topics include exercise, home hazards, community safety, nutrition, medication, foot care and vision. The next program will commence on October 18 th 10:30 to Living Centre Weston Bookings are essential. To Register or Enquire call Falls Prevention on

9 9 Student Allied Health Assistant Nutrition and Dietetics For the Month of September Arthritis ACT will be hosting a student Allied Health assistant specialising in the areas of Nutrition and Dietetics. We will be offering discounted one-on-one consultations to have your diet reviewed. Consultations would suit those that: Would you like to know if their diet is the best it could be? If they are eating to lower inflammation? If they are eating according to the latest evidenced based guidelines? Would like information and education on weight loss All consultations would be fully overseen by the resident APD Student Block is from Monday 3rd of September through to Wednesday 3rd of October. Consultations are available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with bookings essential. To make a booking please contact Arthritis ACT on info@arthritisact.org.au or Costs for consultations are $20 for members and $30 non-members. Small Group Exercise Classes Small group classes are perfect for those with lots of pain, reduced mobility or people who just prefer a bit more quiet. These classes are held on Monday afternoon s at SHOUT in Pearce, and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at Bruce. Classes are for no more than 4 persons, and are tailored to the individual s needs. They include individual goal setting and are perfect for individual s utilizing NDIS packages. Classes will be rebateable through private health insurance. If you would like to know more about these classes please contact sophie@arthritisact.org.au or phone Individual sessions with Sophie are also available now! If you have a primary health care plan (sometimes referred to as a chronic disease plan or enhanced primary care plan) from your GP and it includes Exercise Physiology you can access the medicare rebate to pay for these sessions. NDIS and Private Health Insurance holders may also be able to utilize this service.

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