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Arthritis Self-Help Course

A Good Idea

This practice has been Archived and is no longer maintained.

Description

The Arthritis Self-Help Course (ASHC) targets people of any age who are suffering from the pain of arthritis and helps them to improve their quality of life. Arthritis Self-Help classes are held locally in the community in areas with the most demand. Participants are taught pain management skills including the three steps of exercise, distraction or relaxation techniques, and planning future goals. The six-course program is taught to small groups of 10 to 15 participants.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this course is to help participants with arthritis manage their pain so that they can exercise more, take less arthritis medication, and move with ease.

Results / Accomplishments

Since January 2003, the Pasco County Health Department has empowered over 230 participants from the community who suffer from arthritis. Eighty-five percent of participants have completed the entire six-week course. One hundred percent of returned surveys indicated that participants learned the strategies, used the strategies after the class, and now take less pain medication. Attitude towards the class was favorable, and 100 percent of the class said they would refer the course to others.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Pasco County Health Department
Primary Contact
10841 Little Road
New Port Richey, FL 34654
(727) 869-3900
megan_carmichael@doh.state.fl.us
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/chdpasco/default.html
Topics
Health / Other Conditions
Health / Older Adults
Organization(s)
Pasco County Health Department
Source
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Date of publication
2005
Date of implementation
Jan 2003
Location
Pasco County, FL
For more details
http://www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/databa...
Target Audience
Older Adults
Additional Audience
Arthritis Sufferers

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Related Content for: Arthritis Self-Help Course

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.