5. What Do we Do? Supporting People living with Arthritis Finding a Cure Voice of Rheumatology in Ireland
6.
7.
8.
9. Consumer’s Role OLD NEW Defer to Providers Authority Share Responsibility for own Health Be Passive Be Active. Self-manage health & condition Share History, when asked Share goals, history, values, beliefs and preferences. Be Assertive Learn about condition from provider Learn from provider, inform self. Access reliable information Don’t worry about medications (it’s all in the medicine cabinet) Share responsibility for keeping medication list up to date Respond to provider questions about progress during clinical visits Keep track of own progress between visists, share duirng visits
As in the previous two surveys, respondents were asked whether they have personally experienced any of a list of eleven serious conditions, in addition to ‘other mental illness’ and ‘other serious illness’… When the study initially commenced in 2005 about 36% of the adult population indicated that they suffered from one of these conditions. Of those surveyed in the current study in 2008 the level experiencing any of these conditions has risen to 40%. *It is worth pointing out that the adult population has risen between 2005 and 2008, so we have gone from just under 1.2 million claiming experience of one of these conditions to almost 1.4 million over the 3 year period. * Heart disease and osteoporosis incidences notably up, off admittedly low bases. MEN Men are marginally less likely to report experience of any serious illness but the increase in claims over the past three years has been greater. The incidence of illness has risen from 30% to 38% of men over 3 years.