FRIDAY, 14 OCTOBER, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Places still available on pain self-management course

There are still places available on a free self-management course aiming to improve quality of life for people living with chronic pain. The course is due to start in Forfar on 31 October.

The eight-week course will be delivered by Pain Association Scotland on behalf of the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership.

The course is for anyone living with chronic pain who would like to find out what they can do to self-manage their pain more effectively, regardless of the cause or stage in their chronic pain journey.

You will be invited to an introductory two-and-a-half hour session which can be followed up by a further seven sessions. Previous participants find they get maximum gain from attending the full course.

The course runs once a week for eight weeks and the aim is to improve people’s understanding of pain and give them the skills to better manage their health.

During each two-and-a-half hour session, a range of topics will be discussed including understanding pain and its impact on life, stress management, pacing skills, dealing with pain flare-ups, relaxation skills and understanding medication.

Designed to be very relaxed, the course encourages friendly, interactive participation from members with questions and answer sessions and informal discussion groups. More importantly, it brings together people who are experiencing similar symptoms, giving them the opportunity to hear how others cope with their pain.

Rhona Guild, Primary Care Manager, Angus Health & Social Care Partnership said, “Self-management is an important approach to health that explores the things that you can do to improve the quality of your life despite a painful condition.

“It is not a replacement for medicine and doesn’t provide direct pain relief, however, it helps lots of people to cope better with a difficult situation.

“Improved self-management of their condition can make a difference to people’s lives and these afternoon sessions offer short, intense training in the self-management approach to chronic pain.

“Feedback from others who have completed the course has been very positive. They reported that they coped better with their pain and felt much more positive about their ability to cope when their pain flared up. It has also had a positive impact on their relationships and their general quality of life.”

So if you are aged 18 or over, live in Angus and would like to manage your pain more effectively, then this self-management course may be for you.

For more information and to book a place on the course, please call the Primary Care Team on 01307 474889 or email achppatientcourses.tayside@nhs.net.

Contact:

Gaynyr Dickson

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740716