Deborah Alsina MBE
Chief executive of Arthritis UK
Living with a chronic health condition like arthritis can be challenging any time of the year, but winter can make this especially hard.
British weather is proven to exacerbate symptoms, and we naturally spend more time indoors, which can add to a sense of isolation.
It’s so important not to feel alone.
Arthritis UK is a community of people who understand the fluctuating symptoms, fatigue and pain that can come with arthritis.
we have a long way to go to help people with arthritis live the lives they choose.
Long legacy of providing support to people living with arthritis
If you haven’t come across us before, I’d encourage you to take a look. We have a legacy stretching back almost 90 years and are behind some of the greatest advances in arthritis treatment, including anti-TNF medications. We’re now the largest dedicated funder of arthritis research.
But we’re also support groups, a helpline to offer advice and an understanding ear and campaigners working to get the recognition arthritis deserves in health policies across all four nations.
We’re also trying to get the nation talking about arthritis to break the stigma. Last month, we published a report Left Waiting, Left Behind, which included the findings of a survey of almost 8,000 people living with arthritis. It showed we have a long way to go to help people with arthritis live the lives they choose. This was particularly apparent in responses from younger people. Seven in ten (71%) younger adults felt other people didn’t understand the impact arthritis has on their lives. To this end, we recently joined forces with TikTok to create a new dance challenge The Arthur Tut, which combines physio moves in a fun way to manage pain as more people move online for health advice. We hope it will begin to tackle the stigma young people face by changing the way people see arthritis — it’s a disease that can affect anyone at any time of life, and not an inevitable part of ageing.
