The Emirates Arthritis Foundation and The Shelter teamed up to create a Patient Pamper day on Saturday, 26th of June for patients of the EAF. Over 50 patients attended the event in order to pamper themselves for a few hours. These mini events are crucial for Emirates Arthritis patients in order for them to integrate with one another and raise awareness in our community.
The Al Biraa Arthritis & Bone Centre is the first arthritis clinic in the region to specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of joint diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, and lupus); bone diseases (osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency); and muscle diseases (fibromyalgia and repetitive stress syndrome). Along with their expert advice, The Pamper afternoon included Skin Consultations from Kaya Skin Clinic, Polish Changes from Nbar, Demonstrations from Hayley Cutler-Yoga Instructor, A Biotheripist, massages from Natural Healing Wellness Spa and some yummy pineapple cupcakes complements of Sweet Stuff. There was also a "chill out zone" for the kids where they watched dvds and entertained themselves.
Arthritis is a chronic condition and one we have to deal with on a daily basis. The Patient Pamper day was a great way to forget about the pain for a few hours and feel good about ourselves, said Katrina Thornly, Patient Support Director of the Emirates Arthritis Foundation, and it would not have been possible without the generous time and efforts of all our sponsors that attended and the hospitality provided by The Shelter. It is comforting to see the compassion in people and we hope to make this a regular event.
EAF is a non-profit organisation that contributes to the welfare of the entire region by providing an extensive range of events and programs to support arthritis patients. In addition, their regional outreach initiatives comprise of a variety of recreational programmes, drawing upon support from the healthcare community. Their code of ethics at the Emirates Arthritis Foundation is based upon promoting ideals of corporate fairness, transparency and accountability, in order to remain a trusted community body and further the knowledge and treatment of arthritis.
ARTHRITIS: The word means inflammation of the joints, but it is used as a general term which acknowledges that something is wrong with the bodys musculoskeletal system. Diagnosis of the exact disease among the over 200 or so different types of arthritis is often difficult and may take some time.
Arthritis affects children as well as adults. Around 12,000 children have arthritis; 27,000 under 25.
1 in 5 people worldwide suffer from Arthritis and the average age is 43
60% of suffers in the UAE are Arab local. This disease is very understated in the UAE due to lack of education on the subject.