CArE believes that understanding your diagnosis is key to its successful management.. Our team offers a number of group education and exercise sessions that provide you with information and practical tools to help to understand and control symptoms of your chronic disease. Your doctor or health care provider might recommend that you participate in one of the following treatment sessions. We treat these sessions as an integral part of the management of a rheumatological/musculoskeletal condition and emphasize the importance of active participation and attendance.

Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis used to describe a collection of symptoms including chronic and widespread body pain, stiffness and fatigue. The exact causes of this disease are not yet well understood, but we do know that lifestyle changes and education are  essential tools to manage its symptoms. The CArE Fibromyalgia education sessions include information about medications, healthy eating and sleep, managing stress, conserving energy and managing thinking changes associated with fibromyalgia. These education sessions may be offered in person or virtually depending on the time of year.  If you have a new diagnosis of fibromyalgia and are interested in attending our education sessions, please ask your primary care provider to complete a referral and our team will be in touch with you!

Education:

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, and is often called “wear and tear arthritis”. It is often associated with aging, and may be found in one joint or in multiple joints. Medications can help to manage the pain associated with osteoarthritis but cannot reverse damage to the joint. Because of this, exercise and stretching, protecting painful joints, and a healthy diet that helps to promote a healthy weight are important strategies to manage symptoms. CArE Osteoarthritis education sessions focus on all of these potential treatments to allow participants to remain active despite the pain that may be associated with osteoarthritis.

Exercise:

Our CArE team is happy to be able to offer exercise classes specifically targeting those with hip and knee osteoarthritis. In conjunction with GLA:D Canada, our physiotherapy team facilitates this evidence-based approach to exercise, which incorporates a warm-up, circuit training, and cool down. It is a series of 12 1-hour sessions run over a 6-week period. This class takes place in person in our exercise gym, and as a result, space is limited. Participants must complete the 2-session Osteoarthritis Education Program prior to participating in our CArE/GLA:D exercise program. Our team of CArE allied health professionals and rheumatologists will help to identify who is appropriate to participate in this program.

Education:

A diagnosis of osteoporosis often occurs in the wake of a fragility fracture. Due to the lack of overt symptomology associated with a diagnosis of osteoporosis, medication compliance is often inadequate for lasting disease management. Appropriate medication use combined with relevant changes to nutrition and exercise habits can profoundly impact the successful management of an osteoporosis diagnosis. Education and collaboration with each individual is essential for optimal osteoporosis management.

Exercise:

Our CArE team is happy to augment the learning that occurs in our Osteoporosis Education Sessions with a Posture and Balance Class. This class is closely supervised by our physiotherapists, and is ideal for individuals with a diagnosis of osteoporosis, and concerns about balance changes or falls. Exercise programming has been developed referencing guidelines from BoneFit Canada. Our team of CArE allied health professionals and rheumatologists will help to identify who is appropriate to participate in this program.

Inflammatory arthritis classes provide in-depth education and treatment sessions for individuals with a myriad of diagnoses under the inflammatory arthritis umbrella including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, anklosying spondylitis and many others. These sessions focus on education about auto-immune illnesses and the numerous pharmacological agents used to treat these conditions. In addition, there is specific focus on the systemic nature of these diagnoses, and the importance of a variety of lifestyle factors on symptom control and management. We focus on early intervention to avoid complications and damage associated with prolonged inflammation, which has been well-supported in the literature.

CArE team members are able to provide individualized assessment and treatment sessions in addition to the group treatment sessions described above. Our clinicians are able to provide discipline-specific one on one interventions to address any concerns including those related to medications, pain and symptom management, joint protection, nutrition, exercise, or social support. We are also able to offer splinting and exercise prescription on a case-by-case basis.