September 2022 Pain BC Newsletter |
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Register now for Putting the Pieces Together: A conference for and by people with pain
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During National Pain Awareness Week, Pain Canada is hosting Putting the Pieces Together: A conference for and by people with pain. The first-of-its kind virtual conference is free to attend and takes place from November 7-10, 2022.
Among other topics relevant to people living with pain, the event will include sessions focused on pain and equity, disability rights, a workshop on better describing your pain to clinicians, federal efforts to improve pain care in Canada, and stand-up comedy from comedians living with pain.
The conference is the vision of a steering committee made up entirely of people living with pain, with the aim of connecting and mobilizing a national community to realize the shared goal of a dramatically improved system of care and support for people with pain. They drew inspiration for the conference name from Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. The re-imagined vessel will never return to its original form but, instead, it takes on a new beauty and strength, reinforced by its many connections.
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Pain BC programs, resources and updates |
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Are you interested in an LGBTQ2S-focused Pain Support and Wellness Group?
Take our survey
Are you an LGBTQ2S person with pain who lives in BC? Would you attend an LGBTQ2S-focused Pain Support and Wellness Group? Please take a moment to complete our short, anonymous survey to help us determine the level of interest in Pain BC offering this option in our Pain Support and Wellness Group program.
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Pain Support and Wellness Groups: Fall dates available
Register now
If you live with pain in BC, our support groups are a chance to connect with others, share coping strategies and learn about pain management while building a community. Groups are free to attend and meet online via Zoom videoconferencing. You can also join via phone.
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We are hiring!
Two roles available
We are hiring for two roles to support the work of Pain Canada, our new national action network. Both positions are full-time for four years, with the potential for extension.
The Chronic Pain Network Engagement Lead will be responsible for recruiting people who live with pain to engage with the Chronic Pain Network (CPN) and its initiatives, supporting them through their involvement, and participating in the evaluation of the engagement work. The role will facilitate working groups and co-design opportunities for engagement in the mobilization of research knowledge into practice, policy and other applied contexts.
The PEPR Engagement Lead will be responsible for co-designing, developing, and sustaining a national engagement hub for people with lived experience of pain and other intersecting experiences of inequity. The hub will be informed by community consultations and will be a virtual gathering place for community building and collective action. This position supports the work of the Partnership for the Engagement of Patients in Pain Research (PEPR) project.
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Our supports for people with pain |
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Knowledge is power. Learn to manage pain and improve well-being though our library of evidence-based articles on LivePlanBe or start a customized program on LivePlanBe+. |
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Connect with Pain Support Line staff to talk about your pain, find information on community resources, learn about pain and self-management, and much more. |
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Join an online group and build a community of support while learning about pain, pain management and coping strategies. |
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Receive one-on-one phone support and mentorship from a coach who will help you learn about self-management, regaining function and improving your well-being. |
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Gentle Movement @ Home: Guided movement and relaxation for pain
Gentle Movement @ Home free online videos provide guided movement and relaxation designed to help people with persistent pain learn to feel safe to move again. Topics include breath awareness and regulation, body tension regulation, and movement and relaxation techniques in both seated and standing positions.
The full collection of Gentle Movement @ Home videos are available to view for free via our YouTube channel.
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Upcoming Pain BC and partner workshops, webinars and courses for health care providers |
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Pain Foundations for Allied Health Providers
Pain Foundations for Allied Health Providers is an online course designed for allied health care providers to improve their understanding of chronic pain and how to address the challenges of pain assessment and treatment. This practical, compact course allows learners to develop clinically relevant approaches to chronic pain management and develop a strong grounding in pain science to support further exploration. The course is free for health care providers in BC and offered at a modest cost for providers outside of BC.
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Pain Foundations for Primary Care Providers
This practical, compact course allows physicians and nurse practitioners to develop clinically relevant approaches to chronic pain management, including non-pharmacological treatments and prescribing best practices. Learners will develop a strong grounding in pain science to support further exploration. The course is free for primary care providers in BC and offered at a modest cost for physicians and nurse practitioners outside of BC.
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Gentle Movement and Relaxation course
This free, online course will equip physiotherapists and other therapeutic movement professionals with practical knowledge and teaching resources to lead their own movement and relaxation programs for people living with chronic pain.
The Gentle Movement and Relaxation course is currently available to BC health care providers only.
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Pain BC relies on the generosity of our donors to deliver our programs and services. We gratefully acknowledge that many of our programs and services receive partial financial support from the Province of British Columbia, including Coaching for Health, the Pain Support Line, Pain Support and Wellness Groups, our chronic pain management workshops for health care providers, Gentle Movement and Relaxation course, LivePlanBe, Making Sense of Pain, Pain Foundations, and the Pain Waves podcast. |
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Other programs, opportunities and resources |
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New mobile app gives BC residents access to their health care records all in one place
The Health Gateway app is available for free
Health Gateway is a new, secure app version of the Health Gateway website. You can use the app to easily view prescription medications, lab results, health visits and immunization records. Over time, the app will also provide secure access to diagnostic imaging reports, clinical documents and details on hospital visits, along with other features. The app is available to download for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You will need your BC Services Card app to register and log in.
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SickKids Minding Pain Conference
The event, held November 7-8, 2022, is free for people with lived experience of pain
The SickKids Pain Centre's annual conference this year is during National Pain Awareness Week. This conference is in partnership with the Garry Hurvitz Centre for Brain & Mental Health. The event will present topics such as mental health and pain, knowledge mobilization, health equity, and pain in the developing brain. The conference is free to attend for people living with pain.
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Podcast episode on exercising with rheumatoid arthritis
New podcast episode of "Take a Pain Check"
Hosted by Natasha Trehan, this episode of "Take a Pain Check" interviews Megan Tovar, who lives with rheumatoid arthritis. Megan discusses the difference in transition and rheumatology care in different locations across North America, her experience with arthritis and her impacted joints, lifestyle changes she has implemented, and her career as a fitness trainer.
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Research and engagement opportunities |
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Study: Pain throughout the day
If you live with pain, does it change throughout the day? The CircaPain research team is studying how time of day impacts pain and wants to hear about your experience. This study is open to all adults who have had persistent pain for more than three months. Learn more and take the survey on CircaPain's website: circapain.ca.
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Study: Chronic pain in serving military members, veterans and their children
Chronic pain can run in families. However, many children manage to avoid intergenerational pain. The Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans and the University of Calgary want to better understand how pain can be transferred to children from their parents, and which factors affect this in a veteran/military population. Veterans, serving members and their children will be sent an online survey which will take 30-45 minutes to complete. Participants will each receive a $15 gift card. To learn more, contact the research team at [email protected] or 403-210-7846.
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Mother fights for school bus stop for 4-year-old with arthritis
Jennifer Comeau's daughter's symptoms can flare up in the cold weather despite medication, which is why Comeau wants the school bus to stop in front of their house.
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We Belong! Festival for artists with disabilities
Margaux Wosk founded the We Belong! Festival, a craft fair featuring the works of neurodivergent people and people with disabilities, which was held on August 27 in Vancouver, BC.
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Five tips to become your own chronic illness advocate
It can be an uphill struggle to advocate for yourself with a health care provider. The author of this article shares her suggestions for self-advocacy in a medical setting.
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Opinion: Recovery from addiction is possible
Pain BC ran a pilot program in Squamish called Making Sense of Pain: Street Degree and the author of this article, Nicola, was one of our first graduates. She shares her story.
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© 2022 Pain BC Society. All Rights Reserved.
312 Main St
Vancouver, BC V6A 2T2
Charitable registration number: 83220 0422 RR0001
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