There are nearly 4.6 million Canadians who live with the pain of arthritis every day. They are young and old, from all walks of life. They face more than 100 different forms of this relentless disease. It affects mind and body.
According to a 2010 report by the Arthritis Alliance of Canada entitled The Impact of Arthritis In Canada: Today and Over the Next 30 Years , the total economic burden of arthritis is estimated at an unimaginable $33 billion. With 12% of the workforce in Canada coping with arthritis on the job, it is now the most common cause of disability in Canada. If no changes are made in prevention and care, within the next generation more than 10 million Canadians (one in four) will be living with arthritis.
In response to these staggering statistics, The Arthritis Society is offering more education programs than ever before, with ambitious plans to grow our volunteer base and reach more people suffering from arthritis in rural and remote locations. The wonderful donations from Donate A Care enable us to train more volunteer facilitators to deliver even more programs, such as Chronic Pain Management and the Arthritis Self Management Program, just to name a few.
Until a cure for each form of arthritis is found, people need the support and resources that protect their quality of life. The Society is grateful to Donate a Car Canada for supporting our vision to help people “live well while creating a future without arthritis.”