This year’s Federated Health Charities campaign runs from April 3, 2023, to June 30, 2023. During the campaign, we are highlighting how each of our 21 charities works to improve the health and well-being of people across our province.
The 17th charity in our spotlight is Arthritis Society Canada. Arthritis Society Canada is a national health charity that represents the six million Canadians, living with arthritis today, including two million people in Ontario, as well as the millions more who are at risk for or affected by arthritis.
Arthritis is Canada’s most common chronic disease, affecting 1 in 5 adults, more than half of whom are working people under age 65. The term arthritis refers to a group of over 100 diseases characterized by inflammation in the joints or other areas of the body. These conditions are grouped into two broad categories: osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting more Canadians than all other forms of arthritis combined. OA is a degenerative joint disease that degrades cartilage, changes bone shape and causes inflammation. While OA frequently occurs in older people, developing slowly over time, it is not inevitable – some people never develop OA. OA can affect younger people, too, particularly those who have had a previous joint injury and can develop rapidly, in as little as a couple of years. The joints most commonly affected by OA are the knees, hips, hands and spine.
Inflammatory arthritis (IA) differs from OA in that the damage to the joints is caused by inflammation, rather than the loss of cartilage. Most forms of IA are also autoimmune diseases, including lupus, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Inflammation from these conditions can result in pain, stiffness, restricted mobility, fatigue and damage to joints and other tissues. Untreated, IA tends to progress quickly and aggressively.
In both cases, arthritis symptoms can range from mild to severe. Most people with arthritis experience chronic pain, fatigue, restricted mobility, and lowered mood, which leads to a lower quality of life. People with arthritis can experience chronic, even debilitating pain, and some forms of arthritis can leave people unable to work. There is no cure.
Everything is impacted
“My professional life was a large part of the definition of who I was, and I was forced out of work. The pain, my health was just so severe, I couldn’t keep up with the job,” says Anne-Marie, a client of Arthritis Society Canada. “None of us is happy 100% of the time in what we’re doing, but when it’s taken away and you didn’t have the opportunity to be part of that decision, it’s devastating.”
Without breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of arthritis, the number of people with arthritis in Canada will rise to nine million by 2040, affecting 1 in 4 Canadians, their families and communities. Arthritis Society Canada is fighting arthritis through research, advocacy, innovation, and information and support for people living with or caring for people with arthritis. The society is Canada’s largest charitable funder of arthritis research, investing more than $220 million in research projects since 1948, and has long been a source of educational and innovative programs aimed at helping people affected by arthritis have the best possible quality of life.
Arthritis Society Canada has been a Federated Health Charities member since 1986. The funds raised through the annual Federated Health Charities campaign go to supporting multi-year research and strategic commitments to programs that help people year-over-year.
“I think that we haven’t received as much public attention as the major diseases that are out there, because it’s not terminal, but it’s still hugely important, because of the effect that it’s having on our population,” says Anne-Marie. “I think your dollars are well-spent, treating people who currently have arthritis, and with a significant portion going towards research, which will benefit lives in the future.’
To learn more about Arthritis Society Canada, please visit Arthritis Society Canada.
To make a payroll pledge or donation to support Arthritis Society Canada and Federated Health Charities, please visit Federated Health Charities.