Lifestylekg

 The ways in which RA affects society include reduced workforce participation, increased costs of managing the condition, and increased impacts on carers. In 2008-09, the estimated total direct health expenditure on RA was $318.7 million, a substantial share of it being accounted for by prescription medicines ($273.6 million or 86% of the total). Currently, there are no national statistics on the indirect cost of managing RA, such as productivity loss and costs for carers. Reference: AIHW 2013 . A snapshot of rheumatoid arthritis. AIHW bulletin 116. Cat. no. AUS 171. Canberra: AIHW. Drew Dwyer is a Principal Consultant for Frontline Care Solutions, aged care training specialists. Frontline Care Solutions are members of Australian College of Nursing (ACN), are an Approved Provider of Education Courses in Nursing (APEC) and conduct evidenced-based research through the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). All workers in the aged care sector need to remain vigilant to the fact that pain in...

 At our training events, our clinical team are repeatedly questioned regarding rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in the elderly, and the need to validate these as complex pain assessment and management conditions. There is always the need to validate when applying for funding, and we provide here a summary of a paper recently published in the Government's AIHW bulletin. The facts in the document clearly stand to validate that this issue is a complex pain and lifestyle issue with many elderly. As a nurse your clinical assessments on pain and the management strategy you employ should be vigorously defended using this brief if needed. SUMMARY Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, one where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, and thus differs from osteoarthritis which is characterised by wear-and-tear of joints. Joints bear the brunt of auto-immunity in rheumatoid arthritis, the hallmark of the condition being painful swelling and stiffness in the jo...