Volunteering - A Win-Win For You and Your Community

Question: What activity can you take on that doesn’t cost anything, improves your health, gives you a feeling of empowerment, helps your community and has the potential to find cures for diseases? Answer: Volunteering.


I have previously written about strategies for coping with arthritis pain. One of those key strategies is getting involved with charitable work. I have been an advocate and fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation because I have arthritis and have a vested interest in seeing the Foundation succeed. Over the last 15 years I have seen how my involvement has impacted my physical well-being and my state of mind. I have seen it have a positive impact on countless others as well.

Win #1 – Volunteering Helps You Feel Better

A recent study published by UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch indicated that more than 68% of people who volunteered in the past year said that volunteering made them feel physically healthier, and 29% of volunteers who suffer from a chronic condition say that volunteering has helped them manage their chronic illness. 73% of volunteers indicated that volunteering has lowered their stress levels.

Win#2 – Volunteering Helps You Connect with Others

Meeting and working with others who share a common interest or a similar physical challenge can be a truly enriching experience. The contacts you make will provide support, friendship and a shared sense of purpose.

Win#3 – Volunteering Helps Your Community

While you get a number of positive impacts that volunteering provides, so does the organization you are volunteering for. The enthusiasm that you can bring to an organization has a large impact on their bottom line, and that has an impact on the programs they provide in your community and research dollars they can provide to find treatments and cures. Over the long run your investment of time and energy can help others lead happier and healthier lives.

The best part of volunteering is that it can be done in your community and around your schedule. If you live in an area that doesn’t have an organization dedicated to a cause you are interested in, you can choose something else like a homeless shelter, a rescue mission, or a more general organization like the Kiwanis club which supports a variety of causes. Think about matching your personality and interests with the needs of an organization.

If you’re not sure where to look for an organization, start with the Internet. If you have a physical condition that has an associated non-profit organization, they should be easy to find. Also, http://www.volunteermatch.org/ is a great site where you can enter your zip code along with keywords describing the type of volunteering opportunity you are looking for, and then you can browse through different volunteer need links.

Going back to the survey results – 92% of volunteers agree that volunteering enriches their sense of purpose in life. So what are you waiting for? It’s a win-win for you and your community!

Safety Tips for Your Wheelchair or Scooter

Wheelchairs and scooters are great devices for staying mobile and leading an independent life. But across the U.S. there are thousands of injuries each year related to wheelchairs or scooters. Most of these injuries are caused by tips and falls, but other factors also contribute to these injuries, including uneven terrain or lack of appropriate home modifications, lack of proper equipment such as seatbelts/restraints and anti-tip devices, and inadequate maintenance of wheelchairs/scooters.

 

Here are a few safety tips to help you avoid becoming part of the injury statistics:

• Be smart! When operating your chair or scooter, always assume that no one sees you, whether on a sidewalk, street, or in a building
• If you are unsure that you can navigate the terrain in front of you, look for another way. Uneven terrain, steep inclines and declines, can pose problems. If you are with someone who is walking, have them scout out unfamiliar places before you
• Make sure that you are visible – especially in low light situations. Wear high visibility clothing, make sure your chair has reflective tape, and attach a bright, tall flag to your wheelchair or scooter
• Make sure your chair or scooter has the proper safety equipment – including seat belts and anti-tip devices
• When you are stopped, always use brakes or wheel locks to prevent movement
• Maintain your chair on a regular basis – if you have air-filled tires, make sure they are properly filled with air. Inspect your wheel locks, tires and caster bearings for wear. Check your brakes on a regular basis. If you don’t have a maintenance-free battery, check the fluid levels in each of the cells. If something needs replacing – replace it
• Make sure your home is able to support a chair or scooter. Home modifications can be extensive or may just involve moving the furniture around to provide easier access. You should have ramps even on small doorway thresholds
• If you travel, always state you are a disabled traveler when booking your travel plans. It’s better to know up front if hotels, airlines, taxis, etc. are able to accommodate you
• Never have someone tilt you back in your chair and push you down the steps one step at a time – get a ramp!
• Have a plan in the event of an accident. Are you with someone who can help? Do you have a cell phone handy? Do you have emergency phone numbers already programmed into your cell phone?

Partner up with a loved one, friend, or caregiver to help you practice these safety tips, and be safe out there!

5 Key Strategies for Coping with Arthritis Pain

Just as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, so is pain. When it comes to arthritis, pain is a part of everyday life, but it’s also different for each person. How someone with arthritis copes with that pain can make the difference between an active, happy life, and one filled with dread at the thought of getting up out of bed in the morning.

I am one of the 46 million Americans who suffer from arthritis. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 17 and have it in all of my major joints. Like many others, I am in constant pain, but I have refused to let it rule my life. Over the years I have learned a few key strategies for coping with pain which has allowed me to live my life to the fullest.

1. Get moving every day

Maybe it sounds counter-intuitive when you are in pain, but exercising, even if it’s only walking, is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Exercise reduces joint pain and stiffness and increases flexibility. It can also reduce stress and improve sleep – which both help you to feel better. It’s no coincidence that a key slogan of the Arthritis Foundation is “Let’s move together.” How do you start?

• Talk to your doctor to get recommendations on the best exercises to help you. Don’t risk injuring yourself by trying things your body may not be able to handle
• Commit to moving every day. Sometimes you won’t feel like it, but even 10 minutes of walking will feel good, and once you hit the 10 minute mark you will probably want to keep going
• Get support from friends and family. They can be a source of encouragement and can exercise with you 

2. Find the treatment that works for you

Over the years, the number of treatments available for people with arthritis has dramatically increased. There are a number of new drugs, and the options for joint replacements continue to get more sophisticated and less invasive with shorter recovery times. Don’t just assume that because there is no cure for arthritis it means that there are no medical options available to help you manage the pain. The keys are to:

• See your doctor regularly
• Communicate in detail about how you are feeling, especially if your pain has changed in any way
• Ask lots of questions about available treatment options, particularly if you don’t believe your current treatment is effective
  

3. Have a positive outlook

Arthritis is a chronic condition, and until there is a cure, it’s going to always be there once you have it. You can either deal with it or complain. If you choose to deal with it using a strong positive attitude all the time, you will feel better. You can have the best doctor, the best medicine, good exercise and diet, but without a positive attitude, those other things won’t help you fully manage your pain. It’s easy to say, but harder to do. Here are a few ideas for developing a more positive outlook:

• Focus on what you can do – not what you can’t do. I was an avid skier and golfer when I was younger, and had to give up those sports because of my arthritis. Instead of dwelling on what I’ve lost, I choose to focus on all of the things I can do, like working on my car, working on projects around the house, or walking around the neighborhood
• Be grateful. Regardless of your specific situation, there is always something to be grateful for, whether it’s for your family, your friends, your home, or other aspects of your life. You can either be depressed that you have trouble doing something like bending and touching your toes, or grateful that you can walk
• Recognize that you are in control of your own destiny. Don’t be a victim to pain – use the recommendations in this article to take control and manage your pain. When you feel like you are playing an important role in affecting how you feel, it’s much easier to stay positive
  

4. Find products that make daily tasks easier

I admit that sometimes it’s challenging to keep a positive outlook when it seems that at every turn, doing the simplest things can be a challenge. Why spend time being frustrated when there are many inexpensive self-help products on the market that can help you with your daily tasks. Keep reachers handy if you have trouble bending. You can get a sock aid to make the process of putting on socks or nylons easy. There are literally thousands of products on the market designed specifically to help people with pain or limited mobility.

5. Get involved

With so many millions of people suffering from arthritis, there is a great need for increasing awareness about the disease and raising money for support programs and research. Did you know that more than 300,000 children have arthritis? How about that there are more than 100 different forms of arthritis?

Getting involved by volunteering and fundraising is one way to feel less like a victim of the disease and more empowered. You will also meet some wonderful people who can relate to what you are going through and provide invaluable support. The Arthritis Foundation is the main non-profit organization related to arthritis in the US and is always looking for enthusiastic advocates, volunteers and fundraisers, and they have offices all around the country. Various studies have also shown that volunteering can have many positive impacts on your health, including preventing depression, reducing the chance of some illnesses, and even extending your life!

Set a goal for yourself to start implementing these strategies, and start feeling better!