Hospital collaboration at it best

Jalyn is treated successfully at Warren Hospital
“The Rheumatology team have made a big difference to our family and Jayln. He has been treated so well by all of the team and they have gone above and beyond especially looping in with our local nurse Tina to help with his treatment,” said Rebecca, Jalyn’s Mum. Jayln had a sore foot. After a…
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JAFA Online Symposium

Logo for JAFA
  Critical Issues in Juvenile Arthritis: Advances in Treatment & Research, Managing Pain, Uveitis UPDATE JAFA Online Symposium Sunday 11 October  7pm to 9pm (Sydney / Melbourne) Program 7:00pm  Welcome and Introduction Convenor:  Ruth Colgiuri 7:05pm  A Word from the JAFA Board on World Arthritis Day 7:15pm  Advances in Treatment and Research “Armchair…
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JAFA eSymposium –

The Juvenile Arthritis Foundation of Australia (JAFA) organised a symposium for families of children with rheumatologic conditions.  A panel of paediatric rheumatology clinicians tackled some of the common issues/topics of parental concern.  The JAFA Board have kindly shared the recording of the symposium with PRN. The topics discussed were: Demystifying Methotrexate – Dr Ben…
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Connecting Families – JAFA

Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia – JAFA “JAFA is the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia. It’s a BRAND new, not-for- profit organisation, formed to provide a voice dedicated exclusively to the needs of children and young people with juvenile arthritis and childhood rheumatic diseases and their families.” JAFA refers to diseases such as JIA, JRA,…
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Getting the best out of a backpack

Paediatric Rheumatology Network is supported by The Sydney Children's Hospital Network. Photo by Omar Roque on Unsplash, pictures a young woman carrying a grey backpack
Excessive and uneven distribution of load can lead to poor posture and pain, especially in the back and shoulders, says Debra Grech, Physiotherapist at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Here are some tips on choosing the correct pack for your child. * Backpacks with wide, contoured shoulder straps are best. Avoid those with narrow webbed straps.
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How does Occupational Therapy help?

Occupational therapists provide support for daily task for kids with arthritic diseases.
Occupational Therapists help children and young people to participate in activities that they need to do every day at home and school. Occupational Therapists — sometimes referred to OTs — can do an assessment with you and your parents to work out which daily activities you find difficult and make a plan with you…
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It started in my knee!

Camp Footloose, an annual camp for young people with arthritis has just wrapped up.  The camp provides an opportunity for kids from 9 to 18 yrs to have fun, meet other kids with arthritis and challenge themselves in a safe and supportive environment. “It started in my knee” Older…
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Hydrotherapy for children. What’s it all about?

Hydrotherapy for children. Paediatric Rheumatology Network, Sydney Children's Hospital Network. Photo by Frank McKenna on Unsplash
Hydrotherapy is a form of physiotherapy that uses the body’s natural buoyancy, warmth and the water’s resistance to bring about therapeutic effects. In children with rheumatologic conditions, hydrotherapy can alleviate symptoms associated with juvenile arthritis, juvenile dermatomyositis and other inflammatory conditions.
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Joint injections

Many children benefit from steroid injections into inflammed joints. Paedriatic Rheumatology Network. Photo courtesy of Eddie Kopp via Unsplash.
Some children with rheumatologic problems such as JIA require injections of steroid into the joint. It’s usually effective because it does three things at once: treats the inflammation, decreases the damage to the joint and provides pain relief. The medical term for a joint injection is intra-articular injection. The procedure involves inserting a needle into…
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Save the date: conference on kids arthritis planned

In August 2018, the first conference in Australia about Kids with Arthritis will be held in Queensland. The conference is being organised by Queensland Rheumatology and the Zoe’s Angels — a fundraising organisation for children with arthritis — in conjunction with Arthritis Australia and Arthritis Queensland. The aim of the conference is to educate and…
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