Tag Archives: arthritis support

arthritis champions scholarship

The Arthritis Champions Scholarship is OPEN!

The Arthritis Foundation is proud to announce that the 2020-2021Arthritis Champions Scholarship application process is open! The Arthritis Champions Scholarship is generously funded by Dr. & Mrs. Walter J. Winterhoff and Dr. Smriti Bardhan.

The scholarship is awarded annually to deserving students with arthritis or a related rheumatic disease who:

  • Impact the arthritis community, serving as positive role models and leaders
  • Live their best life, while empowering others to do the same

Since 2010 the Arthritis Champions Scholarship has supported 42 college students, granting $500,000 altogether in scholarship awards. Nearly 800 applications have been received since expanding to a nationwide program three years ago. Each eligible application is anonymously reviewed by leadership volunteers across the country. Applications include essays covering challenges and accomplishments despite arthritis, future goals and arthritis community involvement and impact. Students awarded an Arthritis Champions Scholarship not only strive to live their best life despite arthritis, but also empower others who share similar experiences.

Eligible Scholarship Applicants:

  • Have doctor-diagnosed arthritis or a related rheumatic disease
  • Have and maintain a 2.5 or higher GPA (unweighted)
  • Are a United States citizen or legal and permanent resident of the U.S.
  • Have been accepted to an accredited undergraduate program, graduate program or medical school in the U.S.
  • Are enrolled full-time each semester
  • Are an engaged Arthritis Foundation advocate, fundraiser, participant, volunteer and/or supporter

Not all eligible applicants will be selected as scholarship recipients.

No member of Arthritis Foundation staff, the national board of directors or Arthritis Champions Scholarship committee, or their immediate family, shall be eligible for a scholarship award.

Get additional general scholarship details and the online application here: arthritis.org/scholarship 

If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Ziegler at jziegler@arthritis.org or 470-481-4921.

readers tips information and tools

You Said It: Your Go-To Source of Information

Some days you experience a symptom and wonder if it’s part of your arthritis. Sometimes an arthritis-related question pops into your head. You may not want to wait until your next doctor appointment to ask. So, we asked our readers and followers, “What or who is your go-to source for everyday or spur of the moment arthritis questions?”

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telling your loved ones you have arthritis

How to Share Your Feelings About Arthritis with Loved Ones

If you feel that your friends and family don’t understand how arthritis really affects you, you’re not alone. Not only are arthritis symptoms often invisible, but they can come and go. Some days, you may feel great and energetic; other days, you might be too tired or sore to be active. People who don’t have a chronic condition may not get how different your experience can be from one day to the next, says rheumatologist J. Michael Finley, DO, an associate professor of internal medicine at Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, California.

Use these tips to help friends and family understand what you’re dealing with – and possibly improve your relationships.

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Helping Your Partner Cope with Arthritis

Help Your Partner Cope with Your Arthritis

Does your partner cope with the ups and downs of your arthritis by keeping his or her frustrations and fears on lockdown? Does he or she try to micromanage problems away? Understanding your partner’s coping style can make you both happier and healthier.

Understanding what’s behind your partner’s behavior can be an important step toward a stronger relationship, says Nancy Ruddy, PhD, a clinical psychologist at McCann Health in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
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Support Groups for Arthritis

Support Groups Can Help You Cope With Arthritis

Support groups have been beneficial to many people living with chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Studies show arthritis support groups can improve mood, provide better coping skills, decrease pain and provide relief from negative emotions, such as fear, resentment and hopelessness, according to Vicki Helgeson, PhD, of Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, who has studied the impact of support groups for more than a decade.

However, support groups sometimes get a bad rap because some can become a ceaseless cycle of negativity in which members continuously vent, but do not learn to cope and accept their illness.

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