Association - mission & history

Association of People with Rheumatism and their Friends

The association was created in 1993. Its activity covers all area of Poland. Members of this association are of different age not always with arthritis diseases. Groups in Warsaw and in others towns constitute the structure of the association. Each group is allowed to undertaken their own activities responding to the members' needs. To learn positive attitude to life, to accept the disease and develop hope and faith in living with the disabilities - are the main aims of the association. The important goal is the organisation of physical and psychological rehabilitation of the people with the arthriris diseases and the fight with their social isolation.

The group in Warsaw conducts rehabilitation processes including non-conventional medicine methods. These methods introduce optimism and the idea of active lifestyle in the instance of the incurable and progressing disease. It helps the members create the friendly attitude to themselves and other people.

We organize friendly meetings of local groups. The alone people wait for this. Being involved in activities of a self-supportive group is of particular importance for the members who are nonactive professionally and feel rejected on the margin of social life.

The association is the self-help group based on the activity of their members. We have some support from special social funds and sponsors for our activities.

In activities of Association there are meetings with health professionals: rheumatolog, physiotherapist, rheumatological nurse, psychotherapist, social worker. In activities all people with rheumatic diseases can participate: with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosis spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis and with rare rheumatic diseases too.

Members of Association are too family members of people with rheumatic diseases, health professionals supporting activities of organization.

Association is a charter-member of Polish Federation of Organizations of Persons with Physical Disability and Polish Rheuma Federation "REF".