Philip states his case at European rheumatism conference

A SOUTH Galway garda made history recently when he became the first Irish person to speak and vote at a major international conference on arthritis and rheumatism.
At 32, Philip Gleeson was diagnosed with acute inflammatory arthritis. The life-changing condition impacted severely on his life and he thought his career and his interest in sports were a thing of the past. However, thanks to information and support from Arthritis Ireland and the commitment and help of his employers, Philip continues to work full-time and is still involved in all the activities he loves.
Last month, the 36-year-old travelled to Berlin where he represented Ireland at the European League Against Rheumatism Autumn Conference for People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe.
Philip serves on the National Board of Arthritis Ireland but that was not why he was selected to take part in the conference.
“The main reason I was picked to go was that two of the topics being discussed were youth and a programme called Fit for Work. I am an honorary member of Arthritis Ireland Youth Network and I was also one of the first people in Ireland to do the arthritis self-management programme and fit-for-work programme through Arthritis Ireland and return to work in a full-time capacity. I was seen as a representative of those two skill bases here in Ireland so that is why I ended up going,” he explained. 
“As part of the fit-for-work workshops, we looked at interventions to keep people with rheumatic diseases in work and we looked at ways of helping them return to work and we compared countries in Europe and best practice in the work place,” he said.
At the conference, Philip discovered an area in which Ireland is amongst the top performers in Europe.
“We looked at the programmes being offered through the leagues against rheumatism and what they offered. As it turned out, Ireland and the UK are leading Europe in the fit-for-work scheme and one of the things we are doing in Ireland is educating and trying to promote GPs to issue ‘fit notes’ instead of sick notes. Instead of a person calling in sick for work and telling their employer they can’t work, the GP will give them a list of tasks that they can do or are fit to do and they bring that to the employer. It improves absenteeism and also the day-to-day life of people with arthritis from the point of view of self-esteem and job satisfaction,” he explained.
“Also because Arthritis Ireland has full-time staff, we are run as a business model, we found ourselves surrounded with people asking us how we do it. We are seen as a role model and an international leader in Europe. That was good to hear because sometimes at a local level, you think we are not doing enough but some countries only have one rheumatologist in the country or have geriatricians who work as rheumatologists and who are not being upskilled so we are really leading the field in terms of arthritis care,” he added.
Although he only went to the conference as an observer, the Gort-based garda ended up speaking to the plenary twice. This was the first time Ireland had voting rights and according to Philip, this was an important step for people in the country suffering from rheumatoid conditions.
“Being able to vote means we can be part of the decision-making process and we have a say in the proposals being brought to Europe. The conference was run by the Deutsche Rheuma Liga or the German League Against Rheumatisim. They are held in such high esteem in Germany that the federal minister for social inclusion attended the conference and gave the keynote speech,” he recalled.
Thanks to his participation in the conference, Philip is now on a pan European committee for people under 35 years of age with rheumatism. This group is involved in exchanging national experiences and information and forming networks and self-help groups. 
“I attended a meeting of the international organisation for youths with rheumatism and joined the task force to re-establish this group as a force in Europe. That group was set up in 1995 and was very successful in its initial years but has not been as effective in the past two to three years. One of the ways we will tackle the issues for this group is through social media including Facebook and one of the initiatives is a pan European online games league, which I am going to moderate. We have started the organisation and it will be in the form of an online European scrabble league. This gives youths with arthritis the chance to represent their country in a European competition, which is something they may never otherwise get to do. Even people with very debilitating arthritis will be able to partake in this initiative without leaving their homes. It is all meant as a bit of fun. It is going to be light-hearted and online cheating is actively encouraged,” he laughed.
The first round of the competition will take place in January and Philip is hoping that as many as 20 countries will take part. He is also encouraging people who are affected by the condition to take part in the Arthritis Ireland Let’s Dance programme. The campaign consists of a series of free ballroom dance classes that will take place in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Mullingar, Waterford and Wexford during January 2011.
Claire King of Strictly Come Dancing and Emmerdale fame, recently attended the launch of the initiative. Claire famously participated in ITV’s Strictly Come Dancing despite living with rheumatoid arthritis. Speaking at the launch, Claire said, “I have lived with rheumatoid arthritis for several years and I know the impact that it can have on your overall quality of life. The pain caused by the condition often makes you want to avoid exercise but I have found that long term, exercise is critical in helping to relieve the pain and improve flexibility and strength in your body. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Strictly Come Dancing, despite the gruelling training regime and would recommend anyone living with arthritis to consider getting involved in the Let’s Dance classes in January.”
Classes in the Let’s Dance campaign will be at beginner level and will run from 10am to 12pm on January 22 in the Carlton Hotel in Galway. Tickets are free of charge and available on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply for a pair of tickets, download a registration form from www.arthritisireland.ie or contact Arthritis Ireland at letsdance@arthritisireland.ie or telephone 01 6188 455.
The Arthritis Ireland helpline is 1890  252846.