Member News
Associação De Doentes De Dor Crónica Dos Açores
In the last three months, the ADDCA made an effort to increase the visibility of the Association in order to get more members and stakeholders and also to create awareness of Societal Impact of Pain, the European SIP mission. Here is the list of activities developed by the Portuguese association.
ADDCA organized on the 27th and 28th September 2018 The First International Congress of the association: «The social impact of pain, from knowledge to practice!».
The aims are promoting the dissemination of research results, new scientific information, new achievements at the European level and facilitating the link between the scientific universe and society, bringing citizens closer to science. At the same time, ADDCA projects advocacy strategies in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, promote new scientific partnerships and information networks, invites other Patients Associations and promote public debates.
The Topics included in the program: European Charter of Patients Rights, Patient-centered Healthcare, Impact of Chronic Pain in Portugal – “what Epidemiological Studies tell us”, How Europe sees the problem of Chronic Pain, Pain and Disability, the role of European Citizens, Strategies in Azores, the role of Positive Psychology and Mindfulness to self-management of Chronic Pain.
The list of Partners includes the MEP Interest Group «Patients Rights and Cross-Border Healthcare», Regional Decision Makers Departments, Portuguese Association for the Study of Pain), international SIP Endorsers: PAE (Pain Alliance Europe), ACN (Active Citizenship Network), ISAL (Isal Fondazione), SineDolor European Pain Foundation, and Ponta Delgada City Hall.
You can consult the poster of the event here.
Italian campaign One Hundred Cities against Pain – «Ponta Delgada against Pain»
The Objectives of this action in collaboration with ISAL are:
To inform the public how they can get the proper treatments for chronic pain;
To sensitize politicians and health institutions for chronic pain;
Awareness of the need for research.
In September the association has dedicated its activities to creating awareness of this month being the «Pain Awareness Month» – an action initiated by the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) and to which PAE members were called to adhere in order to contribute to its impact.
ADDCA participated in the poster session of the 17th World Congress on Pain organised in Boston, USA by IASP : «A Regional Survey of Pain: What Public Knows About Pain».
The contributors to the realisation of the poster presented in Boston were Maria Teresa Flor-de-Lima, O.Silva, Ivonne Machado, P. Duarte; Direção Regional da Saúde dos Açores, Portugal, Universidade dos Açores, Portugal, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo EPER, Portugal.
ADDCA was as well an active participant in the meetings in Lisbon to officially form the Societal Impact of Pain platform in Portugal, with two representatives: Maria Teresa Flor-de-Lima as Coordinator of the Scientific Council and Ivone Machado as a member of the Board.
Several activities of the association were dedicated to the commemoration of its 13th anniversary. the members will celebrate the year-end with a Christmas Festivity in December.
