ARTHRITIS AWARENESS
MORE than 10 million people like me, live with the daily pain and fatigue of arthritis in the UK.
This can make simple activities like getting dressed, household chores or even picking up cutlery difficult.
I myself have severe osteoarthritis in my hands, my back and my knees. I’m in excruciating pain on a daily basis and I feel that I’m becoming increasingly dependent on others.
This is extremely frustrating, because just last year I was working in a job I loved as a special needs teacher.
As well as having a lot of surgery over the years, I’ve lost so much in my day to day life that most people take for granted.
I can’t drive, I can’t cook, people have to cut up my meals for me and I can’t wear anything with zips or laces.
They may seem like little things that I can’t do, but this has a huge impact on my life.
I am sure many people with arthritis like me, will know the all too familiar experience of Googling symptoms, asking questions on social media and trawling through forums and patient websites for answers about your own or a loved one’s condition, and how to manage the symptoms.
Naturally, I found this daunting, as it’s hard to decipher what information you can trust, what information is based on scientific evidence and what is based on old wives’ tales.
Indeed, if you Google the phrase ‘arthritis information’ around 2,480,000 results appear.
That’s why I wanted to tell you about the charity Arthritis Research UK.
The leading experts in the field, its latest campaign ‘Ask us your question,’ calls for those living with arthritis to pose their questions for help finding trusted answers.
I’ve used their helpline several times since it launched last year to ask about pain management and medication.
I would recommend it as you can trust the charity’s information is based on years of knowledge and research, as well as the experiences of thousands of people like me.
So, whatever your question is – be it about diet, exercise or pain management, check out the website, which has all the details of their helpline, as well as a wealth of online condition information.
Visit www.arthritisresearchuk.org/ askus or call 0800 520 0520. ● recorded incidents of shoplifting during 2017, continuing the trend of a 31% increase over the last decade.
Usdaw’s survey of shopworkers shows a 25% increase in violence, suggesting there are around 265 assaulted every day.
The British Retail Consortium reported a doubling of violence against shop staff in their annual Retail Crime Survey.
The Association Of Convenience Stores (ACS) reported nearly a million thefts from UK convenience stores in 2017, which is a 65% increase on the previous year.
ACS also found that challenging shop thieves is the most common trigger for violence and verbal abuse. The number of incidents of violence faced by staff working in the sector was 13,437.
Theft from shops is often a trigger for violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers, so the rising trend in shoplifting is extremely worrying for our members.
The evidence from retailers, police and our own survey of shopworkers all show a disturbing increase in retail crime during 2017.
This cannot be allowed to continue, action must be taken.
We have long been concerned that theft from shops is not taken seriously and sometimes regarded as a victimless crime against large companies, but the reality is very different.
A number of police forces have said that funding cuts mean they’re less likely to investigate theft from shops and there is evidence that overuse of fixed penalty notices is letting thieves get away with it. Life on the front line of retail can be pretty tough for many shopworkers, there needs to be Government action to protect them.
The police must have the resources from Government to respond to incidents and investigate shop thefts. We want the Government to legislate for stiffer sentences for the thugs that attack shopworkers.
We want to see retailers, police and the courts working in partnership to ensure better protection for shopworkers. Retail staff are an important part of our communities; their role must be valued, respected and protected.