What is the program?
The Living Well with Persistent Pain Program is a FREE program which includes:
- One-on-one discussions about your pain and how it affects you.
- A group education program to equip you with strategies to manage pain
- A tailored plan of allied health services.
The program is delivered by a team of health professionals, including a Care Coordinator, and is made up of:
- A GP with experience in managing pain
- Physiotherapist
- Dietician
- Pharmacist
- Mental Health Clinicians; and
- Exercise Physiologist
The Coordinator coordinates your program and your individual allied health services and can keep in touch with your regular GP as necessary.
Would I benefit from the program?
Yes, when pain lasts longer than three months, things need to change. Medicines are no longer as helpful as they once were, and in some situations can be quite harmful. We now know that effective management options are based on knowledge of how pain works in the body and on your personal situation.
For most people with persistent pain, it is best to have your GP helping you to manage your pain rather than going to see a specialist. This is because many of the things that help the most are things you can control yourself with good support from a health care team.
There are two main parts to this approach to managing your pain:
- Understanding pain and what you can do yourself to make a difference.
- Learning ways to improve your ability to do your daily tasks.
The Living Well with Persistent Pain Program combines both of these parts. The Education Program will provide you with a range of skills that can help you to make positive changes in your life. The topics are:
- Knowing Pain
- Medicines
- Medical Investigations and Moving with Ease
- Food and Pain
- Pain and Sleep
- Thoughts and Emotions
You will also learn how to set goals and plan to meet them as well as how you can plan for the bad days. If you choose to participate in the program, you can also access an individual plan to be done by either your regular GP, or where appropriate, by a program GP with a special interest in persistent pain management. You may be eligible to access a limited number of subsidised health services as part of the plan. The program will improve your ability to live well despite the pain.
How do I access the program?
To participate in the program, you must seek a referral from your regular GP or specialist. Whilst referrals can be initiated by allied health care providers, GP or specialist sign off must be obtained.
Please note: The program does not provide pain specialists or surgical services. Enrollment in the program will not alter your position on hospital-based pain clinic lists.
Please contact the Living Well with Pain Program North team via phone (08 8354 9872) or via email for further information.
Living Well with Persistent Pain Program, © Painwise Pty Ltd
This program is supported by Adelaide PHN.
