Actress Jennifer Grey Acts to Reduce Your Pain
Movie icon, dancing star and patient advocate Jennifer Grey has joined forces with Partners Against Pain to launch a new initiative called Hands On Approach for Pain Management.
The program highlights the importance of open and honest communication between people living with chronic pain and their healthcare professionals in developing an individualized treatment plan.
“Pain is part of life, but suffering doesn’t have to be,” says Grey, who waged her own battle with chronic pain for more than 10 years and saw it impact her career and personal life.
“No one should suffer in silence. I want people to know that communicating about pain is an important step to identifying the best treatment options for you.”
According to the Institute of Medicine, over 100 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain conditions. Each person’s pain is unique and different, which is why effective communication is crucial to achieve proper pain management.
“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach for pain management. Treatment needs to be individualized, and may require multiple, integrative therapies,” says Micke Brown, BSN, RN, director of Communications, American Pain Foundation.
“If untreated or undertreated, pain can lead to complications such as reduced function and mobility, a weakened immune system, as well as anxiety and depression.”
The Hands On Approach for Pain Management initiative that Grey is spearheading offers a range of practical information and tools to help improve the way patients and healthcare professionals share information about pain.
It includes a downloadable pain journal; guides with tips for getting the most out of each medical appointment; and video features with Grey on communicating effectively about pain.
Another key element of the campaign is an online photo contest that gives people living with chronic pain an opportunity to portray their personal experiences with the condition so that others can learn from their journey.
Final entries are now displayed on the Partners Against Pain web site. A “Critic’s Choice” winner will be selected by a judging panel and receive a grand prize of a ‘meet and greet’ with Grey.
The public can also cast their votes for their favorite photo to determine the “People’s Choice” winner, who will receive a Ticketmaster gift certificate. The public voting period ends on October 14, 2011.
For more information about the campaign and the online photo contest, you can visit www.partnersagainstpain.com.
Partners Against Pain is a national education program provided by Purdue Pharma L.P. The program helps patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals alleviate unnecessary suffering by advancing standards of pain care through education and advocacy.
