Joint Conversations

The topic for this session is "Looking After Your Bones, Joints, and Heart".

Living with inflammatory arthritis doesn’t just affect your joints , it can influence your whole body. Chronic inflammation, reduced mobility, and some medications can impact bone strength, muscle support, and cardiovascular health. These areas are interlinked: strong bones help protect joints, muscle strength supports mobility and balance, and heart health is influenced by activity levels, inflammation, and lifestyle choices.

This peer support session is a space to share experiences, tips, and practical strategies for looking after your bones, joints, and heart. Whether you’re focused on exercise, nutrition, medications, or lifestyle adjustments, this is an opportunity to learn from others and hear what’s worked for them.

Together, we’ll explore:

• How arthritis and inflammation can affect bones, joints, and heart health
• Strategies for maintaining bone and muscle strength through movement and exercise
• Nutrition, supplements, and habits that support overall wellbeing
• Managing lifestyle factors like sleep, stress, and activity levels
• Small, realistic steps that can make a long-term difference

There’s no pressure to speak, you’re welcome to listen, but sharing your experiences can help everyone in the group feel supported and less alone.

About Joint Conversations

Online Meet-ups are led by you, for you! They provide an opportunity for you to engage with other people living with your condition and participate in conversations about your health. Meet-ups help you to inspire others, or be inspired, to self-manage health and look after your wellbeing.

'In my experience, talking things through with a fellow sufferer really helps and I became involved with Ampersand Health because I wanted to help others through the frightening early stages of the condition.' - Teresa

As this is a peer support event, clinical advice is not provided, and the event will not be recorded. These community events are for people at all stages of the journey with their condition, so please keep this in mind when sharing your experience and advice. You must also join within the first 15 minutes to be able to take part in this event.

Please read the Code of Conduct Guidelines prior to joining the meet-ups:

❌ Participants should not:

- give medical advice or provide any diagnosis to other participants

- record the event on their own devices

- share the event link with others who haven’t signed up

- provide personal contact information to other participants during the meet-ups

✅ Participants are encouraged to

- remember that people are participating because they want to help people, or to be helped by people, to be inspired to engage with their health

- be helpful, constructive, patient, kind and not get drawn into any conflicts even if you strongly disagree with others’ opinions

- choose a call location and setting that is in a private area where there are no inappropriate images or noise in the background. We want you all to feel safe and in a confidential environment

- turn your cameras on, where possible, to fully participate in the meet-ups and as a courtesy to others trying to relate by sharing personal experiences

Disclaimer

Meet-ups are not a place to receive individual psychological support as there are not trained specialists present. The session leaders will not be able to provide mental health support and therefore if needed we recommend you consult your GP or other Healthcare professional to discuss these challenges.

If you feel you are at risk of hurting yourself or are experiencing suicidal thoughts please call a suicide helpline such as SAMARITANS (116 123), your GP, 111 or 999 in a crisis emergency (if you're based in the UK, otherwise please dial your local country's emergency line). If you hear someone express that they are at risk of hurting themselves please report this to the Ampersand Host by messaging them privately in the Zoom chat. We will advise the individual to access the above helplines or their locally relevant support.

About Ampersand

We are a social-impact focused company, meaning we aim to create a positive difference in people's lives. Through personalised digital therapies, we provide support to individuals so that they can self-manage their long-term conditions and improve their overall wellbeing.

About My Arthritis

My Arthritis is a free app providing engaging & effective learning and communication tools, to help you consistently and confidently manage your inflammatory arthritis condition.