Surviving vs Thriving with Pain, with Claudine Adlington

For some of us, pain is a constant unwanted companion in our journey through life. As individuals living with pain, we have a burden to carry and a responsibility to self-care. It’s a constant balancing act we try to manage in order to be there for our loved ones and live the best version of ourselves. Somedays it’s enough to survive, other days we CAN thrive. This talk will provide ideas and options around how to balance this reality and what can be possible. Claudine will discuss what has been successful for the Alberta Talks Pain community as well as Claudine’s own personal journey with pain.

Alberta Talks Pain is a Certified Pain Advocacy Organization.  There are over 800,000 Albertans living with pain, there are family members, friends and allied healthcare providers caring for these individuals. We can work together to build a voice and advocate for change and access where it’s needed most. 

Alberta Talks Pain is having discussions at a provincial level about:

• understanding the needs across all pain types, 
• making sure there is access for all, 
• removing bias and discrimination, 
• building appropriate policy, 
• supporting our caregivers and patients alike, 
• creating care options, 
• providing education at all levels, 
• addressing and reducing crime and 
• understanding regional differences 

Topic Timings:

• 00:00:00 Claudine Adlington – Introduction of Speaker
• 00:01:12 Claudine’s Story
• 00:04:20 Surviving vs Thriving – What’s the difference
• 00:10:54 What does pain “look” like?
• 00:12:36 Defining your pain levels
• 00:14:43 Coping Skills to get to Thriving
• 00:21:17 Pick one thing
• 00:22:57 Happiness
• 00:23:39 Its a Journey
• 00:28:10 Claudine’s Flare Plan
• 00:35:09 The Importance of Linguistics
• 00:36:49 The ongoing “Acceptance” Evolution
• 00:44:11 Tips if you don’t feel heard
• 00:46:35 Build Bridges to Survive and Thrive

Claudine Adlington, President – Alberta Talks Pain

Claudine is a +20 year professional within the healthcare community. She has worked on the industry side within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and healthcare supplies as a corporate negotiator and government lobbyist. Claudine’s experience has been global in nature, working across European, US and Canadian healthcare systems. She is a wife, a mother, and a professional, who also lives with chronic pain and is very committed to a better healthcare system focused on access for all and appropriate care.