When she was in her early 30s, Dawn Richards had so much inflammation and pain in her hands that she couldn’t turn the key to open her front door. Every morning, getting up required a monumental effort. Her feet were stiff and swollen, she ached all over and no matter how much rest she got, she was overwhelmed by fatigue.
It took two years before Richards, a scientist and now a patient consultant, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. A good benefits plan is essential for patients, she told the audience at Benefits Canada’s Nov. 2 Calgary Drug Trends Summit.
“If you have a benefits plan and can rely on good coverage, there’s a lot less stress,” said Richards, who’s how in remission and managing her health with drugs. “It’s one less thing to worry about.”
Read: Navigating the drug approval labyrinth to ensure access to new medications
A good benefits plan provides choice, with timely access to different types of medications and services such as massage, acupuncture, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and orthotics.
And what’s the impact on the workplace? “People who have access to these things are going to do better,” said Richards. “They will have better capacity to work and be productive.”
In terms of access to treatments, Richards noted her concern about making decisions based solely on economic reasons. While acknowledging that Canada’s health-care system is under pressure, she said she believes it’s important for patients and their doctors to be able to choose their medications, since there’s no one drug that will work for everyone with rheumatoid arthritis. “We often need access to many options,” she said.
Read: Employers encouraged to ‘invest in making people healthier’
When all of those things are in place, she noted, patients can have peace of mind and a greater ability to live life to the fullest, “which means being able to continue working and participating in life. That’s a really big deal for people.”
In terms of what employers can do, it’s often a matter of being flexible by, for example, allowing people to start their work day a bit later or work from home once or twice or a week. “If you can make some of those accommodations, that makes a big difference for people,” said Richards.
Read more articles from the Calgary Drug Trends Conference