March 6, 2024
Tammy Sosnowski, left, and Marilee Barry found the Better Choices, Better Health workshop so effective that they became facilitators to help others living with chronic pain. Photo by Evan Isbister.
Story by Chelsea Blair | Photo by Evan Isbister
Marilee Barry and Tammy Sosnowski have both lived with chronic pain for most of their lives. In 2019, they became fast friends after they met at Better Choices, Better Health — a workshop for people living with chronic health conditions.
“The group is your community,” says Sosnowski. “These are people who understand you.”
It’s estimated that one in five Albertans live with chronic pain — which is defined as pain that affects your daily activities and has lasted for three months or longer.
Better Choices, Better Health is a free Alberta Health Services workshop series for adults who live with, or support someone, with chronic health conditions such as chronic pain, high blood pressure, arthritis, depression, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, migraines and more.
“It’s a very well-documented, scientifically based program on how to manage your pain, and it gives you so many practical tools,” says Barry.
The duo found the workshop so beneficial for managing their pain that they wanted to give back and help others living with the same issues.
“We decided to take the facilitator training and now we get to run workshops together,” says Sosnowski.
“We’re a fun team,” adds Barry.
Lorraine Telford, Manager for chronic disease management in Edmonton Zone, says that living with chronic pain can impact a person’s ability to exercise, work, or join in social activities.
“This can lead to substantial physical, financial and emotional burdens,” she adds. “But with the right help, chronic conditions can be managed effectively — and people can enjoy a better quality of life.”
The six-week workshop is offered virtually and in-person throughout the year. Participants learn techniques to manage symptoms through exercise, tips for healthy eating, methods for dealing with difficult emotions and options for making everyday tasks easier.
For Barry and Sosnowski, one of the most important tools the course offers is effective communication.
“It’s hard to talk about chronic pain with someone who doesn’t live that life,” says Sosnowski. “To be able to explain to a friend that you’re cancelling at the last minute because of chronic pain — or explain to your doctor exactly what you’re feeling — is a game-changer.”
Better Choices, Better Health is a six-week series of workshops designed to support Albertans living with or supporting someone with ongoing health conditions. The sessions are led by trained volunteer leaders, many of whom live with a chronic health condition.
Learn more about Better Choices, Better Health or register for a workshop.
