Handouts and Health Resources
General recommendation for rehabilitation of an ankle sprain.
Exercise program for chronic low back pain.
General exercises for daily desk stretches.
Exercise program for sciatica caused by disc compression.
Frozen Shoulder
Full Body Home Strengthening Program
General full body exercises for well-being and fitness.
Exercise for general hip arthritis.
General exercises for lateral epicondylitis.
General exercises for medial epicondylitis.
General exercises for patellofemoral syndrome.
General exercises for piriformis syndrome.
General exercises for plantar fasciitis.
General exercises for rotator cuff tear.
Arthritis Types
A comprehensive guide that describes what osteoarthritis is, the early signs, strategies for self-management, and possible treatments.
Osteoarthritis Patient Journey
Use this document to learn about the various steps in the osteoarthritis patient experience. Not all steps will apply to everyone, but this can help you learn more about what you might expect and how to effectively manage your osteoarthritis.
A comprehensive guide that describes what rheumatoid arthritis is, the early signs, strategies for self-management, and possible treatments.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Journey
A document that will help you better understand how to manage your symptoms related to rheumatoid arthritis, practice self-management techniques, and inform your follow up appointments with your healthcare provider.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Journey
Use this document to learn about the various steps in the ankylosing spondylitis patient experience. It will help you better understand how to manage your symptoms, practice self-management techniques, and inform your follow up appointments with your healthcare provider.
Psoriatic Arthritis Patient Journey
A document that will help you better understand how to manage your symptoms related to psoriatic arthritis, practice self-management techniques, and inform your follow up appointments with your healthcare provider.
Psoriatic Arthritis Infographic
An infographic that describes the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and self-management strategies of psoriatic arthritis.
Symptoms and Risks
A checklist for joint pain symptoms. If you answered YES to many of these questions you might want to make an appointment to talk to your health-care provider.
A printable tool for you and your healthcare provider to spot patterns and help manage your care.
A printable goal tracker to write down your treatment goals. You can keep the goal tracker in a visible place (such as on your fridge door) so you can be reminded of your goals and can track your progress more easily.
Medications
Describes treatments available for inflammatory arthritis, what biologics are, what biosimilars are, how these drugs work, and the safety of these drugs.
Provides answers to frequently asked questions about biologics and biosimilars.
Medical Cannabis
Medical Cannabis and Arthritis
A comprehensive resource that provides you with reliable, evidence-based information about medical cannabis to help you make informed choices about your arthritis care.
Navigating Your Healthcare
A document that will help you understand how the healthcare system works, how to interact with healthcare professionals, how to get the most out of your medical appointments, medications for arthritis, funding your healthcare costs, and how to advocate for yourself.
An appointment checklist that outlines a few action items you can do a few weeks before, a few days before, the day before, and immediately after the appointment.
A printable post-appointment record you can fill out to keep track of what you learned at the appointment, changes to medications, referrals to another healthcare professional, referrals for tests, and recommendations.
Understanding Your Coverage Options
Provides information on the public health insurance plan, private group insurance plans, and individual/family health plans.
Additional Sources of Medical Coverage
Contains a list of additional medical coverage sources.
Key Questions for your Healthcare Professional
A list of questions you can consider asking your healthcare provider. Not every question will apply to every appointment or type of healthcare professional.
Chronic Pain and Fatigue
A comprehensive guide that provides background information about managed versus unmanaged pain, strategies and techniques to improve your pain, and a list of medications to help manage arthritis pain.
Contains information to help you find ways to minimize fatigue and get back to active living. The topics discussed include balancing your activities, sleep, physical activity and exercise, diet, dealing with depression, and chronic pain management.
A printable diary designed to help you keep track of activities. It can be difficult to measure how much energy you use on different activities during the day, so it may be useful to track your activities and create a picture to help you see connections with your fatigue.
A printable diary that can be completed on a regular basis over time to help you to identify steps that you can take to improve your sleep.
A quiz to help you understand your level of fatigue and how well prepared you are to deal with it.
A document that outlines the main sources of fatigue.
A concise list of tips that might help with your fatigue.
Surgery
Preparing for Surgery Checklist
A checklist to help ensure you’re ready in the months and weeks leading up to your surgery. It contains action items for the months before surgery, weeks before surgery, 24 hours before surgery, and what to pack in your hospital bag.
Should I Consider Joint Surgery?
A resource that will help you talk to your doctor about when surgery might be appropriate as well as the risks and benefits involved.
Describes the different types of surgeries, surgery processes, and possible complications.
A guide that describes what to do after surgery regarding return to daily activity, pain management, and incision care.
Long-Term Functioning After Surgery
Describes how you can optimize long-term functioning after surgery.
Arthritis and Work
A document that describes the challenges of working with arthritis, strategies to overcome these challenges, disclosing your condition, and your rights at work.
Accommodations for People with Arthritis
A resource that lists possible accommodation options for employees with arthritis. Not everyone with arthritis will require workplace accommodations, but for those who do, having support can significantly improve employment outcomes and reduce job disruptions.
Employment Rights & Responsibilities
A resource for employers to help understand their obligations under relevant legislation to ensure an inclusive and productive workforce.
Considering Whether to Start a Conversation about Arthritis at Work
A tool to help employees think through the communication process and identifies issues for employees to consider when making a decision about whether to communicate any health needs at work.
Planning your Conversation about Arthritis at Work
A tool to help employees start a dialogue about their workplace needs as they relate to arthritis. It contains key questions for you to think about beforehand and a sample script.
Taking Care of your Body at Work
Describes strategies for overcoming some of the most common at-work issues faced by people with arthritis (sitting, using a computer, standing, lifting, and driving).
A series of checklists that will help make arthritis and persistent musculoskeletal disorders a regular conversation topic between employers, employees and their health-care providers.
Mental Health
A comprehensive guide that explains the link between arthritis and mental health, how to take action against stress, how to take care of your mental health, and what to do if you need support.
Contains a mental health self-assessment quiz. Looking after your mind is just important as looking after your body, because factors such as stress can impact how you experience arthritis pain.
Understanding the Mental Healthcare Field
A resource that can help you understand different approaches to addressing mental illness through access to mental healthcare and promoting your mental wellness or wellbeing.
A printable document that helps you track hours of sleep, food and water intake, overall mood, exercise, and medications.
A worksheet that helps you slow down and process an emotional event.
Thinking Realistically Worksheet
A guide that teaches you how to recognize your depressive thoughts and how they trigger a low mood, challenge depressive thoughts and replace them with realistic ones, and practice realistic thinking.
Self-Management
Contains tips for many aspects of daily living (choosing footwear, tools and devices, splints and braces, driving, sitting, standing, lifting, getting intimate, and staying in touch).
A guide that describes the benefits of physical activity and types of exercises that you can try.
A resource to help you make healthy nutrition choices about what, when and how you eat, giving your body the fuel and building blocks you need to stay active and feeling good.
A list of 10 exercises with descriptions and images.
Low Load Activities for Osteoarthritis
A list of activities that put less weight load on your joints, such as: cycling, walking with walking poles, Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, and water-based activities like aqua fit, swimming, or pool walking.
Modifying Activities for Osteoarthritis
A document that contains a list of activities that may increase your pain and tips on how you can modify them.
A list of frequently asked questions about arthritis.
Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program
Joint Protection for Hips and Knees
Contains suggestions to maximize your energy and protect your joints while you are active. Topics include sitting, stairs, footwear, maintaining a healthy weight, driving, staying physically active, and helpful devices.
Joint Protection for your Hands
A document with strategies to protect your hands. These strategies will help reduce joint stress and pain, reduce potential for deformity, and make daily activities easier.
Healthy Eating and Nutrition for Arthritis
A concise resource that outlines strategies for healthy eating.
Contains instructions for a focused breathing exercise for relaxation.
Describes what you should look for in a shoe, consumer tips, and brands and types that you can consider.
Explains how you can use cold therapy to help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling. It may be especially helpful during a flare when you have hot, swollen joints.
Describes how you can use heat therapy to help relax muscles and stimulate circulation, and thereby decrease pain. It may be helpful to apply heat before doing stretching exercises, as it warms the muscles and helps them stretch.
Childhood Arthritis
A comprehensive resource for families of children with juvenile arthritis. This guide provides the information parents/caregivers need to understand their child’s disease and to feel comfortable caring for them.
Fact Sheets for Common Cancers:
Describes the risk factors, prevention, screening, signs and symptoms, and treatments of breast cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, screening, signs and symptoms, and treatments of cervical cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, screening, signs and symptoms, and treatments of colorectal cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, screening, signs and symptoms, and treatments of lung cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, early detection, signs and symptoms, and treatments of ovarian cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, screening, signs and symptoms, and treatments of prostate cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, early detection, signs and symptoms, and treatments of skin cancer.
Describes the risk factors, prevention, early detection, signs and symptoms, and treatments of testicular cancer.
Guide to Healthy Living
A guide to healthy eating, physical activity, and sleeping well for individuals living with cancer.
A resource to help you understand your emotions, cope with your feelings, and talk to your loved ones.
A guide that describes common sexual health problems, how to get help, and tips for talking with your partner.
Managing Symptoms, Side Effects & Well-Being
A guide for patients, family, friends or caregivers who have anxiety before, during or after cancer treatment. It identifies causes of cancer-related anxiety and provides tips to alleviate the anxiety.
Provides some tips to help keep your bones healthy and strong during cancer treatments.
Bowel Function - Prostate Cancer
A guide for men who have had treatment for prostate cancer. It describes potential problems after treatment and strategies for helping diarrhea and constipation.
A guide for people who have constipation before, during or after cancer treatment. It describes the causes of cancer-related constipation and what can be done to manage the constipation.
A resource that explores the symptoms, causes, and tips to help cancer-related depression.
A guide for people who have diarrhea before, during or after cancer treatment. The resource will help you understand causes of diarrhea and how to manage it.
Describes what happens during shortness of breath, causes of it, tips for managing it, and when you should talk to your healthcare team.
Contains tips to help start an exercise routine, types of exercises to choose from, and strategies to exercise safely.
A guide that will help you understand causes of cancer-related fatigue and what can be done to manage it.
Provides information on how to measure your temperature accurately.
Describes what hand-foot syndrome is, how to prevent it, and how to reduce the symptoms of it.
Vaccine
Vaccination in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
An information tool that can be used to help make an informed decision about the COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Comparison of Available Vaccines
Contains basic information on COVID-19 and a chart which compares the ingredients in different vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca).
Prevention, Self-Monitoring, and Self-Isolating
Provides instructions on how to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.
Optimizing the Use of Masks Against COVID-19
Information on effective mask use practices.
An information sheet that describes symptoms you should be monitoring and what to do if you develop symptoms.
How to Self-Isolate (if symptomatic or have been exposed)
A document that describes what you need to do if you need to self-isolate.
Diabetes Definition and Diagnosis
Are you at risk? Questionnaire
A quick tool for helping you assess your risk of diabetes. It also describes the symptoms and diagnostic tests for diabetes.
Explains the different types, complications, risk factors, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of diabetes.
A guide that defines prediabetes, describes risk factors of type 2 diabetes, and suggests lifestyle changes.
A resource that describes the basics of type 2 diabetes including risk factors, getting support, complications, and management.
General Tips
A printable log to help you keep track of your blood sugar levels.
A guide that will help you drive safely with diabetes and learn how to treat low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia: Low Blood Sugar Levels in Adults
Explains the signs of low blood sugar, why it happens, and how to take action.
Lows and Highs: Blood Glucose Levels
Describes the signs, causes, and treatment of both low and high blood glucose levels.
Managing your Blood Sugar Fact Sheet
A resource for testing blood sugar levels at home and tips for keeping blood sugar levels within their target range.
Contains answers for commonly asked questions about diabetic eye exams.
Diet & Nutrition
Describes drinking recommendations, risks associated with drinking, and steps for reducing risks while drinking.
A step-by-step guide to carbohydrate counting.
Provides consideration when eating away from home, solutions to common challenges, and tips for making wise food choices.
Glycemic Index (GI) Food Guide
A comprehensive list of common low, medium, and high glycemic index foods.
A quick guide that explains how you can use your hands to estimate appropriate portions.
Physical Activity
A printable resource that describes the benefits of physical activity, getting motivated, identifying barriers, and overcoming challenges.
Describes the importance of exercise, how to stay safe when exercising, and how to maintain your momentum.
Planning for Regular Physical Activity
A resource to help you prepare for physical activity. It contains a sample walking plan, explores the pros and cons of inactivity, and gives a step-by-step approach to developing an exercise plan.
Introductory Resistance Program
Describes the guidelines for resistance training and 12 different exercises you can try.
Resistance Exercise Guidelines
Describes the guidelines for resistance training and 12 different exercises you can try. Additional exercises are also included.
Contains a sample aerobic exercise plan, a guide to making SMART goals, and how to stay motivated.
Foot Care
A list of what you should and shouldn’t do regarding foot care.
Provides tips to remember about shoe fitting and describes features of a supportive shoe.
Foot Care: A Step Towards Good Health
A resource that describes the relationship between diabetes and your feet and the importance of a daily foot care routine.
Alcohol Use
Explains how aging can make drinking alcohol risker and describes recommended drinking limits for adults over the age of 65.
Lists 4 things you should know about how drinking alcohol can affect the immune system and your health.
Knowing your Limits with Alcohol
A practical guide to assessing your drinking. This teaches you how to count your drinks, identify risky drinking, outlines low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines, and provides tips on drinking less.
A graphic that describes the low-risk drinking guidelines.
Describes how youth alcohol intoxication can be an emergency and what we can do to help prevent it.
Cannabis Use
A Guide to Cannabis for Older Adults
A document that describes what cannabis is, what to expect when using it, how it is used, and the health risks of using it.
A poster that lists the type of medications that can interact with cannabis.
Explains how cannabis can lead to negative impacts to your health when used with other substances.
Know the Health Risks Of Cannabis
A concise infographic that describes the health risks of using cannabis.
Cannabis: Inhaling vs. Ingesting
Describes the difference between inhaling (smoking or vaping) and ingesting (eating or drinking) cannabis. This document also provides tips for lower-risk use.
Managing your Blood Pressure Brochure
Understand your numbers, advice for buying a blood pressure monitor and for home blood pressure monitoring, and how to have a low salt diet.
General Information
Vaccine Information for Adults
Contains a list of vaccines that you may need based on your age, health condition, job, lifestyle, or travel habits.
3 Important Reasons to be Vaccinated
Describes the important reasons to be vaccinated and the types of diseases that vaccines help to prevent.
Specific Vaccines
Meningococcal ACYW immunization
A fact sheet for students, parents & high risk individuals that provides information about the meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
A fact sheet for high risk individuals and caregivers that provides information about the meningococcal B immunization program.
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (High Risk Adult)
A fact sheet for adults with high risk medical conditions that provides information about the pneumococcal conjugate 13-valent vaccine.
A fact sheet that describes the shingles immunization program.
Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine
A fact sheet for adults and caregivers that provides information about the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine.
Prenatal/Pregnancy
A comprehensive guide that provides information on how you can take care of yourself before, during and after your pregnancy. Topics in the guide include prenatal nutrition, folic acid, alcohol and pregnancy, physical activity and pregnancy, smoking and pregnancy, oral health, and emotional health.
A resource that describes how to make a reproductive life plan, how to live a healthy lifestyle and protect your fertility, and the importance of seeing a healthcare provider before pregnancy.
Contains information about the goals of prenatal care and what to expect during your routine prenatal care visits.
Physical Changes During Pregnancy
A document that describes normal physical changes during pregnancy, how you can cope with normal pregnancy-related physical changes, and unusual changes that you should alert for.
Healthy Eating and Weight Gain
Describes tips for healthy eating and weight gain during pregnancy. This information sheet contains a brief list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.
A guide that describes the benefits of physical activity during pregnancy, ideas for exercise, and activities that should be avoided during pregnancy.
A resource that explains that the safest choice is to drink no alcohol during pregnancy and suggests asking for help if you want to quit drinking.
An information sheet that recommends stopping smoking before pregnancy. It also describes resources that can help you quit smoking and strategies to provide a smoke-free home for your baby.
Describes the importance of discussing medications that you are taking with your healthcare provider, the harmful effects of taking recreational drugs during pregnancy, and the resources available if you want to quit using recreational drugs.
Contains tips for reducing exposure to certain chemicals and pollutants during your pregnancy, making safe travel plans, using seatbelts and airbags properly, and making your workplace more comfortable.
A resource that describes the forms of abuse within intimate relationships and how you can ask for help if you are being abused.
Describes how you can take care of your own mental health and signs that may indicate when it is important to reach out for help.
A resource that provides information about what to do in case of a miscarriage or stillbirth and how a healthcare provider can support you.
Click here for more resources on routine tests, pregnancy topics, preparing for delivery, and special considerations.
Labour
Provides information about risk factors, signs, assessments, and treatments for preterm labour.
A resource that describes how you can prepare for labour, watch for early signs of labour in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, and the stages of labour.
Describes how having a support person or a group of support people with you during your labor and birth can make it easier and more enjoyable. This resource also lists comfort measures that may help during labour.
Outlines the different assessments and interventions that may be needed during your labour and birth. The topics discussed include blood tests, intravenous line, how your baby’s heart rate will be monitored during labour, and interventions for inducing labour.
A resource that describes the pain medications available for labour as well as their risks and benefits.
An information sheet that discusses when a cesarean birth may be needed, risks associated with a caesarean birth, how to reduce your chances of needing a caesarean birth, how to prepare for a caesarean birth, and what to expect during recovery.
Provides information about the risks and benefits of having a vaginal birth instead of a repeat caesarean birth and what to expect if you choose to have a vaginal birth after a caesarean birth.
A document that describes what breech position is and possible options for you and your baby (vaginal birth, caesarean birth, turning a breech baby head down before labour starts).
After Delivery
Describes the medications that are given to all babies shortly after birth, what conditions your baby will be screened for after 24 hours of life, and how you can take care of your newborn.
A guide that explains how you can provide a safe sleeping environment for you baby, calm and settle your baby, use a rear-facing car seat, protect your baby from falls, protect your baby at bath time from drowning, protect your baby from choking, and more.
A resource that describes the benefits of breastfeeding and resources that can provide breastfeeding support and information.
Describes the normal changes that your body undergoes after giving birth, some discomfort or concerns that you may experience, and when you should contact your healthcare provider.
Contains tips on how you can prepare for parenting during pregnancy, build a support network before your baby is born, and take care of yourself physically and emotionally.
Breastfeeding
What to Look for When Breastfeeding
An information sheet that lists signs of good feedings and signs of poor feedings.
Describes mother-led weaning, baby-led weaning, and situations when you should postpone weaning.
A resource that suggests ways you can stimulate your baby’s senses to wake your baby up for feeding.
Describes the symptoms you may notice if your baby has tongue tie and different treatment options (frenotomy, frenuloplasty, tongue exercises, and “wait and see” approach).
Survival Guide for the First Two Weeks
A breastfeeding moms’ survival guide for the first two weeks that contains important tips for new mothers.
Storage and Handling of Breastmilk
An information sheet that describes how to store milk (at room temperature, in a refrigerator, and in a freezer), thaw breastmilk, and how to transport your breastmilk.
A guide that explains how to position your baby during feeding, strategies for latch-on, and treatments to remedy sore nipples.
Positioning Latch-on Mother Led
Describes the steps to mother-led latching and how to check your latch-on.
Describes the steps to baby-led latching.
A fact sheet that describes the signs, symptoms, and remedies of plugged ducts, plugged nipple pores, and mastitis.
Describes tips on increasing your breast milk supply including having more breast stimulation, using a breast pump, caring for yourself, keeping records, and seeking help when needed.
A document with a list of advice from moms who have successfully breastfed their babies.
A list of infant hunger cues that indicate your baby may be ready for breastfeeding.
Contains recommendations for reducing the discomfort of engorgement and assisting with reduction or “drying up” the milk supply.
Explains the steps in a hands on pumping routine.
Explains the steps in a hands expression routine. Hand expression is a handy skill to have when you need to empty your breasts and your baby is temporarily unable to breastfeed.
Describes steps you can take to prevent engorgement and what you can do if you have moderate or extreme engorgement.
Important Milestones for Your Child
Asthma
A checklist that describes asthma related symptoms that you should be alert for and when you need to speak to your healthcare provider.
A booklet that provides accurate information about the signs and symptoms of asthma, how asthma is diagnosed, and answers to frequently asked questions.
A resource that helps you identify things in your environment that might trigger your asthma and ways you can avoid them.
Describes how allergies and asthma are often related, how allergies are diagnosed, and treatments available for allergies.
A brochure that provides key facts about influenza, the effects of influenza on individuals with asthma, and how you can minimize your risk of contracting influenza.
Living Well with Asthma as an Older Adult
A booklet designed for older adults to best understand asthma and ask the right questions to get the best care possible. The booklet discusses the signs and symptoms of asthma, how asthma is different in older adults, diagnosis, treatments, and how to live with asthma.
Sara’s Ready - Preparing for the September Asthma Peak
Contains information about how you can help your child be ready for the September Asthma Peak. The Asthma Society of Canada encourages you to follow 10 tips to ensure your child has a safe return to school.
Walking a Good Walk with Asthma
An educational workbook that will help you learn about asthma, reducing your triggers, and medication to control your asthma. This workbook has been designed for First Nations community members and has information specifically relevant to these communities.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
A resource that describes the signs and symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of COPD.
Contains suggestions on how you can build a COPD team, quit smoking, and learn about different types of treatments for COPD.
Describes different types of surgeries that may be recommended by your doctor.
A guide that contains tips for avoiding triggers, avoiding flare-ups, and breathing exercises that can help shortness of breath.
A guide that provides tips for a successful exercise plan and different exercise ideas for various muscle groups. Talk to your doctor about the type of exercise program that would be best for you and how to use your medications before, during and after exercise.
Contains considerations to think about regarding building your own meal plan, intimacy, and advance care planning.
A checklist that can help you keep track of everything related to COPD.
Exercises
Exercises for Better Back Care
A document that provides helpful hints for a healthy back and 7 exercises to strengthen your back muscles.
Spine, Back, and Core Exercises
Describes exercises for your cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, core, and back.
An information sheet that provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding tennis elbow and exercises that can be tried at home.
Provides a wide variety of stretching and strengthening exercises for your hip.
Sciatica Stretches and Exercises
A guide with helpful stretches and exercises for sciatica.
Contains a wide variety of stretching and strengthening exercises for your knee.
Plantar Fasciitis Home Exercise
Describes different exercises for plantar fasciitis that can be done from home.
Sexual Activity
Sexual Satisfaction and Relationships
A resource that describes factors that influence sexual and relationship satisfaction including the role of communication, sexual compatibility, relationship commitment, and motivation.
The Complexity of Female Sexual Desire
Describes what sexual desire is, women’s experiences of desire, and loss of desire.
LGBTTQ+
Understanding Bisexuality On Its Own Terms
A resource that reviews some recent studies that explore attitudes towards bisexuals as well as some of the challenges faced by bisexuals in their intimate relationships.
Describes how asexuality is defined, how common it is, and how it is understood and experienced by individuals who self-identify as asexual.
Examined the emergence of gender typed behaviour and attitudes among young children. The topics discussed in the document include gender-typed preferences among young children, gender-typed behaviour and parental attitudes, shyness and aggression, and gender-typed selection of toys and activities.
A document that explores some of the different ways that trans people experience and define their gender and sexual identities.
STIs
A resource that describes what HIV is, how HIV can be passed, and how HIV can be treated.
Explores the attitudes and beliefs of young people towards chlamydia testing and discusses some common misconceptions and fears that prevent them from seeking testing and treatment.
A poster that briefly describes what HPV is and what you can do to protect yourself.