PACE tackles chronic pain and the symptom cycle

By Cecilia Nasmith

A PACE session devoted to Chronic Pain and the Symptom Cycle will take place Dec. 19 at the Community Centres of Northumberland in Port Hope, with Dr. Francesco Mule sharing his expertise on the topic.

Dr. Mule, palliative-care and chronic pain-management head of service and medical quality advisor at Northumberland Hills Hospital, finds he discusses this matter with patients and their family members every day. The broad-ranging presentation he has prepared includes the challenges pain can bring on, coping mechanism and a concept he refers to as “catastrophizing.” It will be of interest not only to those suffering from chronic pain but also to those who support friends and family members who cope with it.

The monthly PACE talks (the acronym stands for Personalized Assessment and Change Education) are free public-education sessions that cover a broad range of health and wellness topics. They continue to draw large groups of community members with a range of questions and perspectives. And for those who cannot easily attend, a partnership with Loyalist College means students are making and posting videos of the presentations.

Each session is an hour in length – a 30-minute talk, a 20-minute question-and-answer period with the guest speaker, and a 10-minute moderator summary. They begin at 5:30 p.m., and alternate between the Port Hope location (at 99 Toronto Rd.) and Northumberland Hills Hospital (located at 1000 DePalma Dr,, Cobourg). Bring your questions and suggestions, and be part of a lively and informative discussion.

There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required to manage room capacity. Register for Dr, Mule's presentation atwww.pacetalks.com, a site where you'll also find listings of upcoming speakers and topics as well as video highlights from recent talks.

The Jan. 16 talk features the series's founder Dr. Mukesh Bhargava at NHH, Registration for this session will begin next week.