2014 EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE objectives1. To inspire, educate and empower delegates and their national organisations to

develop and execute campaigns around the topic of healthy ageing through: • providingexpertkeynotespeakers; • sharingbestpractices; • developingpracticalmaterialsthatcanbeadaptedfornationalactivities

and meet national needs.

2.Tomakedelegatesandtheirnationalorganisationsawareandreceptivetothebenefitsofregional,Europeanandinternationalcollaborationby:

• clarifyingandpromotingtheactivitiesandrelevanceofEULAR; • demonstratinghowEULARcansupporttheinterestsofitsmember

organisations on a national and local level.

3.Toexchangeknowledgeandexperienceaboutthebenefitsofhydrotherapyandbalneo-therapy*forpatientswithrheumaticandmusculoskeletaldiseases(RMDs)duringtheconferenceandtofeaturethisasacasestudy inoneoftheworkshops.

4.ToinformparticipantsfromtheCroatianLeagueAgainstRheumatismaboutEULARactivitiesandtoinspireandempowerthemthrough:

• participationintheconference; • attendingashortinternalmeetingforCroatiandelegates

tobeorganisedaftertheconference.

*Balneo-therapyisatermusedinCroatiaandsomeothercountriesforspatherapiesinvolvinghotandcoldbathsinmedicinalandthermalsprings,includingmineralspringsenrichedwithsilicaandothersubstancesthatcanbeabsorbedthroughtheskin.Balneo-therapymayinvolvemassagethroughmovingwaterandunderwatertherapeuticexercise.Thereissomeevidencethatbalneo-therapyofvariouskindsmaybehelpfulforanumberofRMDs,includingrheumatoidarthritis(RA),ankylosingspondylitis(AS)andosteoarthritis(OA).Balneo-therapycomesundertheumbrellaofhydrotherapies.

About the EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE: Since 1997, a dedicated conference has been held for EULAR member organisations of PARE, which is hosted by a different country each year. This year’s Annual Conference was held in Zagreb, Croatia and was hosted by the Croatian League Against Rheumatism, Hrvatska Liga Protiv Reumatizma. 108 delegates from 31 countries attended.

The main theme of the conference was HealthyAgeingwitharheumaticormusculoskeletaldisease(RMD)withthreemainareasoffocus;policyandcampaigning;informationandeducation;andcapacitybuildingandempowerment.Withatotalofeightworkshopstochoosefrom,eachworkshopwasrepeated,allowingdelegatesthe opportunity to attend four different workshops.TheplenarysessionsandworkshopsattendedbyCroatiandelegateswere translated into Croatian.

108 delegates attended the conference in Zagreb

REPORT

The Task Force responsible for planning this year’s conference:

Hans Bijlsma,EULARTreasurer

John Church, 2015 Ireland team

Frane Grubišić, 2014 Croatian team

Lena Maria Hreinsdóttir, 2013 Iceland team

Marios Kouloumas,EULARVicePresident representingPARE

Christina Opava,EULARVicePresident representingHealthProfessionalsinRheumatology

Ingrid Pöldemaa,PAREBoardandrepresentative of young people

Maarten de Wit,TaskForcemember

17th EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE,

Zagreb, Croatia,

7th – 9th November 2014

Thursday 6th November

OnThursdayevening delegates were invited to participate

inanetworkingicebreaker.Usingagridwith

factsthatcouldberelatedtopeopleinthe room, delegates were encouraged totalktoasmanypeopleintheroomaspossibletomeetnewpeopleandlearnabitmoreaboutthembytryingto match them to one of the facts on thegrid.Thisfirstnetworkingandgettogether session was well attended and enjoyed.PrizeswereawardedtoNicolaLinsandNicoledesBouvrieforbeingthefirsttocompletetheirgrids.

“A practical approach which enables the participants to know each other in the shortest possible way - excellent tool!

It was a great idea for new members to feel welcomed.”

Friday 7th November

Diana Skingle, Chairperson of the EULARStandingCommitteeofPARE,welcomeddelegatesandspeakersandmoderatedthefirstsessionoftheconference. This year, delegates were encouraged to engage in social media conversation around the conference, usingtheofficialconferencehashtag#PARE2014.Twitterengagementduringtheconferencewashigh;291tweets

abouttheconferenceweresharedbythedelegates, reaching a potential audience of approximately 163,000 people.

Prof. Christina Opava,EULARVicePresidentHealthProfessionalsinRheumatology,deliveredtheopeningremarksonbehalfofEULARandthankedtheCroatianLeagueAgainstRheumatismforhostingtheconferenceinthebeautifulcityofZagreb.Dr Frane Grubišić, PresidentoftheCroatianLeagueagainstRheumatism,welcomeddelegatesonbehalfofhisleague,andrelayedamessagefromIvoJosipovic,PresidentofCroatia, informing delegates that, although he could not attend the conference, MrJosipovicsenthisbestwishesandhopedthattheconferencewouldbesuccessful. However, Marija Coupe from theCroatianMinistryofHealthwasableto attend the conference and assured delegatesthattheMinistryisawarethatmorethan120millionpeopleinEurope

areaffectedbychronicpainfromRMDsand the importance of the early diagnosis andtreatmentofRMDs.

OtherwelcomeaddresseswereprovidedbyProf. Durđica Babić-Naglić, PresidentoftheCroatianSocietyforRheumatology,ClinicforRheumaticDiseasesandRehabilitation,UniversityHospitalCentre,Zagreb,whohighlightedthe need to promote the importance ofRMDsforpatients,familiesandsocieties, and Tatjana Prenđa Trupec, GeneralManageroftheCroatianHealthInsuranceFund,whonotedthattherehasbeenarecentincreaseinthefundingforbiologicaltreatmentsforpeoplewithRMDs,withtheFundintroducingeightbiologicaltreatmentslastyear.

Dr Frane Grubišić, Head of the DepartmentofAdultRheumatology,ClinicforRheumatology,PhysicalMedicine

The networking ice breaker

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Prof. Durđica Babić-Naglić, President of the Croatian Society for Rheumatology, Clinic for Rheumatic Diseases and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Centre, Zagreb

Marija Coupe, Croatian Ministry of Health

Thursday, 6th - Friday, 7th November

andRehabilitation,UniversityHospitalCentre,SestreMilosrdnice,ZagrebspokeabouttheroleofrehabilitationinthetreatmentofRMDs.DrGrubišicexplainedthatrehabilitationisacomplexandcomprehensive process, involving a wide variety of health professionals that aims to maximise the physical, psychological, socialandvocationalabilityofpeoplewithRMDsundergoingtreatment.Ljubica Žigman,apersonwithRA,presentedherpersonal experience of comprehensive rehabilitationandhowthishasenhancedher quality of life.

Prof. Hans Bijlsma,ProfessorofRheumatologyUtrechtandAmsterdam,TheNetherlands,andTreasurerofEULAR,presentedastrong,evidencebasedcasefortheroleofrehabilitationintreatingRMDs,buthighlightedthatnot all countries have access to these treatments.Prof.BijlsmausedthreetypesofRMDs,rheumatoidarthritis,ankylosing

spondyloarthritis and osteoarthritis, as examplestodemonstratethebenefitsofnon-pharmacologicalinterventionsinthetreatmentofRMDs.

Thepresentationswerefollowedbyalively interactive panel discussion around rehabilitation,whichincludedansweringseveralthought-provokingquestionsfromthe audience.

“All the plenary sessions were good but Hans Bijlsma was the highlight.”

“Very potent moderation and representation. Very potent messages.”

The opening addresses, presentations and panel discussion were live streamed andwatchedby117uniqueusers.Inaddition,thesessionwasmadeavailableonYouTubeandbymid-Decemberhadbeenviewedalmost600times.

“It was a very good idea of live transmission accessible on YouTube as recorded event - very professional

transmission with pasted slides of presentation and translation.”

Asatlastyear’sconference,theremainderoftheprogrammeonFridayandSaturdaywastakenupbyaseriesofworkshopsontopics focused on providing organisations with ideas and information to enhance their activities in the areas of campaigning, educationandcapacitybuilding.

Prof. Hans Bijlsma facilitated a workshoponusing recommendations to improve healthcare for people

with RMDs at a national level, with support from Dr Frane Grubišić and Dr Maarten de Wit,TaskForcemember.Theworkshophelpeddelegatesgaininsights into using a systematic approach to implementing recommendations on a national level in order to provide organisations with practical steps for developing a national action strategy to improve standards of care. Hans describedrecommendationsandhowtheycanbeusedtocampaignathospital,nationalandEuropeanlevels.Prof. Loreto Carmona,Vice-PresidentofOpenReumaandTechnicalSecretaryoftheSpanishLeagueAgainstRheumatism,(LIRE),presentedaninformativecasestudyonhowSpainsuccessfullyusedrecommendations to implement a national strategy on health quality improvements forpeoplewithRMDs.

Delegatesformedintogroupstoidentifygaps in healthcare provision, focusing ontopicsincludinglackofinformationandeducation,andalackofaccesstoa specialised multidisciplinary healthcare team.Thegroupdiscussingalackofpatient information and education noted the role of organisations in helping educate and empower patients, for examplethroughmobileappsandsocialmedia.Doctors’roleinpatienteducationcouldbenefitfrombettertrainingonhowtocommunicatetherisksandbenefitsoftreatments and the use of lay language.

Delegatesagreedthereisalackofaccess to a specialised multidisciplinary healthcare team and an unequal distributionofalltypesofrheumatology-related health professionals in health

17th EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE, Zagreb, Croatia, 7th – 9th November 2014 REPORT

Ljubica Žigman, a person with RA

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Diana Skingle, Dr Frane Grubišić and Prof. Hans Bijlsma

Dr Frane Grubišić, Head of the Department of Adult Rheumatology, Clinic for Rheumatology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Centre, Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb

Workshop on using recommendations to improve healthcare for people with RMDs at a national level

4

services at national levels. Communication betweenhealthcareteammembers,suchasGPsandspecialists,alsoneedstobeaddressed.Delegatesnotedtheimportance of increasing awareness of RMDsandusingpatientsaseducatorsamongstthegeneralpublic,throughnetworkingandothercommunicationschannels. It was noted, however, that manypeoplewithRMDsarereluctantorafraidtospeakoutthroughfearoflosingtheirjobsorstigmatisation.

John Church,CEOofArthritisIreland,facilitatedaworkshoptoidentifyhow organisations can make healthy eating easy and enjoyable for people with RMDs, with support from Dr Maarten de Wit and Nele Caeyers, CEOofRheumaNet.Theworkshopaimed to provide organisations with a menu of activities to encourage people withRMDstochoose,prepareandeathealthier foods and to provide ideas to help organisations develop and implement activities to encourage this.

JohnChurchpresentedArthritisIreland’smotivational‘Let’sCook’campaignasa case study, demonstrating what can bedonetopromotehealthyeatingatanationallevel.Delegatesthenidentifiedseveral challenges organisations face when trying to develop activities to encourage healthy eating, which included alackofknowledge,alackoffinancialresources,alackofprofessionalstaff,andalackofvolunteers.

Toaddressalackofknowledge,delegates highlighted the importance of providing information on topics such

as how to use assistive technologies. Organisationsthatarestrugglingtofinancetheiractivitiesshoulddevelopagoodbusinessplanandconsiderapproaching the pharmaceutical, or food industry for sponsorship, coordinate fundraisingactivities,oraskEULAR,theEUortheirnationalHealthMinistryforassistance.Iforganisationsarelackingprofessional staff, it was suggested that theycouldapproachmarketingstudentstoconductprobonoworkorasktheirsponsors.Toaddressalackofvolunteers,delegates recommended organisations could use communications channels, such as local press or social media, to attract people to give their time and help. Expertvolunteerscouldbesoughtfromlocalcookingschools.

Adriana Carluccio, International RelationsCoordinatorofAssociazionePersoneconMalattieReumatiche(APMAR),facilitatedaworkshoptohelp delegates understand how organisations can use internet tools and social media to enhance their

activities and communicate with their members and broader audiences, with support from Judith Cranford, head ofglobaladvocacyatRuderFinn.Atthestartoftheworkshopdelegatesweregiven the opportunity to identify online tools from their logos. This stimulated discussion around the tools delegates have used in their organisations.

Adrianaprovidedguidanceonthemosteffective ways to use social media to supportorganisations’activities,whetheritbecampaigningorfundraising.Choosingthemostsuitableonlineplatformshouldbedeterminedbytheaimoftheorganisations’campaignoractivity,for example, smaller organisations may want to focus on driving engagement and awareness, whereas larger organisations may need to coordinate crowd sourcing oronlineadvertising.Adrianaexplainedthat every organisation faces challenges in usingsocialmediaandthatthebestwayto approach social media activities is to develop a strategy and to identify exactly who you are trying to reach and why.

Adrianaprovideddelegateswithbestpractice case studies, such as a FacebookcampaignbytheAPMARaround the closure of the rheumatology unitattheSanFilippoNeriHospitalinRome.Delegatesweregivenaninteractive demonstration on how to usespecificonlinetools;Facebookadvertising and Hootsuite for the more experiencedorganisations;andFacebookand Indiegogo for the less experienced organisations.DelegatesshowedinterestinlearningaboutnewtoolsandbenefitedfromAdriana’sguidanceandtips.

Workshop on how organisations can make healthy eating easy and enjoyable for people with RMDs

Adriana Carluccio, International Relations Coordinator of Associazione Persone con Malattie Reumatiche and Judith Cranford, head of global advocacy at Ruder Finn, presenting the workshop on online tools and social media

Nicole des Bouvrie, secretary of Youth-R-Well.com,supportedbyPetra Bednarova,volunteerandboardmemberoftheSlovakLeagueAgainstRheumatism(SLAR),ledtheYouthworkshoponchildren and RMDs, which lookedathoworganisationscansupportchildrenwithRMDsandtheirparentsandwhatstepsorganisationsneedtotaketosetupandrunactivities.PetraprovidedacasestudyontheSlovakianLeague’sKidsKlub,showcasinghowtheprojectwas formed and the range of activities itnowprovidesforchildrenwithRMDs.Delegatesthentookpartinanopendiscussion to share their experiences of settingupandrunningclubsforchildren,including the challenges they have faced.

Delegatesworkedingroupstolookatdifferent aspects of developing support for childrenwithRMDsandtheirparents.Thefirstgroupdiscussedwhatinformationandsupportcouldbeofferedandsuggestedtalksandworkshopscould

begivenatschools,partiesandsportsevents.Additionally,organisationscouldset up summer or winter camps centred aroundsports,gardening,workshopsorfundraising.Aninformationpackcouldbedeveloped and offered to all children and parentsuponjoiningayouthclub,whichincludes education for newly diagnosed patients.

ThesecondgrouplookedatwhatisrequiredtobeabletooffersupportforchildrenwithRMDs.Thegrouphighlightedthat setting up a group for children is easier when done through a national organisation.Doctorsandhealthcareprofessionals have an important role in referring people to national organisations. Potentialleaderscouldbeidentifiedfromwithin the groups of parents, grandparents andotherfamilymembers.Thefinalgroupdiscussed ways in which organisations can approach children and parents to get theminvolvedinactivities.Delegates’ideasincludedwebsitesforyouth,clinicvisits,havingyouthrepresentativesinbranchesthroughout the country and for children affectedbyRMDstogivepresentationsinschools.Delegateshighlightedtheimportance of using social media to communicate case studies, including celebritycasestudies,tohelpovercomethe stigma associated with, and change publicperceptionsof,childrenwithRMDs.

“Great job with the workshops. I wish we could attend more workshops. Using examples from experienced countries is a great idea. If they had more time they could be more detailed. Skilled experts

could be included in workshops.”

“I was excited by the youth workshops, especially the first one that had to do with kids! Congratulations to all! We

need more of these examples and as the next conference will be held in Dublin

where there has been very good work with this sensitive age group, I strongly

believe that workshops like this are more than important. In addition, the social

media workshop made a good effort to introduce us to new ways of funding and

expanding knowledge.”

Followingtheworkshops,Marios Kouloumas moderated an informal, interactiveworkshopfeedbacksessionwithtimefordelegatestoasktheworkshopleadersquestionsrelatingtoeachoftheworkshoptopics.

In the evening, delegates attended the poster exhibition, which consisted of 10 inspiring posters and two short videos.Delegateswereinvitedtojointhe‘posterrally’,wheretheyhadtomatcheachpostertoafactaboutthecampaignprovided in a list. This encouraged people

17th EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE, Zagreb, Croatia, 7th – 9th November 2014 REPORT

5

Workshop on children and RMDs

Marios Kouloumas, EULAR Vice President representing PARE

Adriana Carluccio, John Church and Hans Bijlsma answering questions in the feedback session

Question and answer session

Poster exhibition

6

Saturday, 8th November

to read the posters, watch the videos and askthepresentersabouttheircampaigns.The winner, with all correct answers in the quickesttime,wasBoryanaBoteva,fromBulgaria,whowonaprize.

PrizeswerealsoawardedtothepostersfromMalta,forthemostsuccessful/innovative campaign around the theme healthyageing,presentedbyMaryVella;fromAGORA,forthemostsuccessful/innovativecampaign(opentheme),presentedbySouziMakri;andfromFinlandforthemostbeautifulposter(opentheme),presentedbySiniHirvonen.Eachoftheposterwinnersreceivedaprize.

Saturday 8th November

Theworkshop‘how can organisations build a case for rehabilitation?’ wasledbyProf. Christina Opava, with support from Dr Frane Grubišić. Christinabegantheworkshopbyexplainingwhattherapiesconstituterehabilitationandtheterm‘ComprehensiveRehabilitation’.Delegatesdiscussedtherangeofrehabilitationservicesavailableintheircountries,aswell as identifying those that are not offered.ThemaintypesofrehabilitationwhicharelackingacrossEuropearecomprehensivemedicalrehabilitation,podiatry, hydrotherapy, social and lifestyle counselling,psychotherapyandself-management education.

Dr Tatjana Kehler presented an informative case study on what is beingdoneinCroatiatocampaignforrehabilitationtherapiesonalocallevel. In light of the economic climate

andcutstohealthbudgets,delegatestalkedabouttheirownexperiencesofreductionstorehabilitationservicesofferedintheircountries.Insub-groups delegates then discussed how organisations can campaign to maintain orimproverehabilitationservicesforpeoplewithRMDs.

Delegatesagreedthatonemethodistoestablishrelationshipswithpoliticiansandtolobbyusingcasestudies,statisticsandnationaldatabases.Delegateshighlighted the importance of the media asapowerfultoolforlobbying.Uponsetting up a campaign, organisations firstneedtoidentifyscientificstudies,economic data and medical information to provide evidence. The next step is toholdpublictalksormeetingswithpatients,policymakersandmedicalexperts.Onceacomprehensiveactionplanhasbeendeveloped,organisationsshouldthenbuildallianceswithothernational organisations and create

networksataEuropeanlevel.

Judith Cranfordfacilitatedaworkshoplookingathow to develop a successful communications strategy. Judith explained to delegates the benefitsofdevelopingacommunicationsstrategy and presented case studies of successful communications strategies withinlargerorganisations.Sheraisedthe point that planning is crucial, as it allows organisations to develop and communicate messages and information that support organisational goals in a consistent manner, allowing organisationstobeproactive,notjustreactive. Jean-Noél Dachicourt, GeneralManagerofAssociationFrançaisedeLutteAnti-Rhumatismale,presented a case study on how the NationalAllianceagainstOsteoarthritisinFrancehasusedacommunicationsstrategytoincreaseknowledgearoundosteoarthritis and improve patient care. He explained that communication is essential in all activities within organisations, for example advocacy, campaigning, media relations, education, research and fundraising.

Delegatesfromsmallerorganisationsidentifiedtheelementsneededtodevelop a communications strategy. They noted that organisations need to haveaclearaimorobjectiveinordertobeabletodevelopastrategyandalsohavespecific,measurabletactics.Organisationsalsoneedtoidentifytheirtargetaudienceanddevelopclearkeymessages, ensuring that their story is compelling.Theyalsoneedtoknowtheirbudget,howmanyvolunteers

Christina Opava leading the workshop on how organisations can build a case for rehabilitation

17th EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE, Zagreb, Croatia, 7th – 9th November 2014 REPORT

Workshop on how to write and submit a PARE abstract

7

orpermanentstaffareavailableanddeveloprealistictimelines.Organisationsshould select the most appropriate channel of communication for their objective,keepingsocialmediachannelsinmind.Delegatesalsotalkedabouttheimportance of presenting the needs and benefitsofacommunicationsstrategytoorganisations’decisionmakers.

Delegatesfromlargerorganisationsdiscussedhowprogrammescanbemeasured for success, for example using emailfeedback,evaluationsurveysorcompetitor comparisons. They highlighted theimportanceofknowingwhentorevise a communications strategy, what stepsneedtobetakenandwhoneedstobeinvolved.Delegatesagreedthatitisalso important to have a plan in place to manageunexpectedissuesandbeableto respond in a timely manner.

Prof Hans Bijlsma, with support from Nele Caeyers and Lara Poethig, AccountManagerofEULARatMCI,

facilitatedaworkshopinformingdelegates how to write and submit a PARE abstractusingtheEULARsubmissionsystem.Hansprovideddelegates with useful points to consider whenwritinganabstract,includingthetypes of information and data to put in eachsectionoftheabstractandhowtoeffectively present the results of a study. Hansnotedtheimportanceofanabstracthaving a compelling title and conclusion, asthesearethefirstthingspeoplewillread. If these are not interesting they will not read any further.

Delegateswerepresentedwithsampleabstracts,whichHanstalkedthrough, highlighting the strengths and weaknessesofeach.Delegatesthenlookedatframeworksforanabstractandagreedthebestwerewellstructuredwith a precise title. The introduction shouldbebrief,explainingwhythestudywasnecessaryandmakingthereaderwanttokeepreading.Intheresultssectiontablescanbeusedtoprovide

thedata,whereastextshouldbeusedtodescribetheresults.Interpretationoftheresultsmustnotbeincludedintheresultssection,insteadthisshouldbeplaced in the discussion section, along withthestrengthsandweaknessesofthestudy and an explanation of the practical implications of the study.

LaraintroducedtheEULARsubmissionsystem and gave delegates a practical step-by-stepdemonstrationonhowtosubmitabstractsusingthesystem.Delegatesalsoreceivedaguidewhichincluded detailed steps and helpful tips to aidthosewhoareplanningtosubmitanabstract.Lararemindeddelegatesthatanyonecansubmitanon-clinicalabstractandthatapplicationsfortravelbursariesareavailableseparately.

Thesecondyouthworkshop‘From plan to action: taking the Youth Group strategy forward’wasfacilitatedbyLinda van Nieuwkoop,chairofYouth-R-Well.com,andco-chairedbyPetra Bednarova.Theworkshopaimedtoshare the outcomes of the Youth Group strategic meeting and to gain practical insights into integrating young people withRMDsintotheworkofEULAR.LindaandPetraprovidedanintroductiontotheoutcomes of the Youth Group strategic meetingandhighlightedthekeyfindingsand main questions that need input from the delegates. Dr Anna Molto,chair-electofEMEUNET,joinedtheworkshopviaSkypetoprovideaninsightfulcasestudyonEMEUNET,thenetworkforyoung rheumatologists, which has a numberofsimilaritieswhichcouldbeofinteresttoYoungPAREandprovideideas

Judith Cranford leading the workshop on how to develop a successful communications strategy

onhowtobuildandstrengthentheYouthGroupwithinEULAR.

Delegatesdiscussedtheoutcomesofthestrategic meeting and provided input into theYouthGroupdraftstrategy.DelegatesdiscussedestablishingaEuropeanexchangeandsupportnetworkofnationalyouth organisations and representatives. Theyagreedthatthegoalswouldbetosharebestpractices,empowermembers,foster connections and provide training consistingofsponsoring,lobbyingand how to involve volunteers. They recommendedthatthefirststeptoreachingkeyaudiencesshouldbeusingonline platforms and social media.

DelegatesagreedthatthevisionofYoungPAREistoempoweryouthgroupsand youth representatives to increase understandingthatRMDsaffectyoung

people and to support the roll out of vibrantnationalyouthprogramsthatmeettheneedsofyoungpeople.Delegatesdiscussed how youth representatives canbestructurallyintegratedintoEULAR

andPAREactivities.TheysuggestedthatoneseatonthePAREboardshouldbededicatedtoaYouthGrouprepresentative,thereshouldbeayouthrepresentativeineveryTaskForceandthat new leaders should receive training.

Marios Kouloumas and Diana Skingle presented the conference closing remarks,thankingalldelegatesfortheirimportantcontributiontotheworkshops.Delegateswereencouragedtousetheirworkbookstodisseminatewhattheyhave learned during the conference to theirorganisations.AshortfilmwasthendisplayedofaflashmobdanceinAntwerpstation,Belgium,toraiseawarenessofyoungpeoplewithRMDs,coordinatedbyNeleCaeyers,ReumaNetand everyone joined in creating an uplifting end to the conference.

The gala dinner was held at a traditional Croatianrestaurant,Okrugljak,wheredelegates were treated to a truly special performancebyHlapaGrdelin,FraneGrubišic’sprofessionalandhighlytalented a cappella group. The gala dinnerincludedspeechesfromMariosKouloumas,DianaSkingleandFraneGrubišic,whothankedeveryoneforattendingandmakingtheconferencesuch a huge success.

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Malahide Grand Hotel, Dublin County

The next EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE willbeheldattheMalahideGrandHotel,DublinCountyfrom24–26April2015andhostedbyArthritisIreland.

17th EULAR Annual European Conference of PARE, Zagreb, Croatia, 7th – 9th November 2014 REPORT

Linda van Nieuwkoop, chair of Youth-R-Well.com, and Dr Anna Molto, chair-elect of EMEUNET presenting in the youth workshop ‘From plan to action: taking the Youth Group strategy forward’

Hlapa Grdelin performing at the Gala dinner