MS is a form of dementia, an incurable and debilitating disease more common than better known conditions, such as Parkinson’s and MND.
People with MS often have difficulty doing basic things, like walking, talking, writing and concentrating. Many get chronically depressed, can have problems with their eye-sight and have trouble sleeping. Researchers have found that when people are first diagnosed with MS they often show “post-traumatic symptoms”.
Nearly 500 people in the U.K. will be diagnosed with MS this year – over 11,000 already live with the disease.
With the support of the Pixel Fund, Revive MS Support is introducing new services that directly help people, and their families, in the early stages of the disease, as well as those who receive no support because of where they live or their level of disability. These services include:
Making Sense of MS – group sessions geared at helping people with MS to understand their condition and make the critical changes that will help them cope, stay in work and stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible;
Digesting Science – hands-on sessions for the family of people who have MS. Using a special kit that mimics the effects of MS on the body and explains how it works, specialists are on-hand to give family members a detailed insight into what it feels like to live with the condition; this improves the quality of life of the whole family.
ARMSS (Access to Revive MS Support) – a pioneering tele-health programme designed to reach people who can’t get support. Using either a computer or smartphone, people with MS can access support wherever they are in Scotland. This service brings some of Revive’s core services: regular consultations, speech & language and other therapies, mindfulness, continence support and more, into their front rooms. People who are isolated tend to fare much worse, and deteriorate much quicker, than those who have a lot of support.
These new services will have a big impact on the mental and physical health of people with MS, and their families, over the coming year.
On behalf of Revive MS Support