MS sufferers to be helped more
New programme offering support
NICOLA FINDLAY
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in East Kilbride are set to be offered more support as part of a new £24,000 programme.
Launching this month, the Lanarkshire-wide MS Society Scotland project will provide extensive selfmanagement support, including information events and support sessions, to people affected by MS in the area.
Funded by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), Scottish Government and William Grant Foundation, MS Society Scotland will work in partnership with its Lanarkshire group and health care professionals to offer local and online support to people at different stages of their MS journey.
Digesting Science events will also be open to children aged six to 12 using fun scientific activities to teach some of the science behind MS.
Over 11,000 people live with MS in Scotland and more than 10 per cent of that number are in Lanarkshire.
Craig Herbert, 46 from East Kilbride, is a member of the project’s steering group and will be co-facilitating sessions as part of the programme.
He said: “I’ve been facilitating selfmanagement sessions with MS Society Scotland for a decade now and I know how much of a difference programmes like this can make.
“I really wanted to give back and, while I believe one day we will have treatments to stop MS, selfmanagement is something that can have a real, tangible effect for people living with the condition today.”
He added: “It’s really important that people have the opportunity to learn about MS and what they can do to help manage its effects whether they or a loved one have been diagnosed with the condition.
“Having the chance to connect with others and build support networks like this can make a huge difference in the short and long terms.”
Morna Simpkins, director of MS Society Scotland, said: “We’re delighted that a project which has the potential to transform the support available to people in Lanarkshire with MS has received funding from the Health and Social Care Alliance through the Self Management Fund.”
Scotland has one of the highest rates of people living with MS in the world.
Activities and events that are part of the project aim to help support people affected by MS at whatever stage they might be in their journey - friends and family, people who are newly diagnosed and those who have been living with the condition for a number of years.
MS Society Scotland’s ‘Living Well with MS’ sessions have been delivered to hundreds of people across Scotland over the past two years, offering support and a chance to connect with others in a similar situation.
The Lanarkshire project will expand on these sessions to provide a range of options for anyone affected by the condition in the area.
For more information on MS Society Scotland’s Lanarkshire project please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/ ms-society-9573641644