World Multiple Sclerosis Day 2020: Five Tips for Caregivers of MS Patients

World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day is an annual event hosted by the MS International Foundation (MSIF) on May 30th. The day is focused on raising awareness about the disease and connecting it to 2.3 million people around the world.

Expressive image. Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay.

Multiple sclerosis occurs when our immune system attacks the myelin sheath (outer layer) of brain cells. A damaged or destroyed neuron cannot properly send a signal in the brain or stop the signal altogether. The name multiple sclerosis derives from the fact that these damaged tissues develop scar tissue. Therefore, there are multiple areas of scarring.

The theme of this year’s MS Day is “connectivity”. It aims to build connections in the community, self-connect, and with quality care, helping people with MS not feel lonely.

MS Stigma

People with multiple sclerosis may experience symptoms such as fatigue, tingling, pain, difficulty walking, bladder, bowel, and vision. They vary in severity from person to person and may disappear, recur, or get worse.

According to the UK Multiple Sclerosis Trust, MS patients are often depressed due to symptoms and disabilities, and how people react to their condition. Stigma occurs when people are stereotyped, prejudiced, and discriminated against. This leads to the removal of that person from society. Studies show that patients with MS are often more depressed due to stigma than the disorder itself.

Therefore, MS patients need a lot of support (mental and physical) and care.

Care for multiple sclerosis patients

Family and friends are usually the primary caregivers of MS patients. If you also know someone who has been diagnosed with MS, you need to know that MS is in an unpredictable situation. Here are some ways to become a better caregiver for MS patients:

1. Make them independent. Many MS patients prefer to be independent while the disease progresses. You need to know when to allow them and when to block them. To help them, you can make certain changes to your home, such as setting up ramps for wheelchairs (if needed) and expanding doorways. You can also add other tools and gadgets to make daily activities easier and with minimal assistance.

2. Know the cure and the expert: Read as much as possible and update yourself with the latest treatments and the appropriate medications that will help manage the situation in patients with mild multiple sclerosis. When MS worsens, patients often discontinue disease modification therapy (DMT) and it is normal to feel helpless, but do not give up now. Work with your physiotherapist to keep your body moving (and thus become independent) and talk to your doctor about switching to devices such as functional electrical stimulation. This gives the muscles a slight shock and improves their function.

3. Keep medical records. Watch their symptoms and if they are changing or getting better. Do not skip your appointment with your doctor. You can keep a log of all appointments and set reminders to help with this. If you don’t want to see a doctor because of extreme fatigue or other symptoms, check your local appointments.

4. Take a healthy lifestyle: According to experts, a healthy lifestyle and diet play a major role in controlling the symptoms of the disease and slowing its progression. So support them with this and embrace their healthy living routines. On the plus side, this also keeps you healthy.

5. Get help: Do not take on all responsibility. Instead, find ways to divide your responsibilities with other family members and close friends so that you have time for self-care. If you can’t do that on a regular basis, ask your friends, family, or local MS organization for help, at least when absolutely necessary.

For more information, see the following article. Multiple sclerosis..

The Firstpost Health Article is produced by myUpchar.com, India’s first and largest resource for validated healthcare information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to provide all health information.

Update: May 30, 2020 12:48:25 IST

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