The focus of this year's MS Week, which runs from 21-27 April, is the physical, financial and emotional cost of the condition and what the MS Society Scotland can do to help people affected by the disease.
The physical impact of MS is perhaps the most obvious cost. The condition affects people by damaging the insulation around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It seems that the body's immune system that normally attacks harmful intruders gets c
onfused and starts to attack the nerve cells. This can result in a variety of symptoms, dependent on which cells get damaged. They can include loss of mobility and sight, muscle spasms, slurred speech and fatigue. Symptoms can also strike without warning and no two people living with MS experience it in the same way. The MS Society Scotland has campaigned for improvements in specialist health services for people affected by MS and has joint-funded many MS specialist health worker posts. We achieved our goal of having a specialist post in place in every Scottish NHS board last year.
The financial costs of multiple sclerosis can be significant. While many people continue to work when living with MS, some have to reduce their hours and others must give up work entirely. In other cases, the partner of someone living with MS has to give up work to become a carer.
The society offers financial support to pay for equipment, adaptations, holidays and other support that can make a huge difference to the quality of people's lives. Many of the society's branches across Scotland provide grants for people affected by MS. We also offer support and advice about employment and benefits to help people minimise the financial impact of the condition on their lives.
Dealing with the emotional costs of MS can often be the most difficult aspect of living with the disease. For some diagnosis can be devastating, while others feel great relief at the removal of the uncertainty about their health.
There is also an increased likelihood of relationships breaking down after a diagnosis as partners come to terms with what it could mean for the future. The society offers information and support at a national and local level, to deal with such emotional problems. Our online forums are a valued way of communicating with others who are going through, or have gone through similar situations.
One of the unanswered riddles of MS is why it should be more prevalent in Scotland than anywhere else. It is, for instance, nearly twice as common here as in the south of England.
Our society is a major funder of MS research in Scotland, supporting 19 projects totalling some £5 million. This research attempts to develop understanding of MS and why there is such a high rate north of the Border, as well as developing ways of preventing or repairing the damage done by the disease. We rely entirely on public support to fund this important work.
MS Week gives us a good opportunity to reflect on past successes and look forward to new challenges. The services available for people affected by MS in Scotland have come a long way over the past few years, but a great deal remains to be done.
Sufferers are entitled to expect the best care and support possible to put the pieces together to beat the condition, and we are with them every step of the way.
• Mark Hazelwood is the director of the MS Society Scotland. For more information, visit www.mssocietyscotland.org.uk or call the MS Society helpline on 0808 800 8000.
The full article contains 615 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
