Les sections locales offrent un large éventail de services* pour les personnes atteintes de sclérose en plaques :
Support: Psychological support and sometimes offer such counselling in person.
Self-help Groups: Groups for people with MS, their spouses and/or caregivers. Also the Journey to wellness program.
Peer Support: Pair a person with MS with another person who has learned over time how to cope with this disease.
Information Sessions: Hoping for the future, coping with the present program is for people who have just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and their entourage.
Presentations: Lectures by health professionals on various topics.
The Québec Division and its chapters offer a telephone hotline for psychological support and sometimes offer such counselling in person. These services assist people who have just been diagnosed with MS, those who are having an attack, or the family members of a person with MS. Counsellors listen attentively, empathize and can suggest resources and potential solutions.
Some local chapters set up self-help groups for people with MS, and also groups for their spouses and/or caregivers. These self-help groups help people keep going and cope with MS in their day-to-day lives. Meetings are held in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect; confidentiality is the golden rule.
The goals of self-help groups are to:
encourage people to talk to each other, discuss things, share their fears, successes and solutions to difficulties they have experienced
foster hope and realism, as well as demystify the disease
develop self-respect and respect for the others in the group through listening and being heard
develop a feeling of belonging and of being able to help others
enable members of the group not to feel alone with their problems
encourage group autonomy insofar as possible
To find out what self-help groups are organized in your area, please contact your local chapter.
Journey to wellness
The Journey to Wellness program is for people with multiple sclerosis. This program, deployed through self-help groups, consists of 9 meetings of 2 hours each. It is based on six aspects of health: physical, emotional, intellectual, professional, spiritual and social.
The meeting content is as follows:
Well-being is defined and participants get acquainted in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
The process of exploring and adopting a lifestyle that promotes well-being is explained. What are the choices? What is the path to well-being? Can you change direction along the way?
Food and exercise are discussed.
Ways are provided to become an enlightened consumer of health care by taking an active role in your own health. You’ll also explore ways of managing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and review traditional and alternative methods of treating this disease.
Intellectual stimulation and treatment of cognitive problems in MS are discussed.
Participants are helped to explore the feelings related to having a chronic illness.
Employment issues are discussed, along with substitutes like volunteer work and recreational activities.
Spiritual health is discussed.
People learn how to establish and maintain healthy relationships with others.
To find out if the Journey to Wellness program is offered in your area, please contact your local chapter.
Some chapters have developed programs that pair a person with MS with another person who has learned over time how to cope with this disease. The peer counsellor should be available and interested in voluntarily helping someone get over the shock of a diagnosis of MS. This person’s mission is to provide moral and other support, comfort, and help a recently diagnosed person deal with the disease. Contacts are generally by telephone, but can also be face-to-face. The number and duration of meetings vary depending on the needs and availabilities of people concerned.
Who can become a peer counsellor for the MS Society?
Anyone who:
has been trained to listen or provide assistance
knows the Society’s services, guidelines and policies
has learned to cope with MS
can talk about her or his experience with MS
has the time and the desire to help someone in a similar situation
is sensible and mature
communicates well with others
What are the peer counsellor’s roles?
A counsellor:
shares her or his knowledge about multiple sclerosis and available resources
fosters an atmosphere of trust and openness
is able to comfort the other person and empathize with what they are going through
accept the other person as they are without being judgemental
If you are interested in being a peer counsellor, please contact your chapter to find out if this service exists in your area.
Throughout the year, several Local Chapters organize lectures by health professionals (neurologists, nurses, psychologists, sexologists, etc.) on various topics, including insurance, employment, sexuality, and research.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: FROM TRIAL TO TREATMENT
Research is taking place across the globe at an unprecedented pace and it is an important time to become more informed. Dr. Genge will talk about treatments currently available and the ongoing clinical trials for the different forms of Multiple Sclerosis. She will also explain the implications in participating in a clinical trial.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
June 16, 2012
from 10:00 to 12:00
Karnak Shriners
3350 Sources Boulevard
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Dr. Angela Genge, neurologist
You can register by contacting the West Island Chapter before June 9
Telephone: 514 676-1588 E-mail: grpspbo@videotron.ca
Conference presented thanks to an unconditional grant from:
