Live-in Care For People Living With Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
How can a Live-in Carer support someone who has Multiple Sclerosis/MS?
Most people living with Multiple Sclerosis would prefer to stay in the comfort of their own home. Familiar surroundings are comforting and there is often a support network of friends and family locally. With full-time MS Live-in care support, you are provided with 24-hour care focused on your individual needs. You can tailor the Live-in service to ensure you are able to enjoy a high quality of life. Also tailor the service to maintain control and choice to live as independently as possible.
Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis can include fatigue, mobility problems, bladder control
problems and blurred vision. All of these can be safely managed in the home
with the expert support of a Live-in carer. Your MS Nurse will give guidance and support to you and your carer about managing your symptoms.
An Occupational Therapist can assess you and your home for any equipment needed for your personalised care. This will ensure your home is suitable for your needs and your Live-in carer can support you safely. Your Live-in carer will be experienced with all types of mobility aids and equipment. They will help you to manage your Multiple Sclerosis and adjust to any new requirements.
Just some of the help a Live-in Carer can offer:
Support with personal care
- At times and in ways that you choose. This might include bathing, showering, dressing, and undressing and general support with your personal appearance. This may be help with shaving, hair care and make-up, jewellery, nail care, etc. Having Multiple Sclerosis does not mean that your appearance need suffer. Your Live-in carer will listen to your preferences and how you like things to be done and help accordingly.
Support with continence
- Accessing the bathroom, using the loo, or more complex support such as catheter and stoma care where required. Multiple Sclerosis can come with a wide range of different problems relating to your bladder & bowels. We introduce Live-in Carers who have the right experience & training who know exactly how to help you. They will also be able to monitor and track any changes. Your Live-in Carer can support you to report any changes back to your GP or MS Nurse.
Support with mobility
- Multiple Sclerosis can cause muscle weakness and many other issues with mobility. You may find it hard to move around easily. This can be challenging or even prevent you from doing a wide range of different activities. Our experienced Live-in Carers are there to help you in any way they can. That might be helping you transfer, hoisting or just being there to help give you confidence. Knowing your Live-in Carer is there if you should fall or have an accident can help with worry. It will also give you and your family reassurance and peace of mind.
Assisting with medication
– Your Live-in Carer will be fully trained in the safe administration of medication. They will be happy to support you with ordering and collecting prescriptions. They can gently prompt if needed when medication is due and can support you with pain management. Your Live-in Carer can help you liaise with your GP or MS Nurse if any changes are needed.
Domestic Duties
- The day-to-day running of the home, including hoovering, dusting, other light housework, and laundry. Some of our Live-in Carers also love gardening. They will be very happy to help you in your outdoor spaces, maybe growing seeds, or watering. They can also help you keep your bird feeders topped up. As vision difficulties can be common with Multiple Sclerosis, your Live-in Carer can also help with other challenging activities. This might include reading recipes, labels, letters, and emails and helping with shopping online.
Preparing and Cooking Meals
– Prepared to your likes using fresh ingredients, ensuring you are provided with a nutritious and balanced diet. Our Live-in carers will welcome your input in the kitchen and cooking together can be an enjoyable social activity. Our fully trained Live-in Carers will also accommodate any special dietary requirements, including a soft diet. Problems with swallowing (Dysphagia) can affect around a third of people with Multiple Sclerosis at some time.
Companionship
– Chatting and watching TV or listening to music together. A lot of our Live-in Carers stay with their clients for a long time and become friends. Feeling companionship is a vital part of maintaining emotional stability.
Pet Care
– Our Live-in carers will enjoy helping you take care of your beloved pets. That may include walking them, feeding them and arranging or supporting with vet visits when needed. Pets can be amazing way of calming anxiety and reducing stress levels associated with many conditions including Multiple Sclerosis.
Support to arrange and attend activities in and out of the home
- Visits to friends and family or attending places of interest to you. This might include National Trust gardens, shopping, community groups and clubs, visits to your hairdresser, etc. A Live-in carer will facilitate and welcome your loved ones to visit you at home
Support with your physical and mental health
– Your Live-in Carer will support you to contact your local surgery for GP or district nurse input. They will also be able to help you contact your Multiple Sclerosis Nurse or Consultant. Your Live-in Carer will be able to support and accompany you to GP and hospital appointments. An experienced Live-in Carer will understand the emotional impact Multiple Sclerosis can have on their client. They will be sensitive to your needs and understand the challenges you face.
Support with cognitive difficulties
– Your Live-in Carer can help if are suffering cognitive problems caused by Multiple Sclerosis. They will help you remember things such as important dates, appointments, and birthdays They can help keep a list of anything you may need to remember and keep you on track of your to-dos! You may also have trouble communicating and getting stuck on words. Your Live-in Carer can help you speak to your family, friends & professionals when you need assistance. They are also there to help understand and process important information, for example instructions from your doctor.
Finding the Perfect Carer for someone with Multiple Sclerosis
At Access Care we pride ourselves on being a Live-in care recruitment agency who really care. We want to make a great match of Carer for all our clients. We know how much our Live-in Carers support and enhance the quality of life of our clients. Furthermore, it’s a pleasure to help make that happen.
We have been introducing professionally trained Live-in Carers to care for people with Multiple Sclerosis at home for over 25 years. Many of our carers have a wealth of experience and have attended specialist MS care training.
We will listen to your wishes and needs. We will talk to you to get to know you so we can try to find you a Live-in Carer with common interests and beliefs. This is in addition to the necessary care qualifications, skills, and experience.
For our Clients with Multiple Sclerosis, we look for Live-in Carers who ideally have advanced experience of caring for clients with MS. They will have the necessary understanding and insight into the condition as well as the practical skills to support you. Our job is to present you with possible Live-in Carers to choose from. Your job is to choose one!
Multiple Sclerosis Resources you may find useful
The MS Society is the UK’s largest charity for people affected by Multiple Sclerosis. It has offices and local groups in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They can offer a wide range of resources and support including support on the telephone, an online community and carer support. They can also offer financial guidance and financial assistance in certain cases https://www.mssociety.org.uk
Multiple Sclerosis Trust are committed to ensuring everyone with Multiple Sclerosis can access the treatments and services they need. They have a great range of information and resources available and a confidential helpline https://mstrust.org.uk
MS-UK offer a good range of resources. They have a confidential counselling service for people who have a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, a helpline and an online service which offer a range of activities. These include exercise sessions, mindfulness courses and information services and workshops https://ms-uk.org
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