MS Information Day "Embracing Life with MS"

Our MS Information Day this year will focus on Fatigue. 
 

The event will be held on the 19th April at Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading.  Booking is essential as we are limited to 200.

This second information day is for people affected by MS within Berkshire has been organised in collaboration with Dr. Faraz Jeddi, Consultant Physicians in Neurorehabilitation and Neurodisability.

Our aim being to provide up to date information with strategies to embrace quality of life.

The information day is suitable for people with MS, their families, carers and professionals.

For information and booking details please click here!

 

Bladder Symptoms

Source MS Trust:

Bladder symptoms are among the most common reported by people with MS, though there are ways to effectively manage problems. Read more in the A to Z of MS http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/bladder.jsp

Photogarphy Courses

Rod Bird is a photographer who kindly takes lots of pics for BMSTC. He runs photography courses and the next ones are "27-28 April and 4-5 May (two weekends): Get The Most From Photography
The whole workflow : composition, effective use of... the camera, image organisation, image editing in Photoshop/Elements, printing, and you even get a framed photo. Hands-on, with a laptop per customer. £295 incl."

 

For more information visit his website here.  

Access Automation

We are delighted that Access Automation will be joining us for our MS information day on the 19th April! For more details about the event http://www.bmstc.org/Events/Embracing-Live-with-MS-in-Berkshire.aspx.

Visit Access Automation's website here!

Quiz Night

The Catherine Wheel pub in Goring will be hosting a Quiz Night for the Centre on Sunday 3rd March at 7pm and we are hoping to make up a couple of teams of 6 from the Centre.

If you would like to take part, please contact Jackie or Kirsten for more details on 0118 901 6000 or email jackie@bmstc.org or kirsten@bmstc.org

The landlords of the pub, Tim and James, will also be running the Reading Half Marathon for the Centre on March 17th :)

MS Society announce 11 new research projects

Some really interesting research subjects, it will be interesting to see how these develop.  Pip  :0)

"We've just announced 11 new research projects we're funding - from cause to symptom relief - with progressive MS continuing to be a priority #beatingMS"  Read more here.

Thousands of carers to lose benefits

Source BBC:

Thousands of carers in England, Wales and Scotland are set to lose benefits when new disability-claim rules start.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says 5,000 carers currently eligible for a £58.45 a week allowance will no longer be when personal independence payments replace the disability living allowance this April. Read more here.

£75k social care payment limit to be introduced in England

Source MS Society:

The Government has unveiled plans to cap in England the cost people over retirement age have to pay for social care at £75,000. People of working age who develop care needs before they reach retirement age will benefit from a lower cap, but it is not yet clear what this will be.  Read more here.

Changes to walking and balance

Source: MS Trust

Alison Clarke, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.

Walking around the house, the garden, to the shops and in the office should be automatic and effortless. It is often only when things go wrong that we realise how complex all the aspects of our balance and walking are.  Read more here.

MS Society Lambing Weekends

Please support our good friends, the Reading, Wokingham and Districts MS Society at one of their lambing weekends. A great day out for all of the family raising money for a great cause.  For more click here :0)

Listen to Shift.ms founder George on BBC Radio 1, with Becky Huxtable

Source BBC:

The Surgey with Aled
Open Surgery with Dr Stuart.

For more click here!

Tysabri to become potential ‘first line’ therapy for MS

Source MS Society:

The manufacturers of Tysabri have applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA for the approval of Tysabri as a first-line treatment for people with relapsing remitting MS, who have tested negative for antibodies to the JC virus.

Read more here!

Skin 'may restore' diseased MS brain

Source BBC:

It may be possible to use a patient's own skin to repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), which is currently incurable, say researchers.

Nerves struggle to communicate in MS as their insulating covering is attacked by the immune system - causing fatigue and damaging movement.  Read more here.

MPs hit out over benefits 'misery'

Source BBC:

MPs have criticised the test being used to see whether people claiming disability benefits are fit to work.

The Public Accounts Committee said the Work Capability Assessment had resulted in too many wrong decisions which were overturned on appeal.  Read more here.

Were you diagnosed with MS before you were 18?

Source Shift MS:
The majority of people with MS are diagnosed between 20-50 years old. However, between 3-10% of all people with MS will experience symptoms before they are 18 years old.  Read more here.

Congratulations to the MS Society!

Congratulations to the MS Society in their 60th Anniversary year!

Life as a young Carer

Source Guardian:

Sarah Thomas, 18, started looking after her mother, who has MS, from a very early age, and later became her dad's carer too. But she isn't remotely bitter about missing out on the parts of growing up that others take for granted.  Read more here!

NICE standards for social care - have your say

 

Source MS Trust:
NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) has announced they will be developing quality standards for social care, to improve care nationally for particular symptoms or for groups of care users. The Department of health is looking for ideas from care users, their families and carers to help decide which topics they should consider, through a 12 week consultation.  Read more here.

Jeremy Vine - MS Discussion

Source BBC Radio 2

Jeremy Vine, Monday 4th February, talks about MS with Karen Aston who has just released "The Really Clear Guide to MS". To listen click here.

Revealed: the companies getting rich from welfare reform

Source MS Society:
Earlier this week Panorama broadcast their investigation into the government’s welfare reforms, specifically the Work Programme. This programme aims to get Employment Support Allowance (ESA) claimants back to work.  Read more here.

Help make sense of MS and join the MS Register.

Source MS Society:

The MS Register is a ground-breaking study designed to increase our understanding of living with MS in the UK. Join the study by completing a series of simple questionnaires.

Twitter

You can now follow BMSTC on Twitter!  Click here!

Helping disabled women look good

Source Express:Multiple sclerosis sufferer Ann Olivier has designed a wheelchair-friendly fashion line.

While getting ready for a night at the opera Ann Olivier had one of those “nothing to wear” moments.  Read more here!

My Lover, My Carer

BBC Radio 4:

What happens to long-term relationships when a lover becomes a carer? Julie Fernandez talks to four couples where one partner has a severe disability about the challenges of being the carer - and the cared-for.

Natalie Burr was a world-class trampolinist, training for the Olympics. In a split second her life was turned upside-down: she misjudged a triple summersault and crashed onto the mat. She lay there, unable to feel her legs, knowing she had broken her neck. Being handed her phone, she rang her husband Shane and asked "Will you leave me?".  Will be broadcast on Tuesday 4th February, 16:00 on Radio 4.  For more click here.

Help make sense of MS and join the MS Register

Source MS Society:

The MS Register is a ground-breaking study designed to increase our understanding of living with MS in the UK. Join the study by completing a series of simple questionnaires.

The Sequela Foundation - East Berkshire service

We offer a free support network to anybody who has any kind of neurological condition in the East Berskhire area.
 

We offer therapies such as reflexology, massage, exercise classes, and a chance to socialise with like minded people with conditions such as Parkinsons, Post Polio, Ataxia, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and many more... Let us help you!  For more information click here!

Revealed: the companies getting rich from welfare reform

Source MS Society:

Earlier this week Panorama broadcast their investigation into the government’s welfare reforms, specifically the Work Programme. This programme aims to get Employment Support Allowance (ESA) claimants back to work. Read more here.

Goverment makes key concession on PIP

Source MS Society:
The government has made a vital change to the way people will be assessed for the new benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP), making it fairer for people with fluctuating conditions.
Assessors for the benefit will now be required to consider whether claimants can perform activities "to an acceptable standard, safely, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time period".  Read more here.