Supporting our clients with Multiple Sclerosis

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the coating that protects your nerves (myelin) is damaged. More than 130,000 people in the UK have MS with individuals most likely to find out they have the condition in their thirties, forties, and fifties. But the first signs of MS often start years earlier. Many people notice their first symptoms years before they get their diagnosis. MS affects almost three times as many women as men.

MS has many symptoms, but not everyone will experience all of them. Some of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include:

• Eye problems
• Numbness or tingling feelings (sometimes a bit like pins and needles)
• Fatigue
• Difficulty walking
• Problems controlling the bladder
• Muscle stiffness and spasms
• Problems with thinking, learning and planning
• Problems with balance and co-ordination

MS symptoms can come and go and change over time depending on the type of MS the client has. They can be mild, or more severe. However, throughout a client’s journey with MS, it is important they feel supported and maintain as much independence as possible. Eximius can play a crucial role in ensuring this happens. Eximius provide high quality personalised care to help clients receive the benefits of being cared for within their own home compared to residential or care home settings.

These benefits include improved wellbeing and overall health, maintaining existing routines and remaining connected with loved ones. Although there is no cure for MS, it is essential to adopt positive lifestyle habits to help slow the speed of the disease progression. Companions at Eximius work around the clock to ensure clients are satisfied, maintain healthy lifestyle habits, and ensure clients experience a quality of life they deserve.

How our companions can help

Personal care

Often individuals with MS have reduced mobility and are unable to carry out personal care themselves. Companions are Eximius can help assist clients with personal hygiene. We understand that this can be a sensitive matter and ensure that the client’s dignity is respected whilst helping with personal care.

Help them stay socially active

Our companions can help keep MS clients stimulated by ensuring they keep in touch with friends, remain active and attend activities they enjoy and love. This is good for a client’s confidence, mental wellbeing and helps ensure they remain connected to the local community. Companions can also escort clients on daytrips to museums, concerts and on holiday. This helps ensure that our clients experience a quality life that they deserve.

Additionally, companion’s at Eximius can play a vital role in ensuring clients carry out exercise. Regular, moderate exercise is now known to be an important part of maintaining good health and wellbeing for people with MS. There is evidence that it can help with many MS symptoms, and with general quality of life.

Moderate exercise has been shown to improve strength, mobility and bowel and bladder function for people with mild to moderate MS. Exercise is also helpful in helping maintain a healthy weight. This reduces your chances of acquiring co-morbidities, and can also reduce the impact of some MS symptoms, such as pain and fatigue. Exercise activities include swimming, arm cycling, sailing and boating, bowling, golf and Archery. Eximius companions can drive, provide company and organise exercise classes for clients.

Help with domestic tasks

Companions at Eximius are required to keep a client’s house clean. All rooms are regularly cleaned and vacuumed ensuring that the upkeep of the house is kept to a high standard. This can be reassuring to a client’s family knowing that there relative is in a safe and tidy environment.

Help care for the client’s much-loved pet

Companions at Eximius will happily support looking after client’s pets by feeding them and taking them on regular walks.

Eating and drinking

At Eximius companions help with the client’s food shopping and cook healthy well-balanced meals. Meal’s choices can be prepared based on the client’s desires and preferences. This ensures that the client regularly eats/drinks and receives essential vitamins. This is important in remaining healthy and keeping their immune systems strong helpful in fighting illness. MS is an autoimmune disease and therefore having a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is key in preventing other health complications such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Each companion is provided with an Eximius recipe book when going into a placement. The recipe book is filled with tasty healthy meals helpful in ensuring clients receive a range of delicious meals.

Major claims have been made regarding curing or significantly alleviating MS through specific diets such as the swank diet, palaeolithic diet and the Mediterranean diet. Some people are very passionate supporters of a specific diet, but none of these diets have been shown to work for everyone who tries them. If a client wants to try one of these diets, Eximius companions can assist with this.

Companionship

Individual with MS can become frustrated, depressed and there mental wellbeing can deteriorate. Companions at Eximius can provide excellent emotional support and assistance during this difficult period. Our companions are carefully selected by our recruitment manager, ensuring that all companions employed by the company are of an outstanding care standard. Companions are perfectly matched to a client to ensure they share similar interests and hobbies. This enables a client to continue living an interesting and stimulating life.

Safe mobility

An individual’s house often has to be adapted to help ensure safe movement and mobility. Companions at Eximius ensure that a client’s house is the perfect fit for them. They will contact an occupational therapist who will provide expert guidance and advice as to what equipment and adaptations are required. These are then fitted into a client’s house hassle free.

Furthermore, collaborative health and social care is essential and people with the condition will often need the expert professional help of a multidisciplinary team. The multidisciplinary team can include a person’s specialist, physiotherapist, and occupational therapist.

Eximius play an important role in ensuring this is organised, appointments are scheduled, and doctors are attended on time. This takes all pressure of the client’s family and enables them to continue living a life knowing there loved one is receiving a high standard of care.

Managing and administering medications

All companions at Eximius are fully trained and qualified in the administration of medication. We ensure that companions understand and aware of client’s medication usage before they go into placement. This helps ensure a smooth and accurate handover. Additionally, companions are required to document the administration of medication on a secure care electronic system. This helps companions monitor intake and let a clients family know that their loved one is being looked after. This can be extremely reassuring. Companions will also ensure that repeat prescriptions are made and will collect medication from the pharmacy. This takes all pressure of the client’s family.

Choosing the correct care is an important decision and our experienced team are here to help every step of the way. Please do not hesitate to contact us, we are more than happy to help.

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