Caring for a Person with Multiple Sclerosis

People who care for a person with multiple sclerosis (MS) might feel overwhelmed at times. In addition to the physical demands, multiple sclerosis caregivers must also deal with doctor appointments, health insurance companies and more. On top of that, multiple sclerosis caregivers must also deal with the emotional aspects of their work. Many often experience feelings of sadness, guilt or even anger.

While caring for a multiple sclerosis patient might seem overwhelming at times, there are a few things you can do to make your job easier. Here are a few tips for caring for a person with multiple sclerosis.

Before Your Begin Your Care

Before you offer to care for a person with multiple sclerosis, you should make yourself as familiar with the condition as possible. Take the time to research the disease and learn the disease's symptoms, complications, potential causes and more.

Talk to your patient's health care provider about your patient's condition. Learn the symptoms from which your patient suffers and the severity of your patient's MS. Having this basic knowledge will make you a better and more informed caregiver.

Before you begin offering care, you should also make up a list of your patient's needs. While this list should include needs related to multiple sclerosis, it should also include needs related to your patient's everyday life. For example, will you need to do your patient's grocery shopping or drive him to and from work? Sit down with your patient and talk to him in order to create this list.

General Health Concerns

When caring for a person with multiple sclerosis, you will need to be concerned with his general health. If your patient maintains good general health, his MS symptoms are likely to be less severe. Here's a guideline for monitoring basic health issues:

• Discuss your patient's neuromuscular and musculoskeletal functioning with his doctor at least once a year. This will help you determine if your patient's MS is improving or declining.
• Have your patient see a psychologist at least once a year for evaluation. This can help spot emotional issues that your patient might be unwilling to discuss with you or others.
• Make sure your patient gets a physical exam at least once a year. This exam should include routine cancer screenings, including mammograms and Pap smears for women and prostate and rectal exams for men.

Daily Concerns

In addition to the above-mentioned yearly evaluations, you will need to monitor some issues on a daily basis. These include:

• Bladder