Supporting Family and Caregivers in MS- Encouraging Life Enjoyment

Background: Often MS clinics are faced with little time and many patients to see. Providing quality and timely supportive care for patients with MS and their family and caregivers is a primary goal of MS nursing care. Often there are many issues at home to consider, some more important to the health care provider and less important to the patient and/or family and caregivers and others vice versa. This poster considers common issues involed in caring for patients with MS and looks to provide a checklist to be used in nursing consultations  so that the needs of the patient and family/caregivers are given priority and life enjoyment improved.

not applicable:

Objectives:

to improve quality iof life and life enjoyment for patients with MS, their families and caregivers

Methods:

Creation of a checklist to be used in MS Nursing consultations to ensure all aspects of care are considered and addressed

Results:

Impacts on patient and family/caregiver quality of life and life enjoyment

 Conclusions:

Sometimes, the aims of the patient, family and caregivers are not met when there is so much to cover in an MS nursing consultation. This checklist has proven to be a valuable resource for the MS Nurse and also the patient, family and caregivers to capture  as much information as possible and provide guidance and resources to improve life enjoyment.