Patients & families

More than half of unpaid dementia carers feel unsupported, with many giving up work or social activities to meet caring responsibilities, a UK survey has found. Some 56 per cent said they did not feel supported in their role, raising concerns about burnout and the impact on their health and wellbeing. A further 54 per [...]

People who have sustained life-changing spinal cord injuries due to cancer are reporting lack of care and feeling abandoned after their cancer treatment. According to national charity Spinal Injuries Association, someone sustains a spinal cord injury in the UK every two hours. While a spinal cord injury may be caused by trauma, such as a [...]

The government is set to scrap the carer’s allowance earnings cliff edge after thousands of unpaid carers were left with large debts for exceeding a weekly limit. Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has outlined plans for a new digital taper system ahead of the Budget on Wednesday 28 October, when the change is due [...]

By R.F.Hunt, a freelance journalist, columnist and author who lives with spinal cord injuries Last year, one of the district nurses referred me to the frailty service. With an objective eye on my situation, this team were able to suggest new options and sent off various referrals. One was to the wheelchair services for a [...]

An 11-year-old girl from Swindon has raised £835 so far in a 62-mile walking challenge for the Stroke Association, inspired by her grandmother's stroke. Elsie Brown is taking part in the charity's 62 Miles in October challenge in honour of her grandmother and close friend, Sam Farrow, who had a stroke two years ago at [...]

A man who was forced to give up his job after suffering life-changing injury when he was hit by a car is now looking to achieve his dream of getting back into employment after making strong progress in his rehabilitation.  Anatoli Turcanu was walking home from work in Moulton Park, Northampton, when he was hit [...]

By Slater and Gordon The start of October marked the Spinal Injuries Association’s flagship event of the year, the Rebuilding Lives Conference. The much-anticipated event brings together spinal cord injury communities across the UK to understand the impact of spinal cord injury, as well as exploring key improvements to services. The two-day event (1 – [...]

By R.F. Hunt with the Spinal Injuries Association When I sustained my spinal cord injury (SCI) when I was just 18, I was taken to the nearest hospital. I was lucky because at this hospital I had a surgeon who was a specialist in spinal surgery. But when I was able to be discharged from [...]

Parental stress may help explain the link between disease-related difficulties and lower self-esteem in children with MS, a study suggests. Researchers found that greater fatigue, slower information processing and more severe disease were associated with higher parental stress. Higher stress was also linked to lower self-esteem among children and adolescents with paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS), [...]

The National MS Society raised more than US$12m on the first day of a five-year US$1bn campaign to accelerate MS research and expand access to care. The US-based nonprofit launched its Campaign to End MS on 1 October, with nearly 500 guests attending a New York City gala. The organisation said the campaign will support [...]