#CMSC16 – Exclusive Interview with Dr. Rosalind Kalb on MS Care and Family Involvement

“We in the MS world need to make sure that we are giving adequate attention to the complex array of symptoms [in MS patients],” Kalb said. “And as a clinical psychologist, of course I am concerned that more than half of the people with MS experience changes in their cognitive abilities, and that at least half of the people experience significant changes in their mood; and both of those can affect their quality of life and their ability to function in the world and engage in the activities that are important to them. So I just want to make sure that we are giving our attention to all those important aspects in MS care.”

When asked about the main concerns of patient, Kalb said, “I think multiple sclerosis is a very complex, unpredictable disease that can affect virtually every area of physical well-being, wellness, and daily life. And it doesn’t just affect the person who has the disease — it affects the whole family. Everybody is living with this.”

Kalb made the analogy between MS and an “uninvited guest that shows up at your home, makes a mess and doesn’t leave — but that means that the entire family is having to form some kind of a relationship with this uninvited guest.”

She said each family has “different coping strategies, different ways of dealing with stress … One of the biggest challenges is to make sure that in our care and treatment of people with MS, we are including all the family system, to make sure that they are learning how to live as effectively as possible with a disease that is so life-changing.”