Can Do MS aims to help newly diagnosed patients ‘Take Charge’
Virtual program will offer personalized support to patients and caregivers
Can Do Multiple Sclerosis is putting together a two-day program to help newly or recently diagnosed patients and their caregivers learn more about multiple sclerosis (MS), meet others with the disease, and find strategies to adapt to a new lifestyle.
Called Take Charge, the free program will be hosted online Aug. 8-9 via Zoom. On the first day, participants will have a welcome night, from 6 to 8:15 p.m. ET, where they can expect to connect with others living with MS and understand their experiences.
On the second day, running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, MS specialists will answer questions and help set personal goals for managing MS symptoms.
For those early in their MS journey, “at our Take Charge program, you will get personalized guidance from a team of integrated MS specialists and connect with a community of peers living with MS who truly understand what you are feeling and experiencing,” Kathleen Costello, chief operating officer at Can Do MS, wrote in an email to Multiple Sclerosis News Today about what the experience will offer.
Care partners are also highly encouraged to participate. Costello noted that many “often discover a new sense of understanding and connection they can’t find anywhere else.”
Space for Take Charge program is limited
While everyone interested in the Take Charge program is invited to register, space will be limited to give all participants the best experience possible. Thus, not everyone who applies may get in.
For those who have attended in the past, the program has proven helpful.
“My husband and I have such a better line of communication about my MS and [he] knows he is also not alone in this journey — there are other partners who are dealing with similar situations. This program is priceless,” said one past participant, who called Take Charge “an absolutely amazing and emotional journey.”
In MS, the myelin coating that protects nerve fibers is damaged by the immune system, which can cause a range of symptoms from problems with vision and balance to issues with memory and thinking. This can take a toll on the quality of life of patients and their care partners.
“Whether you are just diagnosed or even in the first [five] years of life with MS, there are likely new challenges you continue to face,” Costello wrote. “You don’t need to handle your ‘new normal’ alone; find the support you need to navigate through this uncharted territory with Can Do MS.”
Topics covered during the Take Charge program include resilience strategies and how to cope with a new diagnosis, tools to start conversations with healthcare providers about MS, and how to find ways to take action and improve daily living.
Whether you are just diagnosed or even in the first [five] years of life with MS, there are likely new challenges you continue to face. … You don’t need to handle your ‘new normal’ alone; find the support you need to navigate through this uncharted territory with Can Do MS.
MS specialists will help patients and their care partners set SMART goals — ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound — to map out a personal plan to manage symptoms, decide on a treatment approach, and find support to live life to the fullest.
“Through this program, I learned that I am not alone and that there are people out there who want to connect with me. I am also so appreciative of the amazing panel of medical professionals who gave their time and energy to an event like this,” said another past participant.
One person who also attended this program previously said it “should be mandatory for anyone newly diagnosed since the program helps dissolve the fears that a chronic disease brings through important discussions.”
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