‘I cannot emphasise enough how powerful human connection can be for both mental and physical wellbeing. Learning from people who have had to navigate a similar path to you, and are role models for living well with MS, can be the best medicine,’ Senior Manager Community & Partnerships at MS Plus, Kylie Osborne says.
The free Plus Peer Support program provides a unique opportunity for people affected by multiple sclerosis, their family and carers to connect and support each other.
Sally has been attending face-to-face peer support groups for 9 years, initially in the ACT and now in Tasmania.
‘I have found so many benefits from joining peer support! The group experience is welcoming and supportive. Both carers and people living with MS are automatically connected as we’ve all been inadvertently thrown into the ’MS club’ so that means that straight away there’s a bond between you.’
Peer Support Facilitators helping to create connections
There are different Peer Support options available to cater for different needs, including 1:1 phone support where the individual is matched with a Peer Support Facilitator (PSF) according to their individual needs, as well as face-to-face groups and telegroups.
There are currently 230 volunteer PSFs, who are provided training from MS Plus to support participants either one-on-one or in a group setting. Facilitators will either be living with MS themselves or be the loved one or carer of someone with MS.
Rebecca is about to start as the PSF for a new group she created, located in Mansfield in regional Victoria.
‘It’s been just over two years since my diagnosis and I got to a point a few months ago where I was ready to be a part of a group,’ Rebecca says.
‘I discovered the closest in-person group was over an hour away and at an inconvenient time. I kept hearing about more and more people with MS here in my local township, a community of 10,000 plus and growing, so, I thought it was high time a support group was created.’
‘I’m starting the group because I feel that I’m in a good place, mentally and physically to do so. But it has taken almost a full year and a half to get to this point. I hit rock bottom at 9 months in and then, with wonderful guidance from MS Plus, I started to find my feet again. I discovered the NDIS, allied health supports and the right medication approach for me.
‘MS is a silent, pervasive journey — no one can really see or fully know exactly what you’re experiencing. I recently found, quite by accident, a couple of other people with MS and found such a positive and self-affirming benefit from us sharing our unique, but also somewhat aligned experiences,’ Rebecca says.
MS Plus senior manager, Kylie says the groups offer a unique — and healing — connection for participants.
‘I have witnessed the change in people who were really struggling with their diagnosis and feeling very alone and suddenly know all these new people who understand what they are saying and how they are feeling,’ Kylie said.
Don’t be afraid to reach out
PSF Nicole, who provides 1:1 phone support, said, ‘It’s really important that people in the MS community know and understand they’re not alone and all they have to do is reach out and ask for support. I feel like I’m part of a bigger community, a bigger family being part of the program.
‘Basically, participants just want someone to listen to them, to sit with them and support them. That connection and reassurance can never be underestimated,’ Nicole said.
‘I regret waiting until I retired to join my first peer support group,’ Sally says.
‘Had I gone I probably would have learned about adjustments that could have been made at work so that I could have stayed longer or received assistance with transitioning to alternative work. I’ll never know but I often wonder!
‘There has not been one meeting that I’ve attended where I’ve come away without learning something that has been useful in one way or another. Without doubt, peer support has enriched my life,’ Sally says.
‘Your peers can truly help you learn to live well with MS, which can be life changing’, Kylie says.
To see if the Peer Support Program is right for you, or to apply to become a Peer Support Facilitator, email [email protected] or phone Plus Connect 1800 042 138
Pictured: Rebecca Vincent (left) and Sally Wolfhagen