SERVICES
PROVIDED BY THE MS SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND
The
MS Society of Queensland provides information about MS to any interested
member of the community. We also offer information sessions
at various locations state-wide.
All other services are available only to registered
clients of the MS Society of Queensland.
All services are provided on the basis of needs as assessed in an
Individual Programme Plan. Priority will be given to those clients
in greatest need. Some services may not be available in all areas
of Queensland. Services are provided to meet needs in the following
areas:
- Fatigue
Management
- Fatigue
Management booklet
- Fatigue
diaries
- Cooling
devices
- Work
simplification strategies
- Energy
conservation strategies
- Psychological/Cognitive
Symptoms
- Information
- Counselling
(for person with MS and families)
- Assessment
- Employment
- counselling,
information and advice for people wishing to re-enter employment/study
or for people whose employment is in jeopardy because of MS
- Liaison
with employers
- Bladder/Bowel
Problems
- Bladder
and Bowel booklet
- Advice
- Samples
of aids
- Referral
- Application
for government assistance
- Sexuality/Relationships
- Sexuality
booklet
- Counselling
- Management
strategies for physical symptoms
- Maintaining
One's Physical Abilities
- Physical
assessment, management and review
- Physiotherapy/hydrotherapy
- Home
programmes
- Pain
management
- Referral
Maintaining One's Independence
- Interest
free loans to purchase MS specialised equipment
- Support
in the home and community
- Home
assessment (safety and access)
- Aids
to maintain independence
- Assessment/prescription
of mobilty aids & appliances
- Taxi
vouchers/parking permits
- Accommodation,
Respite & Support
- Long-term
accommodation at Granston Lodge (at the MS Centre in Brisbane)
- Respite
at the MS Centre in Brisbane
- In-home
respite (limited hours available)
- Attendant
care (limited hours available)
If you would like to find out how to access MS Society of Queensland
services, please send an email to: mssociety@msqld.org.au
or call 1800 177 591.
HOW
TO REGISTER WITH THE MS SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND
If
you have been diagnosed with MS and haven't registered with us, you
can register with us now by printing out a registration form and posting
it to us. Please include written confirmation of your MS diagnosis
from your neurologist or other medical specialist.
| Registration
Form
(104 kb)
Membership Application Form (31 kb) (All clients are encouraged to become members of the Society.)
These
documents are available in Adobe Acrobat's Portable Document
Format (PDF).
If
you do not already have the Acrobat Reader you can download
it for free from Adobe. |
Please
post your completed forms, and confirmation of diagnosis, to:
Information Line Coordinator
MS Society of Queensland
Locked Bag 370
COORPAROO DC QLD 4151
Registration allows you access to MS Society of Queensland services,
according to needs identified in your Individual Programme Plan. You
will also be kept informed about up-coming regional visits, information
sessions, conferences etc.
Registration also assists in giving a more accurate indication of
the numbers of people with MS in Queensland, thereby enabling the
MS Society of Queensland to lobby governments more effectively for
funding and services.
You may also like to join the MS Society of Queensland as a financial
member. Combined with registration, membership will allow you access
to additional regular information about MS and MS Society of Queensland
services. You can join as a member by printing out an application
for membership form, and posting it to us with your membership fee.
For queries about registration and membership, please call on our
Information Line 1800 177 591.
REGIONAL
SERVICES
Did
you know? …
Queensland is the second largest state in Australia and covers an
area of 1,727,530 square kilometres. Delivering services to people
with MS over such great distances poses a considerable challenge to
the MS Society of Queensland.
The MS Society of Queensland has Regional Coordinators for all areas
of the state: North Queensland, Central Queensland, South West Queensland,
Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Logan, Redlands, Brisbane North, and Brisbane
South.
Currently our Coordinators are all Brisbane-based, but we attempt
to visit country areas regularly, as needs and funding permit. For
general queries about MS and the MS Society of Queensland services,
please make contact initially through our Information Line on 1800
177 591.
INDIVIDUAL
PROGRAMME PLAN
What's
it all about?
When you have Multiple Sclerosis it is easy to feel overwhelmed by
all the changes it causes in your life. With the additional element
of MS fatigue it sometimes feels as though you are just surviving
from day to day but not really making any progress.
The IPP is a chance to stop, think and access the impact of MS on
your day to day life. It allows you to identify the needs you have
because of MS and develop actions to address these. The IPP covers
all major life areas, such as access to your home and community, health,
mobility, employment, leisure etc.
The IPP is a cooperative effort between you, your Programme Coordinator
at the MS Society of Queensland, and family and friends (if you wish).
It may be done over the telephone, at the MS Centre in Brisbane, at
regional centres, or in your own home, depending on your circumstances
and staff availability.
As a result of the IPP you can be referred to specialist staff at
the MS Society of Queensland, or at other organisations, for further
assistance in addressing your MS needs.
All of the information you provide during the IPP is confidential
and cannot be shared with another organisation or individual without
your consent. Please advise your Programme Coordinator if there are
any life areas you would rather not discuss during the IPP. The MS
Society of Queensland respects your privacy and the need for confidentiality.
SERVICES
FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
The
MS Society of Queensland is committed to supporting service providers
and carers who are assisting people with Multiple Sclerosis throughout
the state.
We
offer the following services:
- Specialist
health provider information kits
- Information
about most aspects of Multiple Sclerosis, services and support
- Loans
of books, video tapes and audio-cassettes (state-wide, postal
service)
- Advice
and information from the MS Society of Queensland specialist staff
- physiotherapists, occupational therapist, psychologist, employment
counsellor, community support coordinator, registered nurse
- Inservices
at your organisation
- Information
sessions and workshops at various locations throughout the state
- These
services are free of charge, however donations are always welcome
- To
inquire about these services please contact our Information line
1800 177 591
SUPPORT
GROUPS
People
with MS Queensland (PwMSQ) Support Groups are established throughout
the State and these groups meet regularly to offer assistance, information
and friendship to people living with MS, their families, carers
and friends. Empowerment
is one way to describe what these support groups bring
to members' lives.
By
making contact with your local PwMSQ delegate and joining regular
meetings, you'll hear up-to-date MS information and the latest research
findings in a friendly, relaxed setting. It's an opportunity to
talk with local people who understand Multiple Sclerosis. With their
support you'll feel less isolated and be empowered to cope with
everyday challenges.
Contact
your local PwMSQ Support Group today,
click here for a comprehensive contact list
of PwMSQ delegates. If you are unable to find a PwMSQ delegate in
your area, please phone the MS Information Line on 1800 177 591.
INFORMATION
SESSIONS
The
MS Society of Queensland offers a variety of information sessions
statewide for people with MS, families and friends.
Topics covered previously have included:
Fatigue
Management
Physical Symptom Management
Coping with Cognitive Change
Sexuality & Relationships
The User's Guide to Multiple Sclerosis
Everything you Wanted to Know About the Psychological Aspects of
MS but were Afraid to Ask
…and others!
These sessions are usually offered during the winter months, as
many people with MS experience heat-related fatigue during Queensland's
hot summers.
Please contact us on our Information Line 1800 177 591, or mssociety@msqld.org.au
for details of our upcoming programme. If you would like to request
an information session or workshop in your area, please contact
your Regional Coordinator.
LIBRARY
AND INFORMATION SERVICE - MS Australia Resource Centre (MS ARC)
The
MS Society of Queensland can provide specialised information about
most aspects of Multiple Sclerosis, such as treatments, symptom management,
research, contacts, services and support. We have the most comprehensive
collection of MS information in Queensland, and we are linked into
other MS libraries in Sydney and Melbourne. To gain access to this
information, simply call on our Information Line on 1800 177 591.
Information services provided include:
- Information
packages
- Literature
searches of various on-line databases
- Loans
of books, video-tapes and DVDs (state-wide, postal
service for MS Society of Queensland members)
- Print and audio-visual information
- Electronic information
- Inter-library
loans
- Advice
and information from MS Society of Queensland specialist staff
- We
also offer information sessions at various locations throughout
Queensland. If you want to visit our library, which is located
at the MS Centre in Brisbane, please contact us for an appointment:
Information
Resource Centre Coordinator
Ph (07) 3840 0848 (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm)
Email: irc@msqld.org.au
Please note that the library is open by appointment only.
MS
CLINIC Immunotherapy
Support Services
People
with MS who have been prescribed one of the immunotherapy treatments
- Betaferon, Avonex, Copaxone and Rebif - can contact the support
service that is available through the MS Clinic, based at the Royal
Brisbane Hospital.
Timothy O’Maley, Clinical Nurse Consultant, is able to provide
information, training and advice on administration and managment
of these therapies. The MS Clinic is also a specialist resource
for health providers seeking advice on the management of the MS
patients on immunotherapy.
Please contact Timothy O’Maley with your request on (07)33655127.
The MS Clinic Centre of Excellence conducted by: Department
of Medicine, the University of Queensland; and Department of Neurology,
Royal Brisbane Hospital.
Freecall:
1800 676 547
Telephone: (07) 3365 5361
Facsimile: (07) 3636 7675
Email: msclinic@medicine.herston.uq.edu.au
A
new national website for children of parents with
Multiple Sclerosis launched in November 2006, attracted
more than 500 visitors in its first month of
operation alone: some of them from as far afield
as the UK and Slovak Republic !
As
we have reported in recent editions of MS Life, children
who live with a parent who has Multiple Sclerosis
can often feel isolated. With the recent launch
of the MS Info 4 Kids website, children of people
with MS Australia-wide now have access to
a nationwide support network of their own.
Thanks
to a generous grant from Newman's Own
Foundation, the MS Society of Queensland has
established a national, internet-based peer support
network that will link children of people with
MS with other children in similar situations.
The
new MS Info 4 Kids website (www.msozkids.com.au)
includes Information Pages, News and Events, 24 hour Message Board
and a Chat Room. The site will be moderated by the Society
and the chat
room fully-supervised at all times.
A
number of Brisbane youngsters and their parents
attended the website's official launch at the
Chermside Library Internet Lounge in late November.
The official launch also marked the website's
first ever chat room session. The eight Brisbane youngsters who attended the launch were
among 22 children Australia-wide to join in the
online chat session.
During the launch, Executive Director Trevor Farrell paid tribute to staff involved in the project for bringing it to fruition in conjuction with Infoxchange: a not-for-profit social enterprise company.
"
This new website is an innovative resource for Australian
children, "
Mr Farrell said.
"
It provides a unique supportive forum in which they can
exchange views and share their experiences. It
also
contains valuable information which will help children
to better understand their parent's Multiple
Sclerosis,
and to cope better with the demands placed
on them in their role as part-time carers. "
Mr
Farrell encouraged all children of parents with
MS to check out the website.
"
Although the chat room is only open at scheduled times,
young people can chat with each other at any
time using the message board, "
he said. " As this
website is in its infancy, we welcome feedback about
how we can improve the site. "
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