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New crisis planning resources now available for people living with MS

29 October 2024

  • Crises such as bushfires and the pandemic can have a direct impact on health behaviours and outcomes, particularly for people living with MS.
  • By having a clear crisis plan, individuals can ensure they have the necessary resources, support, and information to maintain their health and safety during challenging times.
  • Researchers supported by MS Australia in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross have updated tailored resources to help people living with a disability or chronic health condition create a crisis plan, known as the Crisis Toolkit.

What is the impact of crises?

During the Black Summer Australian bushfires of 2019/2020, an estimated 1.8 million people were evacuated, and 11 million Australians were affected by bushfire smoke, placing a major strain on the healthcare system. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unprecedented changes worldwide – restricting movement and social contact as well as impacting on psychological health, access to healthcare, and treatments.

Although the community measures in Australia were very successful in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the wider impact of these restrictions on people living with MS is not yet known. Furthermore, heatwaves have been recorded at an increased frequency, intensity and duration across Australia in the last decade, which is projected to get worse.

A project funded by MS Australia, and led by Associate Professor Yvonne Learmonth from Murdoch University and Associate Professor Claudia Marck from The University of Melbourne, found that the MS community had concerns about how crises like bushfires and the pandemic affect them, with these events having a direct impact on healthcare, health behaviours and outcomes.

Their research has shown that these crises have brought new challenges, leading many Australians with MS to adjust their routines, including changes in physical activity, eating habits, and increasing alcohol consumption. While similar trends have been seen in the general population, it’s particularly important for people with MS to have the right support to stay on track with their health.

Why is it important for people living with MS to have a crisis plan?

Crisis planning is important for people living with a disability or chronic health conditions, as emergencies like natural hazards or pandemics can disrupt access to critical healthcare services and treatments. Without a plan, these disruptions may impact health behaviours and outcomes, increase stress, and result in difficulty managing daily needs.

By having a clear crisis plan, individuals can ensure they have the necessary resources, support, and information to maintain their health and safety during challenging times. Planning ahead empowers people to navigate emergencies with confidence and minimise the risk of negative health outcomes.

Using the Australian MS Longitudinal Study (AMSLS), Associate Professors Learmonth and Marck in collaboration with Professor Ingrid van der Mei and Dr Laura Laslett from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, have shown that over a third of people living with MS would like to develop or update their crisis plans, and that a third of those need assistance in doing so.

Resources to help people living with MS develop a crisis plan

Following discussions with MS community stakeholders during a series of workshops, the Australian Red Cross RediPlan was identified as a potentially valuable resource for crisis planning. Within the RediPlan, there is a suite of actions to help people prepare for crises, such as deciding on an alternate place to stay, learning about hazards in your area, developing strategies to manage stress and anxiety, discussing emergency telehealth, planning healthy habits and practising the emergency plan.

This excellent resource has always been inclusive, recognising that individuals are best positioned to understand their own circumstances and capacity to plan effectively, including those living with a disability or chronic health condition. The support resources for RediPlan have been updated to offer more tailored guidance to better support these communities.

In collaboration with the Australian Red Cross and with advice from MS clinical specialists, Associate Professors Learmonth and Marck updated the tailored guidance resources for people living with a disability or chronic health condition, including MS, and developed two additional resources. These are known as the Crisis Toolkit.

MS Australia has developed a website for people living with MS to access the Crisis Toolkit. You can visit the Crisis Toolkit website here.

Associate Professor Learmonth stated that, From our study we learned that the MS community wanted a central source of relevant information related to preparing for and what to do in the case of a crisis. This MS Australia website is a direct response to meet the needs of the MS community.”

Associate Professor Marck said, “You don’t think it will happen to you, but unfortunately, we are seeing that the risk of experiencing a crisis such as a heatwave, flood or bushfire is increasing. That can be stressful to think about, especially for people who rely on support of others or have symptoms that might make it more challenging to quickly respond in a crisis. I hope that the tools that we have developed, together with a fantastic team of partners and MS community stakeholders, will assist in being better prepared.”

The researchers have found that crisis preparation actions were completed more often when people living with MS received the Crisis Toolkit and support from a MS nurse, compared to the RediPlan alone.

One MS Nurse stated, “I guess it was a little bit eye opening. Even me saying to some of my clients: I’ve identified you’re in a fire area, and they were sort of like: oh yeah, I guess I am. But they haven’t really thought about what that means for them and the actions they would need to take if something were to happen.

One person living with relapsing remitting MS in regional Victoria stated that the Crisis Toolkit is “suitable for anyone finding themselves in a crisis, even without a disability. I now have all information required by myself or my family at hand in one document in the event of an emergency.

If you don’t have a crisis plan and want to make one, or need help making one, then please go to our newly launched Crisis Toolkit website.

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New crisis planning resources now available for people living with MS