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MSWA Bulletin Magazine Summer 17

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JEWEL OF THE SOUTH WEST

JEWEL OF THE SOUTH WEST BRAND AND COMMUNICATIONS Just over 18 months since the first sod was turned, MSWA’s .5 million Community and Health Services Centre in Bunbury was officially opened in August by Disability Services Minister, Hon Stephen Dawson; MSWA President, George Pampacos; MSWA CEO, Marcus Stafford AM; and Bunbury Mayor, Gary Brennan. The new state-of-the-art Centre is a one-stop shop for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions. “MSWA has been supporting West Australians living with neurological conditions for more than 45 years. The organisation has a proven record of providing a wide range of supports and services to meet each person’s individual needs,” said Minister Dawson. “The new purpose-built Centre provides the South West with superior facilities and enables MSWA to continue their important work assisting people living with neurological conditions.” MSWA CEO Marcus Stafford said demand for services in the South West is constantly growing as more people are choosing to live in the South West, with around 200 Members living in the area with their primary carers. “Prior to this facility, we were operating out of an ageing building in Bunbury that didn’t meet all of our Members’ needs. But this Centre is purpose designed and purpose built. Among other services, the new treatment facility will offer physiotherapy, occupational therapy, personal assessments, counselling, nursing, group programs like fatigue management, Outreach Group and information sessions, peer support and social gatherings,” said Mr Stafford. Bunbury resident Melanie Mileham was diagnosed with MS in 2008 when she was 33. Her symptoms included weakness in her right leg, severe fatigue and her balance was affected. Melanie comes to the new Centre every Wednesday morning to take advantage of the services on offer. “The new place is amazing. There’s heaps of room and the facilities are great. I use OT support, physio, massage, fatigue management, the counselling and the Outreach Group. We also get to hear about the latest medical breakthroughs and research. There’s a lot going on,” said Melanie. “And there’s not just people with MS here, so we share our experiences, it is a very caring and safe environment. Every three months we celebrate a foreign place – dressing up, decorations, eating national foods. Hawaii, France, Las Vegas next.” Rosie Ballinger is another local who has been using the Community and Health Services Centre. The 54-year-old was diagnosed with MS when she was 26 and has been a loyal MSWA Member for all the time she’s lived in WA. “The new Centre is a quantum leap from the old one. There’s so much room to move. The physio rooms are bigger and more accessible and, when we arrive and the weather is adverse, we’re undercover and there’s someone there to help you,” said Rosie. “The quality of MSWA’s service has always been excellent. Everyone wants to help you and I’m always learning new ways to manage my MS and adapt it because no two people with MS have the same journey.” Mr Stafford said he would like to thank the people of Western Australia for making the opening of the new Centre possible. “At MSWA we rely on the generosity of the people who buy our lotteries, take part in our events and donate to us to help provide the support and services for people with MS and other neurological conditions. We’re increasing our footprint and the number of services we deliver across the Perth metropolitan area and regional WA,” added Mr Stafford. 12 | MSWA BULLETIN SUMMER 2017

MS NURSES AUSTRALASIA (MSNA) ANNUAL CONFERENCE SARAH LORRIMAR, MSWA COORDINATOR OF HEALTH EDUCATION AND PEER SUPPORT Generous support from pharmaceutical companies made it possible for several of our MS nurses to travel to Hobart to represent MSWA at the MSNA Annual Conference. Bringing multiple sclerosis (MS) nurses from throughout Australasia, the conference is held each year to provide valuable education and networking opportunities, updates on MS, as well as new research presentations to the nurses working within the field of MS. Several of the nurses also attended an optional research workshop at the Menzies Institute and a Workshop on Ocrelizumab, the latest MS therapy which shows some promise for progressive MS as well as RRMS. During their time in Hobart, three MSWA Nurses sat and passed the Multiple Sclerosis International Certification Examination which earns them the right to be classified as MS Certified Nurses. They are now able to include MSCN in their titles, a qualification which is recognised as an international accreditation. Congratulations to Dee Menzies, Rosie Hunt and Nimisha Baird on this achievement. MSWA Nurses also presented at the conference, including a podium presentation on MS and Cannabis by Sandy Connolly, an overview on Progressive MS by Sue Shapland and poster presentations on Osteoporosis by Rosie Hunt and Functional Neurological Disorder by Julie Chandler. A big congratulation goes to Rosie Hunt for winning the Best Poster presentation and to Sandy Connolly for her nomination in the award for Outstanding Contribution to MS Nursing in Australasia! I had a chat to Rosie to find out more about her winning poster. Rosie, what was the name and topic of your poster? “It was titled ‘Bad to the Bone’ and looked at MS and osteoporosis.” What was the idea behind it? “The idea was to highlight the link between osteoporosis and MS. I wanted to educate MS Nurses on risk factors, diagnostic procedures, treatment and demographics. The decision to choose osteoporosis for my poster was based on the knowledge that some of our Members with MS had noted osteopenia, a condition that occurs when the body doesn’t make new bone as quickly as it reabsorbs old bone. They had also suffered fractures at an earlier age than the general population, for example someone had a bilateral hip replacement at age 33 and consequently they were having multiple falls.” What was your process in creating and developing the poster? “I conducted my own research into articles, with the results highlighting the link between osteoporosis and MS. I felt that it was extremely important to educate other MS Nurses about this association. The process of putting the poster together involved hours of reading relevant resource material and searching for relevant diagrams and pictures to motivate the audience to read the presented material. There are set criteria for judging posters which must be followed, so I made sure my poster fit these guidelines.” What was the judging process? “There is a panel of judges who are selected to vote on the best poster using the criteria guidelines set by MSNA. There was a total of 14 posters submitted by various MS Nurses and being the winner, I was awarded a trophy and gift certificate!” MSWA BULLETIN SUMMER 2017 | 13

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