When one door closes, another door opens.
Fortunately, a much bigger door has opened for the Members of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA (MSWA) as they bade farewell to Seabrooke House in Rockingham after almost 19 years and moved into a newer and larger premises on Council Avenue last Friday.
The MS Society is proud to announce the upgrade of its Wilson facility with energy efficient lighting technology. This activity received funding from the Australian Government and encapsulates the installation of 376 new LED lights throughout the facility.
Alemtuzumab, to be marketed as Lemtrada, is the latest drug treatment for people with relapsing remitting MS. It was approved by the National Health Service in the UK, and we have just received news that it has recently been positively recommended by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) in Australia for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidy.
"I took part in my first yoga class twelve years ago. I hated it! I vowed to never go back”,remembers Kelly Nichols, a yoga instructor who has been teaching yoga to Members of the MS Society of WA since 2013,“twelve years on and here I am…a yoga teacher!”
Research, robotics and reminders of the importance of self-care were the topics explored with the one hundred and twenty attendees at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA (MSWA) annual Perth Members’ Forum held in South Perth on Wednesday 4 June.
May was the month of formal attire, live entertainment and exquisite dining for our Members at Wilson Outreach. The Centre was transformed into the MS Cruiseliner for all its Members (and care support staff) to enjoy a spirited holiday without the price tag or overnight bag. Activities such as bingo, bowling and high tea kept the holiday energy moving despite the stormy weather outside. Off shore excursions to the cinema were included in the package.
Medical treatment options to reduce relapse rates and slow the progression of disability in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis are becoming available at a rate never before seen in Australia. Recently, Members of the MS Society of WA in the South West, were presented with current and future options that may alter the course of their disease at the annual Bunbury Members’ Forum.
The power of Vitamin D to potentially reduce the risk of getting MS and influence disease progression of multiple sclerosis is gradually being revealed through the work of Australian researchers such as Professor Bruce Taylor and his colleagues at the Menzies Research Institute, Tasmania. Professor Taylor, a Professional Research Fellow at the Institute, recently visited Perth to provide an update on the latest findings regarding the role of vitamin D in MS, to MSWA Members and health professionals.
George Leathley has been a volunteer at the Multiple Sclerosis Society of WA (MSWA) for almost nine years, alongside his wife Jeanette. George also volunteers for the Gosnells Football Club and the Addie Mills Centre.
Two new oral disease modifying treatments for relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), Tecfidera and Aubagio, will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia as of 1 December, 2013.
