Bulletin Spring 2018

WELLNESS
SARAH LORRIMAR, MSWA COORDINATOR OF HEALTH EDUCATION AND PEER SUPPORT
Wellness involves making positive choices about the way you
live your life, to ensure you are feeling your best. This includes
your behaviours, your lifestyle choices and taking action to
keep informed about your health. It is a process which is
unique to everyone and is something which will continue
to change and evolve over your lifetime. There has been an
increasing interest in the subject of wellness amongst people
living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and although it may require
some added consideration, incorporating healthy lifestyle
choices into your daily life will help you achieve improved
health and wellbeing.
What’s Been Happening
Information Sessions
An important aspect of wellness is keeping informed, by
accessing reliable and relevant information and resources.
Being aware of MS and other aspects of your health, will
help you feel more prepared and confident to make informed
choices about your health and wellbeing.
In June and July, two MSWA information sessions were held
for people living with MS and their support persons. The first
session was tailored for those newly diagnosed with MS and
the second session was open to all. Each session began with
a presentation from Community Access Nurse, Rosie Hunt
which included a general overview of MS, symptom and
relapse management, new treatments and the influence of
a healthy lifestyle. Following Rosie’s presentation, our peer
volunteers Tom and Sonya both shared their experiences of
living with MS, which proved an invaluable inclusion to the
evenings. To close the sessions, a Q&A panel made up of
various allied health team members including Physiotherapy,
Counselling, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics,
Speech Pathology and Social Welfare discussed the services
they provide and answered questions from attendees. The
sessions were a great way to share information amongst
health professionals and peers and both received positive
feedback including:
“Great start to a long journey, very positive information.”
“That was excellent, and the speakers were wonderful.”
“Thank you for a great session!”
Move…Breathe…Mindfulness for MS
As I write this, we are halfway through the four -week mindful
movement program run by Cathy Goldie, one of our counsellors
who is also a qualified yoga instructor. Classes are being held
at a small yoga studio in Wangara from 5-6pm. Focused on
movement, breathing and yoga, the postures are adjusted to
suit everyone taking part. With guided breathing, the class is
led through standing and seated yoga postures for one hour
before the session is closed with a meditation in Shivasana
pose. Following the meditation, group Members are welcome
to enjoy a cup of herbal tea and relax in the yoga studio’s
designated ‘chill out area’. Unfortunately, due to the strong
winds and heavy rains in our second week, the class was
cancelled but we look forward to seeing everyone again soon!
Keeping Your Brain Active
Just like exercise for your body, mentally stimulating your
brain helps it to stay active which is particularly important for
people living with MS. Challenging your brain can improve its
ability to adapt to cognitive changes brought about by MS. To
challenge your brain, you could take part in activities at work
as well as leisurely activities such as reading, painting, doing
puzzles and playing board games.
A 3-letter word has been taken out of each of the
following words. Can you figure it out?
B_ _ _TE
_ _ _SE
F_ _ _L
OP_ _ _TE
18 | MSWA BULLETIN SPRING 2018