Counseling For Multiple Sclerosis

Counseling
 
COUNSELING BY HEALTHCARE professionals (e.g., psychologists, social workers, family therapists, or nurses) is designed to support people's efforts to live and cope with the stress and turmoil caused by MS. Unfortunately, many people still perceive counseling as an activity for the emotionally weak or unstable, and therefore shy away from this helpful resource. In the same way that one would not build a house without power tools, one should not try to learn how to live with MS without tools such as information, guidance, and support. Counseling is an avenue for obtaining all of these. 
 

Counseling For Multiple Sclerosis

Within the supportive setting of counseling, individuals, couples, and whole families can receive answers to their questions, gain insight into their feelings and reactions, talk more openly about their reactions to the intrusion of MS in their lives, learn more effective coping strategies and communication skills, and problem-solve in areas of their lives that are causing them concern.
 
MS typically involves a variety of symptoms that ebb and flow over the course of the illness. Whether someone remains relatively stable or gradually becomes more disabled, these symptoms can have an impact on self-esteem and emotional being, family life, employment, and overall quality of life. When individuals or families feel overwhelmed by uncomfortable feelings or unavoidable changes in their lives, it is often difficult to identify available options and make satisfying choices. 

Counseling can facilitate this process - whether it be a single consultation or several sessions over the course of the illness. During any period of rnajor change or stress, one or another form of counseling can support the efforts of an individual or the whole family to regain a sense of emotional balance and control.
 
Different people will opt to make use of counseling in different ways - perhaps for help at the time of diagnosis, for sorting out family-related decisions or a job change, for occasional support in the event of a crisis, or on a more long-term basis. Counseling can take a variety of forms, but the overall goal is always to support people's efforts to enhance their quality of life.

• Individual counseling allows the person with MS or a family member to become more informed about MS, explore feelings and concerns, identify options, enhance current coping strategies and/or develop new ones, and receive emotional support. In this type of counseling, people develop an understanding of the grieving process that necessarily accompanies the life changes brought about by MS. For some individuals, the opportunity to explore feelings in a one-on-one situation with a therapist lays the groundwork for participation in support groups or family therapy.
• Group counseling provides a forum for people to share information and problem-solving strategies, provide mutual support, and enjoy the experience of being with others who are "in the same boat." Group counseling is available not only for individuals with MS, but also for well-spouses, couples, children who have a parent with MS, or any other set of individuals with a shared agenda (e.g., working parents, people with cognitive impairment), within the group setting, people find they can talk and laugh about problems that would be too personal to talk about in other situations. They can express feelings of anger, resentment, or fear that they might hesitate to share with family members or friends. Most importantly, perhaps, the group setting encourages the development of relationships that continue to provide a valuable social support network long after the group sessions are completed. Group counseling by telephone is also available in some areas for people with severe disabilities or who are limited by geography or fatigue from attending a group session in person.
• Family counseling helps families recognize the impact of MS on family life, communicate more comfortably with one another about their reactions to the illness, identify and understand the varying coping styles of individual family members, and problem-solve more effectively. A major goal of family counseling is to help the family learn how to adapt to the presence of MS in the household without allowing the disease to drain more of the family's emotional resources than it needs. 

BECOMING MORE INFORMED about MS enables people to understand the potential impact of the disease on daily life, family relati0nships, and everyone's emotional well-being. Taking advantage of the available psychoeducational resources is one important way for people who have the disease and their family members to reduce anxiety, gain a greater sense of control, and feel more comfortable in their everyday lives. In addition, the knowledge gained about the disease and its management helps people cope more effectively now and in the future.

 
Learning about the disease and its potential impact on family life will enable you to recognize stresses and problems as they arise. The resources described exist to help you cope with today, anticipate tomorrow's difficulties, and develop strategies to avert family crises. There is no need to wait for a crisis to develop before getting help. Needing assistance is not unique to families living with MS - we all need support at different times in our lives. Check out the resources and discuss your concerns with your physician or other healthcare provider (e.g., a nurse, social worker, or psychologist).Tracking down the appropriate support person or service may sometimes be frustrating, but be persistent. The important first step is the decision to look for the help you need. To find out more, you can check out Counseling For Multiple Sclerosis.

Support Services For Multiple Sclerosis

OVER THE PAST several years, many kinds of MS resources have emerged to help families cope with the challenges of multiple sclerosis. This post will familiarize you with the types of resources that are available and encourage you to think of them as valuable tools to use in your coping efforts. Whether these resources take the form of reading materials, support groups, counseling, or educational programs, their value lies in providing families with the information and support they need to adapt more comfortably to the changes that MS brings into their lives. Because no family is likely to use all of the available resources, this discussion presents you with a menu of available options that your family can use now and in the future.
 

Support Services For Multiple Sclerosis

It is important to remember that even within the same family, people tend to vary in their styles of learning and coping, No two people are exactly alike in their responses to stress, change, or loss. In addition, each person's needs may shift over time as a result of personal growth and development, a change in circumstances, or even education. These differences must be taken into account when the family seeks assistance in dealing with the complexities of MS. Sometimes the family may seek information and support together, via shared reading, family workshops, or family counseling. 

At other times, however, individual family members may opt for different courses of action that provide them with the most comfortable means of gathering information and getting emotional support. Thus, one person might decide to attend a National Multiple Sclerosis Society educational program, another might choose to read a few brief pamphlets, and a third might select the option of one-on-one interaction with a health professional or a person in a similar MS family situation. There is no "correct" way to learn about MS or to cope with its impact on family life. Each family, and each individual within the family, needs to consider the available resources in the way that feels most useful to them.
 
Psychoeducational Resources
 
THE TERM psychoeducational refers to the important interaction between learning and coping functions. Ideally, families should be gathering accurate, up-to-date information about MS at the same time that they are dealing with their emotional reactions to its presence in the household. Experience has repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of knowledge and understanding as coping tools. Obtaining information about MS and the various ways in which it can impact family life enables individuals and families to feel more in control and more prepared to deal with this chronic, unpredictable disease.

Psychoeducational activities include educational programs (sponsored by the National MS Society and other organizations), participation in workshops of different kinds, support groups, counseling, and less formal interactions with an MS expert-either a professional or a peer (a person who has MS or a family member with training to provide appropriate information about personal experiences with MS). Again, the combined function of any of these activities is to provide useful information in a supportive style and setting.

Self-Help Groups

 
SELF-HELP (SUPPORT) groups exist in almost every section of the country, with over 1,800 groups affiliated with the National MS Society. Group leaders (either professionals or peers) have participated in the Society's training programs to enhance their skills in active listening, group dynamics, problem-solving guidance, crisis intervention, and other important areas. Groups vary enormously in the profile of members (e.g., newly diagnosed, more severely disabled, caregivers) and target a variety of concerns including coping and adaptation, employment issues, parenting, and so forth. Self-help groups may have emotional support as their primary focus, or may combine this with education, advocacy, and social activities. The frequency of meetings ranges from weekly to monthly. Meetings may be carried out by telephone or in the more common, in-person format. To find a Society sponsored group in your area, call 1-800-FIGHT-MS. To find out more, you can check out Support Services For Multiple Sclerosis.

Special Needs Trust Multiple Sclerosis

Quite often, a will serves as the cornerstone of a financial estate plan. This is a binding legal document that will determine how your estate is distributed after you die. In addition to distributing property, wills can be used to handle certain personal affairs, such as planning funerals and/or making sure that your loved ones are cared for properly if they are legally incompetent or are likely to become incompetent. Parents and guardians can use the will to name their successors. Such designations, depending on the jurisdiction, may be legally binding or of invaluable assistance to a court in guardianship proceedings, should these become necessary. These designees are known as either successor or testamentary guardians.
 

Special Needs Trust Multiple Sclerosis

A trust is a binding legal arrangement in which a person transfers assets to another person, known as a trustee, who manages it for the named beneficiaries. This arrangement may be made as part of a will, in which case it is called a testamentary trust, or it may become effective during your lifetime, in which case it is called a living trust. Additionally, a living trust may be changeable during your lifetime (revocable) or it may be fixed (irrevocable).
 
A trust can be used to select a trustee who will look out for the financial and personal interests of your loved ones without the need for a guardian, and it may result in substantial tax savings. Disadvantages of a trust can include complexity, cost, and the possibility that changing circumstances will leave the trustee without the most appropriate options.
 

Although trusts may come in many forms, relevant types include:

• Contingent testamentary trust - The proceeds of an estate go first to the surviving spouse but at that spouse's death are placed in trust for a child.
• Living trust - A pour-over provision that allows property to be added to the trust for the beneficiary once you die.
• Discretionary trust - Carefully defines the amount and kind of discretion that the trustee will have in distributing or withholding benefits; (in many states, a particular type of discretionary trust called a special needs or supplemental need trust can be established to meet the needs of a disabled child over and above the needs met through government benefits. This trust is designed in such a way that it will add to government benefits without jeopardizing the beneficiary's eligibility for those benefits). 
• Sprinkling trust - Allows you to instruct the trustee to distribute the benefits unequally according to the unique needs of the beneficiaries. 
• Life insurance trust - Helps ensure that the benefits of a life insurance policy will be managed properly. 

It is in your best interests to consult an estate planning attorney in order to make sure that you are pursuing the most suitable option(s), given your financial and social circumstances, so that you loved ones will be protected both financially and socially once you pass away.
 

A THOROUGH LIFE plan is a necessary strategy for protecting your family and avoiding many of the pitfalls that could rob you of your security or freedom. This post provides an overview of the process as well as some options for you and your family to consider. Fortunately, there are now available a number of resources to guide you through the process. To find out more, you can check out Special Needs Trust Multiple Sclerosis.

Estate Planning For Multiple Sclerosis

Because these policies will usually pay from approximately $50 per day to approximately $300 per day (some even double the coverage for stays in the intensive care unit), it is not difficult to establish eligibility for thousands of tax-free dollars (assuming that you paid the premiums) every time you are hospitalized. The real trick is to determine when to acquire the policies, and how many of them you should purchase.
 

Estate Planning For Multiple Sclerosis

To do this, you need to determine the "index" of the various policies you could obtain. Each policy is usually offered for a fixed annual premium amount. By reading the policy, you can determine how many days of hospitalization it would take to recover your annual premium. For example, if your annual premium is $150, and a proposed policy pays $50 per day beginning on the second day, you would need to be hospitalized for four days to collect your annual premium back in claims benefits. Your "index" for such a policy would be four. 

For another example, if your policy costs $200 annually, and your policy would pay $125 per day beginning on the third day, you would have to be hospitalized for four days to collect your annual premium back in claims benefits. You should rate each policy similarly; and determine the payment index for each policy.

Next, you need to compare the index scores for each policy to your hospitalization history. When your average annual hospitalization rate exceeds the index on each policy, you should apply for that policy (assuming that it will eventually cover your MS).
 
You should purchase no more policies than you can afford even when you are not hospitalized. Of course, if your average annual hospitalization rate is quite high, and you find yourself receiving large sums, this can be a virtually limitless strategy. Only your imagination in determining what groups you can join to obtain this coverage will limit the amount of cash you can generate when you are ill. Additionally, if the biggest obstacle to your ability to work is hospitalization, this insurance can even serve as a crude substitute for disability insurance.
 
Unless you find that you are hospitalized often, you need to carry only one of these policies to help pay for the deductibles and co-payments you may have if you are hospitalized. Keep information on the others in a file so that if your amount of hospitalization begins to justify the premiums, you can sign up for multiple policies of this nature at that time.
 
Estate Planning
 
A COHESIVE ESTATE plan accomplishes the following things: (1) designates who will get your property when you die; (2) sets up procedures and devices to make sure your property passes to others free from probate, or that your estate owes the least amount possible in probate fees; (3) sets up ways to pass your property to others while reducing or avoiding taxes; and (4) sets up management for property you want to go to others who might need outside help in managing it, including a disabled family member.
 

Generally, the method you choose to dispose of assets will involve a will, a trust, or both a will and a trust. In using estate planning tools to protect your loved ones, it is advisable to consult an experienced attorney because the law is complex and a mistake might have unfortunate consequences for their future. A common problem overlooked in estate plans is the effect inheritances or gifts can have on eligibility for public benefits. For example, parents who are trying to provide for a disabled child need to be careful not to jeopardize the child's eligibility for public benefits by leaving assets directly in that child's name. In certain circumstances, it may be preferable to limit or eliminate the transfer of assets, so that the child beneficiary is not put in the position of missing out on valuable social services. To find out more, you can check out Estate Planning For Multiple Sclerosis.