IF A PARENT or other family member believes that cognitive symptoms may be present, a neuropsychological evaluation can help identify specific problems as well as areas of strength. This, in turn. will make it possible to identify strategies that parents and children can use to improve their communication and reduce stress. For example, if a parent has difficulty with concentration, it is important to reduce distractions when discussing important issues with the children. Such discussions are more likely to be successful when they take place in a quiet environment without a television or radio in the background.
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| How To Cope With MS |
Similarly, a mother who has problems with attention and concentration may have difficulty answering a child's homework questions and preparing dinner at the same time. It is important to explain the difficulty to your child and then try to arrange a specific time and place to work on the homework when other distractions are at a minimum.
A family calendar is another useful strategy for minimizing confusion in the household. Each family member's appointments and activities can be posted in a central location to which parents and children have easy access. This makes it easier for a parent who has memory problems to keep track of the family's complicated schedule. Older children can be encouraged to write their commitments on the calendar and to take responsibility for reminding Morn or Dad if they will need a ride.
Coping With Emotional And Behavioral Changes
PARENTS LIVING WITH MS may find themselves experiencing a variety of uncomfortable emotions, either as a reaction to the numerous changes and stresses in their lives or as part of the disease process itself. It is time to talk to your physician or other healthcare provider if you are feeling or acting "not like your old self" or are taking out these uncomfortable feelings on your children or others close to you.
Seeking help with emotional changes is similar to seeking help for any of your other MS-related probIems. A mental health professional who is knowledgeable about MS can provide you with a better understanding of the emotional changes you are experiencing as well as treatment and managment strategies for dealing with them. This, in turn, will make it easier for you to talk with your children about your moods and reassure them that they are not (always) the reason for your frustration or sadness.
Help For Parents And Children
THE PREFERRED APPROACH to dealing with most kinds of family issues is a preventive one, involving education about MS, the promotion of positive mental health, and the development and use of adaptive coping strategies. For families living with chronic illness, periodic meetings with a mental health professional to ask questions, talk about areas of concern and distress, identify family strengths and effective coping strategies, and learn alternative strategies where needed, are highly recommended.
This kind of periodic, supportive interaction with a knowledgeable professional can effectively promote family well-being and prevent smaller problems from turning into crises. Then, if individual family members, or the family as a whole, begin to experience significant distress, the family is able to turn to a resource person with whom they are already familiar and comfortable. This professional can help determine if additional services are needed - such as marital counseling, a psychiatric evaluation of a family member's depression, or individual therapy - and make the appropriate referrals.
The goal of supportive, educational interventions with families is to enhance their efforts to cope with the intrusion of MS into their lives. With all psychosocial interventions, professionals need to acknowledge and respect the individuality of families as they work to accommodate the impact of MS on their lives. There is no one plan that works for every family. Each family, with the help and support of the healthcare team, must find its own best way. To find out more, you can check out How To Cope With MS.