Multiple Sclerosis Home Care: Tips for Living with MS

Multiple Sclerosis is inherently unpredictable — meaning that even with an expert medical team it can be nearly impossible to know how fast the disease will progress.

This makes trying to get a straight answer for common questions about the severity of symptoms or the average lifespan for MS patients difficult. Because of this unpredictability, it’s important to consider a long-term home care plan for MS patients. In this post, we’ll provide tips for caring for MS patients at home.

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4 Tips for Living with MS

1.   Eat Right

According to the National MS Society, lifestyle factors such as healthy eating impact the risk of getting MS and can affect how the disease progresses. A healthy diet can have a positive impact on your MS in the following ways:

• Maintaining a consistent, healthy body weight is associated with decreased risk of MS.
• Healthy eating has a strong connection to cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with a higher risk of MS and related disability.

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healthy eating with Multiple Sclerosis, experts recommend the following:

• Prepare meals at home as much as possible.
• Incorporate colorful fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
• Choose lean proteins and healthy fats.
• If you eat grains, choose whole grains over refined grains.
• Consider adding herbs and spices to add flavor to meals.
• Avoid or limit processed foods and added sugars as much as possible.

2.   Exercise

For many years, neurologists feared that exercise could worsen MS symptoms and even trigger relapses. Modern research has actually found the opposite to be true, with over 300 research papers having found evidence to support benefits of exercise with MS.

Exercise has even been called “…the most powerful and self-fulfilling behavior you can undertake to make life with MS better,” by Robert W. Motl, PhD, professor in the department of Kinesiology and Nutrition at the University of Illinois Chicago. “It’s the closest thing we have to a magic pill for slowing markers of disease progression and improving quality of life.”

Researchers are only just beginning to understand all of the good regular exercise does for MS patients. Studies have shown the following benefits:

• Regular exercise improves strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and mobility, meaning MS patients can maintain their mobility longer.
• MS patients who regularly exercise saw improved cognitive performance, processing speed, learning, and memory.
• Regular workouts reduce common MS symptoms like fatigue, depression, and anxiety, and improve bladder and bowel control.
• Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of developing other chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes — all of which negatively impact MS outcomes.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommends aiming for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Moderate intensity means you can barely keep up a conversation.

3.   Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene

Sleep disorders are very common with multiple sclerosis, and if left unaddressed, a lack of sleep can make some MS symptoms worse. Talk with your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:

• Difficulty with initiating or maintaining sleep
• Difficulty with too much sleep
• Uncontrollable lapses into sleep
• Sleep-related breathing difficulty
• Abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep
• Excessive daytime sleepiness

Research shows that more than half of those living with MS have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea or insomnia — with insomnia being the most common. Sleep disorders can be caused by MS symptoms, medications, and even the disease itself.

4.   Ask for help

If you or a loved one are struggling to live on your own with MS, consider hiring an experienced multiple sclerosis Caregiver.

A dedicated at-home multiple sclerosis caregiver can provide around-the-clock-care or can simply help MS patients with daily tasks like homemaking, companionship, and personal care. Living with MS can make it difficult to retain your independence, but there is no shame in asking for help.

To learn more about our home care services, contact our caregiving team today at 1-800-GRISWOLD or find a Caregiver near you.