"There’s no way to predict how someone is going to feel,” explains Dorothy Northrop, director of clinical programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "In the morning, you might be able to do something that you can’t do in the evening. It’s like a moving target, which makes it very challenging. You have to always be adapting to find a way to function and do the things that you want to do."
Assessing What You Need
First someone with MS must overcome their own psychological barrier to using devices that may seem to stigmatize them as being weak. "Sometimes people feel like they’re giving in if they accept the use of a device, even though it’s going to enable them to continue to do things," Northrop says. "It’s a hard line to cross, so it’s something that people have to build themselves up to."
Once someone with MS and their physician decides that an assisted device would be helpful, they will probably be referred to a physical therapist or occupational therapist. These specialists will analyze the person’s gait and evaluate muscle strength, coordination and other factors that affect mobility before recommending and fitting a device.
"When we look at a patient we look at their entire being," says Mary Ann Baraibar, an occupational therapist who is a member of the MS Specialty Team at Fairview Homecare and Hospice in Minnesota. "Some of the things that need to be taken into consideration are what type of MS the patient has, their physical ability, their cognitive ability, their home environment and their family dynamic."
