Information for Healthcare Professionals

In this section we include information specific to MS Nurses, Social Workers and Care Workers.

For information specific to Speech and Language Therapists click Here.

For information on funding a communication aid for a client, see Here.

We hope this information is useful and ask that you kindly Let Us Know what we can do to improve it.

MS Nurses, Social Workers and Care Workers

We feel that MS nurses have a very important part to play in the process. You have formed a relationship with your patients and helped them through a very traumatic time. You will have gained their trust and respect. There is an understandable resistance to even thinking about communication aids. Although possibly approximately only 1% of the MS population will need to use a communication aid, sadly, they may need one at a time when their cognitive and physical ability may prevent them from learning to use one.

We would therefore appeal to you to encourage your clients to see a Speech & Language Therapist as soon as they start to experience difficulties. It might pay dividends later if there general ability has deteriorated.

MS Nurses and all the other care professionals have a vital role to play:

• You have built up a relationship with your client
• They trust your judgment
• Most clients resist the idea that their speech is affected
• They will also resist the idea of a communication aid

You will be performing a great service, if you can suggest that a client should learn to use a Lightwriter now, just in case they might need it in the future. Better to learn while they are still relatively able rather than waiting until when their general health may have deteriorated, making it more difficult to learn.

We do not want to cause unnecessary anxiety, so it is worth pointing out that only a very small percentage of the MS population (around 1%) will need a communication aid. They would be insuring against the possibility of not being able to communicate in the future.