The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Research Group at Beaumont Hospital and Trinity College is developing an educational programme for families of people with MND. The purpose is to help those affected by MND to recognize the thinking, behaviour and personality changes that can occur as part of the condition, to identify how best to understand these, to help those affected by these changes to manage problems that might arise, and to take care of their own health and wellbeing.
It is now recognized that up to 30% of people with MND experience changes in thinking and behaviour and some people may also experience a dementia-like syndrome.Research has shown that these changes can increase the burden of care for families. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that this burden may be under-reported by families and under-recognized by healthcare professionals.
Over the coming months, the Trinity /Beaumont research team will host a series of “town meetings” for families of those with MND around the cognitive, behavioural and personality changes that can occur in MND, how to recognize and better manage them. They hope to help families recognize the increased burden associated with thinking and personality changes.
During the meeting the Research Team will give some examples drawn from real life of the types of thinking and behavioural changes that can happen with MND, and will provide information on how to better manage them. The team will provide an opportunity for families to share information about their own experiences and any other comments they may have regarding cognitive and behaviour changes.
The information provided during these sessions will form the basis of a question and answer booklet that will be available online through the Research Motor Neurone and IMNDA websites.
Meeting 1 Dublin
Date: Saturday 16th April
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel Dublin Airport
Meeting 2 Athlone
Date: Saturday 30th April
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Hodson Bay Hotel
Meeting 3 Cork
Date: Saturday 18th June
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Clayton Hotel Silver Springs
For further information or to register by phone, call 089 470 8675
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