The right treatment and good support are keys to living your best life with multiple sclerosis (MS). Often, support comes from the people closest to you – your parents, partner, or children.
But what if you don't have someone at home to pick up your medicine at the drugstore or cook you dinner when you're too tired? No matter how independent you've always been, MS can complicate your daily life. When you live alone, the burden of caring for your health falls on you.
MS symptoms can also stop you from getting out as often as you'd like. Having this condition can make life on your own very isolating.
Here are some tips to help you live more independently and avoid loneliness when you live alone with MS.
Find Your MS Tribe
Support doesn't have to come from a relative or partner in your home. Other people in your social circle can give you a ride to the doctor's office or offer a friendly ear when you need to talk. Build your MS tribe with friends, neighbors, co-workers, and members of your religious group.
If you don't have a big support circle, there are things you can do to widen it. Join a book club. Volunteer. Attend local MS support group meetings or join an online group. Get active on discussion boards and social media pages for MS. You'll meet people in these groups who can relate to your situation.
Still short on support? The National Multiple Sclerosis Society offers tools to help. Their MS Navigators will connect you to support groups, resources, and organizations in your community.
Seek Out Services
Whether you need meals delivered, a shuttle to the grocery store, or someone to keep you company, there is probably a program to help. Your state may offer these services for free or at low cost. To find out what's available near you, contact your local Department of Health and Human Services.
Also check with the national eldercare locator. Even if you're not over 65, they can point you to local programs that help people who have medical conditions with activities of daily life.
Make Your Home MS-Friendly
Your home is where you might feel most comfortable, but it's also where you're most likely to fall and hurt yourself. Accessibility and safety are important when you have a condition that affects your movement.
Making changes like these to your home can improve your safety and mobility:
- Move furniture out of the way and widen doorways.
- Get rid of throw rugs.
- Replace raised molding in doorways with flat molding.
- Place a chair in the shower and a stool in the kitchen so you can sit while you wash and cook.
- Add grab bars in the shower and bathtub, and next to the toilet.
- Replace door handles with easy-to-turn levers.
- Put timers on lights or buy motion-activated lightbulbs.
- Use a reacher for grabbing items off of high shelves.
If you're not sure what changes to make, you can get help from an occupational therapist (OT). Ask your MS doctor for a referral. The OT will recommend things that can make your home safer and more accessible.
If you need help paying for home modifications, organizations like these may be able to help:
- Centers for Independent Living
- Habitat for Humanity
- Rebuilding Together
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Some states offer tax credits to help with the cost of home modifications.
Manage Your Treatment
When you live on your own, there's no one to remind you to take your medication or make a doctor appointment. It's up to you to stay on top of your treatment.
Because MS can make your brain a little fuzzy, try these tips to help you remember:
- Take your medicine at the same time each day to get you into a routine.
- Use a pill organizer with an alarm that reminds you to take your medicine.
- Record each of your medicines and doses in an app like My MS Manager.
- Keep track of medical appointments in your phone's calendar.
- Bring a notebook to medical visits to write down your doctor's advice.
Connect With Tech
The internet has changed the way we communicate. Apps like Zoom and FaceTime let you talk face-to-face with people who live far away.
Use technology to stay in touch with distant friends and relatives. Schedule virtual visits with your MS doctor or mental health provider. And reach out to your peers with MS. Connecting with people, even virtually, can make you feel less alone.
Care for Your Mental Health
About half of people with MS have depression, and many have anxiety, too. It's important to care for your emotional well-being while you manage MS.
Take good care of yourself. Eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, and get enough sleep. Reduce stress with deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or whatever practice works best for you.
Try to think about the good parts of your life, and not focus only on your condition. Be kind to yourself, even when things don't go as you planned. And if you've been feeling sad or hopeless nearly every day for 2 weeks or more, ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist or other mental health professional.
Ask for Help When You Need It
Life with MS is unpredictable. One day you feel fine. The next day you struggle to get up off the couch.
Don't hesitate to reach out for support on days when you're not feeling your best. Ask a friend to do a grocery shopping run, cook dinner, or do the wash for you. If no one is around, take advantage of a meal or grocery delivery service. Use a ride-booking app to help you get to the doctor's office.
MS can change a lot about your life, but it doesn't have to steal your independence. You'll do better on your own if you set up your home to maximize safety, keep up with your social connections, and ask for help when you need it.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images
SOURCES:
Frontiers in Public Health: "Editorial: Technological Innovations to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults."
Johns Hopkins Medicine: "Multiple Sclerosis and Mental Health: 3 Common Challenges."
MS Focus Magazine: "Alone with MS: The Symptom People Don't Talk About."
MS Society: "Cognitive Problems with MS," "Loneliness and Isolation Affect Three in Five People with MS."
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders: "Characteristics and Consequences of Falls Among People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Use Wheelchairs or Scooters: Differences Between Injurious and Non-Injurious Falls."
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America: "Cover Story: Home and Lifestyle Modifications for Safety and Accessibility," "Staying the Course on MS Therapy."
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: "Emotional Well-Being and Multiple Sclerosis," "Home Modification Policies," "Increasing Accessibility," "Resources and Support," "Understanding Multiple Sclerosis."
National Health Service (U.K.): "Living With Multiple Sclerosis."
