Mutual Support - The Armed Forces National Support Group of the MS Society of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Are there people in the Armed Forces who have Multiple Sclerosis?

Yes - just contact us at MUTUAL SUPPORT

About Mutual Support

National Support

If you are living with MS, whether still serving, ex-serving or a dependant, then Mutual Support, one of the three national support groups of the MS Society, can provide the support you need, when you need it.

Mutual Support is run by volunteers with direct experience of MS and the Armed Forces, and provides a set of services and activities based on what people affected by MS have said they want. Mutual Support works alongside the MS National Centre.

‘I speak to the welfare team regularly. It’s been such a help to know they are always at the end of the phone’

Help when you need it

MS is unpredictable and people’s needs vary over time. Our trained welfare team can provide you with the support you need to deal with your situation. They are at the end of the phone when you need to talk to someone, and in some cases can visit you at home, if this is your preference.
They can also:

  • Offer support around the time of diagnosis

  • Give advice and assistance with applying for disability benefits

  • Help you get what you need from health and social services

  • Point you in the right direction for other help you might need

‘I had heard of MS but that was it. And not knowing was really scary. When I got information from the MS Society, I started to realise my life wasn’t over’.

Information about MS

People affected by MS tell us that they need accurate information they can trust. To meet this need the MS Society produces a wide range of publications about all aspects of MS, all free of charge and available through Mutual Support (as well as through the National Centre).
Mutual Support also:

  • Gives a standard information pack to all new contacts

  • Produces regular newsletters including a mix of national news about MS and related issues

  • Runs information events with MS specialist nurses, neurologists and other health professionals as speakers

  • Runs a website and bulletin board

‘I really needed to know that I wasn’t the only one going through this. Speaking to others in similar circumstances really helped’

A chance to meet others

It sometimes helps to know you are not alone and to share experience with others in a similar situation. Mutual Support offers the chance to meet other people informally, and anyone is welcome to join in. Turning up to a Mutual Support event does not mean that you have to go again if you don’t want, or that you will be asked to volunteer to do anything. You choose the type of relationship you have, whether distant or in close contact, Mutual Support provides a range of opportunities for meeting others including:

  • Residential weekends with health professionals on hand to answer questions

  • Telephone support for various people including carers, the newly diagnosed, young people with MS etc

Support you can rely on

Mutual Support carries out many other activities too such as fundraising, campaigning for better services and raising the profile of MS. They also work with others who have an interest in MS, such as health professionals and other organisations to ensure that services are as good as they can be. Whatever you are looking for from Mutual Support, you can be sure of receiving a good service, because we work to nationally agreed standards.

Can you become a member?

Mutual Support is here for serving and ex-serving members of the Armed Forces and Reserves, their dependants and carers along with other service personnel who just want to help. Anyone can join, but you do not have to be a member to access our support.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION BY E-MAIL,
PLEASE CLICK HERE: Welfare Support

Thank you for being visitor Number:

Hit Counter