HOME HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT & PRACTICE / April 2006 Young Adults With Multiple Sclerosis: Management in the Home

Multiple sclerosis (MS) strikes early in life and places heavy demands on the person with MS and his or her family—physically, emotionally, and financially. Comprehensive planning of home-based services, implemented by a multidisci-plinary team of health care professionals, is criti-cal to management of the disease, prevention of complications, and promotion of optimal health and quality of life. Home-based services are an important strategy in cost containment, decreas-ing hospital admissions, and avoiding premature and expensive nursing home placement. This arti-cle describes MS and its management and explores the benefits of home services and coordi-nation of care for people with MS within the framework of long-term care needs, clinical management of the disease, and caregiver and family issues. Most people with multiple sclerosis (MS), aswith other chronic disabling diseases, wantto be cared for in their familiar surroundings at home. Health care providers recognize the psycho-logical and social benefits of home caring, and growing economic constraints in the health care system promote the expansion of home care services (Carton, Loos, Pacolet, Versieck, & Vlietinck, 2000). Multiple sclero-sis strikes early in life and places heavy demands on the family—physically, emotionally, and financially. Comprehensive planning of home-based services, implemented by an interdisciplinary team and designed specifically for people with MS, provides a cost-effective approach to management of the disease and quality of life (Pozzilli et al., 2002). By offering sup-port, nursing care, rehabilitation, and medication man-agement, home-based services are an important strat-egy in decreasing hospital admission and avoiding premature and expensive nursing home placement. The erratic nature of MS, its unpredictable course, and the consequent disability that it generates require a high level of care that often outstrips family resources and abilities. Without appropriate management of the disease, and adequate family support, people with MS are at serious risk for clinical deterioration, injury, inadequate nutrition and hydration, and social isolatio