ARE YOU GETTING THE BEST SUPPORT POSSIBLE FROM THE AVAILABLE ALLIED HEALTH SERVICES?

The Myasthenia Gravis Association of Qld Inc. is proudly supporting a research project conducted by the University of Qld Physiotherapy Department. The MAA encourage all of our members to ‘have a say’ and support this research by sharing your knowledge, experiences and needs in regards to Allied Health servicing. Rare Disease is all about small numbers. Without sufficient numbers, research is not effective. This means that everyone in the MG community needs to participate! There is often a very real personal engagement from people who undertake research and a genuine desire to help. This is very much the case with this project. Three researchers are involved. The first is Katrina Williams, one of only 8 Specialist Neurological Physiotherapists in Australia. Katrina is interested in Myasthenia Gravis research as she has seen that there is little research in this area. She believes it is important for people with MG to understand their conditions and see what could be done with movement and exercise to improve their daily lives. She has seen great improvements in MG people, and wants to better understand how exercise and allied health can better support patients. Working alongside Katrina is Dr Kirstine Shrubsole, a speech pathologist with a specific clinical and research focus on stroke care and communication disorders. Kirstine has MG and takes an active role on the MGAQ committee. Supporting these ladies is Chloe, a final year speech pathology student. Chloe chose this research project to challenge herself and because a friend has MG. As she learns more about the condition, she is excited to be involved and by the prospect of helping people with Myasthenia.

Now is the time for action as this survey will close on 7 August, 2020.