Chiltern MS Centre – update – October 2019

New pool steps allow easier movement in and out of the pool during hydrotherapy sessions

The Chiltern MS Centre provides long-term physical, practical and emotional support for MS sufferers, their families and carers. Hydrotherapy is an extremely useful form of exercise as it allows people with MS to be able to exercise using the additional support and resistance that water provides.

The Hospital Saturday Fund was happy to provide a grant towards the cost of the new steps (pictured) and we had word that the work was completed on the steps at the end of August 2019. We also received this lovely thank you from Chilterns MS Centre:

Thanks to your tremendous £2,000 grant, our new accessible steps have now been installed in our hydrotherapy pool.

Hydrotherapy (physiotherapy in water) really helps people with multiple sclerosis to strengthen their muscles and improve their balance. Our pool is the only one like it in our area but access was limited by having a vertical ladder (too steep for many of our patients to use) and a hoist (necessary for people using wheelchairs but slow and undignified). Now people with a wider range of mobility problems can get in and out of our pool independently or with the help of their therapist, enabling them to enjoy exercise that isn’t possible for them without the support of the water.

Andrzej, our senior hydrotherapist, said: “Hydro patients really like the new steps. We’re already seeing people in the pool who weren’t using it before and now some of the less mobile patients using the hoist are working up to using the steps as their therapy goal. It’s really helping their motivation to have a practical goal like this to aim for. I’ve had one patient walking up and down the pool today who is determined to be able to use the steps when we’ve strengthened his legs enough.”