Living With a Neuromuscular Condition
Daily Living Activities
Living with a neuromuscular condition can present many challenges to daily life at home, when enjoying social activities, at work, at school or university, when travelling or even when sleeping.
NMC has an extensive array of information to support you to manage your neuromuscular condition and enable you to adapt your lifestyle to meet your personal needs.
We hold regular demonstrations of equipment from an extensive range of companies, from technology to mobility, enabling freedom and control in a variety of ways. Information is regularly shared between people who have live experience of using favourite ‘gadgets’.
The Centre is designed with a changing places facility, closomat toilets and height adjustable seats for your use. Adaptive equipment in the kitchen and adjustable furniture enables our community to prepare food and drink.
Mobility
We can help source a suitable wheelchair or scooter, and can arrange for you to speak to people who use them. We can also arrange demonstrations from local companies, who will help you make the best choice for you.
NMC has a large car park with Wheelchair Accessible Parking. There are frequently 10 adapted vehicles on site, with drivers happy to demonstrate their vehicles and adaptations and to share their wealth of knowledge.
We recently had a Vehicle Demonstration workshop and have produced the following document with tips for driving and changing your vehicle.
Connect Up Workshop Driving and Vehicle choice (opens a pdf file)
Financial Issues
Financial issues may be a source of great anxiety. There are people here at NMC who can help you complete forms, write letters of support and contact the appropriate organisations.
Work Opportunities
Sarah, our Employment and Careers Manager is here to help people apply for jobs, prepare for recruitment processes and to help people successfully stay in employment for longer.
We can offer support in various aspects of work opportunities including:
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Work skills workshops
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Information regarding access to work
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Volunteering opportunities at NMC
For further information please email sarah.lalieu@nmcentre.com
Wellbeing and Leisure
Talking Therapies
Janette Carr is volunteer at NMC who provides support in the form of ‘talking therapies’. Janette is a person-centred counsellor, and is trained and qualified in a wide range of counselling techniques. She is also experienced in working with individuals or in groups.
Whether this is your first time, or you have tried talking therapies before, you are welcome to come and see her. Janette is flexible in the way she works so there is no need to pre-plan what to talk about. She’ll work with you in a confidential, relaxed and informal way at your own speed, in the familiar setting of the NMC retreat.
If you think this might be for you then get in touch with Denise : denise.boyall@nmcentre.com
Leisure travel holidays
NMC collectively has an extensive knowledge of accessible travel including places to stay and visit.
Personal Stories
Andrea's Story - One fall too many
A fall. A bad fall. Agony. Lots of pain. I couldn’t put any pressure at all through my right leg. My knee was throbbing and badly swollen. I sprained my ankle and pulled the tendons that support the patella / knee. Fortuitously, two days later I had a physio appointment at the NMC. Hubby kindly took me. The physios worked their magic to help relieve the pain, using massage and the Hiva mat.
Two months later at follow up physio appointment, we had ‘that conversation’. You know the one. You know it’s coming....
Read More of Andrea's story (opens a pdf file)
Living Our Lives
Hi – my name is Sanjay and I have something called Limb Girdle muscular dystrophy, which affects my arms, legs and shoulders.
I work full time for AstraZeneca and want to talk about employment and share my experiences with you. I graduated with a first class honours degree in Chemical Engineering from University College London and it was in my final year that investigations started into why I was struggling to climb the stairs.
Meanwhile, I was busy applying for graduate jobs in engineering. I went for interview with a company and.... Read More of Sanjay's story (opens a pdf file)
Paul's Story
My name is Paul, I'm 44 years old and I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I live in an adapted house with my parents on the Wirral.
My diagnosis was at the age of five and this took place at Birkenhead Children's Hospital, through a Dr Segar. To be truthful I don't remember a great deal about it as I was so young but I was always determined to be as independent as possible.
I'm Different & That's Ok
Watch this inspiring video by Adam and Mike Bladen.