She is only apathetic in bed, wrote me the other day the friend of a MSA sufferer.
That is already unfavorable, because it does not necessarily improve the situation. One loses then the body feeling still faster
You can try this out for yourself by sitting on your hands for 10 minutes. Sit on your hands, close your eyes and after a minute try to feel how the environment of your hand feels without moving your hand. After 10 minutes pull it out from under your leg and draw a picture of it – how it feels.
Maybe you will come to the conclusion that it is difficult to move, except for the MSA.
Now I don’t want to sound like one of those bad homeshopping salesmen but what might be helpful is Basal Stimulation! A nursing concept , which originally comes from remedial education and was later further developed for nursing / intensive care .
Somatic perception stimulation
Our body with the skin, as our border to the environment, is familiar with manifold sensory impressions from our earliest stage of development. There are many possibilities such as massage (hand, foot, neck, abdomen…) strokes, a gesture of touch as a greeting, passive movements and much more to make the patients aware of their body again.
Offers to the patient
Initial touch e.g. shoulder, upper/forearm or hand
-For all patients who are not able to control their environment and therefore appear stressed, we offer a welcoming ritual that should convey confidence and security.
-1. To establish contact, first address the patient clearly by name, then touch her/him clearly in the above area.
-2. inform about the activity
-3. implement activities
-4. To complete the activity, touch the patient at the same area and inform her/him of the completion
Body formulating whole body washing.
In this washing, the body is always washed with 2 hands.
With slower movements, both sides of the face are washed symmetrically, always
one always begins at the same starting point.
In the case of the upper body/abdomen and back area, the patient should always gain a feeling of wholeness. Example
Starting from the sternum to the periphery
Starting from the chest following the direction of hair growth
Crosswise from the left shoulder to the right upper abdomen and in the opposite direction
Arms, hands, legs and feet are firmly embraced with the hands and washed with a flowing motion. A slight increase in pressure is applied to the joints. The movement always ends at the toes or fingers. Here, too, each individual limb should be remodeled.
The patient receives the information: My arm is long, round and ends at. My fingers or leg is long, round and ends at the toes.
When adding aromas, preferences and allergies must be taken into account. Also, pay attention to body temperature (warm = calming, cool = stimulating).
What one does when washing, is of course also possible when creaming. Or before mobilizing on the clothes.
Here is another exercise for self-awareness in a team of two. One sits on the chair, the other runs with both hands along the leg to the toes, increasing the pressure on the joints. Repeat this about 10/15 times without losing body contact. Immediately afterwards, the seated person stands up. The standing one remains standing next to him? Please do not do this with a patient.
Let yourself be surprised how it feels.
Likewise, you can make body boundaries conscious through positioning.
The nest gives security. Before dissolving, you should set a new stimulus, because the blankets very quickly become body boundaries (sense of touch habituates the fastest). The easiest way is to stroke the blanket with a distinct touch. You may remember when you used to get the blanket pulled away as a child or teenager. A terrible feeling, not only because it got cold.
The nest is also possible in a sideways position.
There are of course other somatic offers (via the skin).
And the concept of basal stimulation includes verstibular (balance) and vibratory stimulation.
But those are topics for another post.
If you still want to know, you can find help here: marion@leben-mit-msa.de.