Council signs charter to raise awareness of motor neurone disease

North Lincolnshire Council has agreed to adopt the motor neurone disease (MND) Charter in support of local people living with this terminal disease and their carers.
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MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe. It kills around a third of people within a year of diagnosis, and more than half within two years. There is no cure.

Councillor Julie Reed, cabinet member for adults at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Unfortunately MND is still little understood and as there is currently no cure, it’s essential that care and support services are readily available. By signing the MND charter, we commit to raising awareness across all sectors and partners to improve early diagnosis in the hope that people live well for the limited time they have.”

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Coun Carl Sherwood, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, added: “I am proud that North Lincolnshire Council is adopting the MND Charter. It is vital that more people are aware of the needs of people with MND so those living with the disease can maximise their quality of life and die with dignity.”

MND sufferer Charles Dowie said: “By signing the MND Charter North Lincolnshire Council are acknowledging that early intervention will give the short life expectation of someone with fighting MND the chance to be as active with their families before this terrible disease takes its toll.”

Hannah Almey, local representative for the MND Association said: “I’m really pleased that the councillors have decided to adopt the MND charter, their support will make such a difference to local people living with MND, and their carers.

“My dad, Keith Rawden, sadly passed away after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and that spurred me on to try and raise awareness. I had thought it would be difficult to get the support of the council, but everyone has been so willing to help raise awareness and support those in the local area who have been diagnosed.”

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For further information visit www.mndassociation.org/mndcharter.

* The MND Association was founded in 1979 by a group of volunteers with experience of living with or caring for someone with MND. We are the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focused on MND care, research and campaigning.

We are a membership organisation and have more than 9,000 people helping to strengthen our voice.

‘Champion the Charter on your doorstep’ is a MND Association initiative.

For more information see www.mndassociation.org

What the MND Association does

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We improve care and support for people with MND, their families and carers.

We fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments, and brings us closer to a cure for MND.

We campaign and raise awareness so the needs of people with MND and everyone who cares for them are recognised and addressed by wider society.

About motor neurone disease

MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.

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It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound, feeling etc.

It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.

It affects people from all communities.

Some people may experience changes in thinking and behaviour, with a proportion experiencing a rare form of dementia.

Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK.

It affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.

It kills six people per day in the UK, this is just under 2,200 per year

It has no cure

It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is up to 1 in 300.

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