An MS house that lets you experience MS.
People walking through the MS House will be able to see and feel things from a different, and often difficult, perspective. For a short while, as they walk through guided by headset audio, they can better understand what multiple sclerosis is all about.
The living room
A TV displaying half-definition pictures is used to illustrate vision problems. An armchair that’s set very low to the floor demonstrates the difficulty of getting up from a chair due to leg strength issues and fatigue. A sign explains that MS fatigue is like sitting down, and you’re so tired that you can’t get up again1. An inflatable mattress is on the floor to simulate how someone with MS has difficulty balancing while walking and may be very wobbly.
The kitchen
A heavy coffee mug and an unbalanced tray are used to demonstrate fatigue symptoms.
The study room
A “jumbled” computer keyboard simulates how cognitive problems may make it difficult to find the correct word to use when typing. These problems are also illustrated by an “Alice in Wonderland” book where the same page is read over and over again because, by the end of the page, the reader has already forgotten what he read. Ankle weights appear under a sign that says “Don’t drag your feet,” and then describes how people with MS can feel as if they’re walking through sand.
The bathroom
An infrared heater and a blurry mirror are used to simulate how a hot shower or weather can flare MS symptoms.
On display
The MS House was created under the sponsorship of the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform. It was displayed to mark World MS Day at a meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels, May 30–June 1. It would be nice to find a way to put it on a worldwide tour to broaden everyone’s understanding of what those of us with MS experience in our lives.
You’re invited to browse through my personal blog: www.themswire.com.
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