Confident Living Programs (Victoria)

MS Australia – Victoria: Confident Living Programs (CLP) support people with neurological conditions who are socially isolated and disadvantaged in community participation due to the progressive nature of their condition or implications of it. The programs are open to participants with Neurological conditions which may include Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Huntingtons Disease and Parkinsons Disease.

Participants who attend the Confident Living Programs live in the community with family, carers or alone. They strive to maintain independence, feel valued and remain connected to their communities whilst being and feeling safe. CLP offers an opportunity for participants with similar experiences and interests to meet other people within their local communities, allowing friendships to develop that can continue outside of the program time if they choose. The programs present as places to go where participants feel relaxed, safe and can rediscover the joy of social interactions. The Confident Living Programs support participants as a group to access the community to visit places they wouldn’t normally go alone or with family, for example; for coffee or lunch down at the local café, to an art gallery to gain inspiration for their art work. All programs are tailored to meet participants individual goals through person centred planning. The social and physical activities are beneficial to both the person living with the disability and their carer as it provides a break from the home routine, the burden of care and being cared for and offers social stimulation.

The people participating in these programs have significantly reduced capacity and require support to engage in community activities. Their quality of life is often restricted due to their condition and being reliant on the care and support of others. This is further excerbated by loss of income due to the inability to work or retain employment and in many situations the carer has to give up their careers to be the primary carer. This has a significantly negative impact on their mental and emotional health and is often a predisposition to anxiety and depression, resulting in people staying at home to save money and in turn isolating themselves from their community.

Staff attending CLP are trained in Personal Care and First Aid to support participants with basic personal needs while at a program. They are able to identify early issues arising for participants and refer internally to the MS Allied Health staff or to external services such as the Councils, HACC Services or Community Health Centres thus promoting active lifestyles.

The programs are planned with the clients and provide a range of social and physical activities which include: Creative Arts, Physical Activities and Water Exercises. The programs are hosted in disability accessible venues across Metropolitian Melbourne and Geelong.

If you would like more information regarding the MS Confident Living Programs, please contact MS Connect: 1800 042 138.

This planned activity group is jointly funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments through
the HACC Program.