Motor neurone disease and the vital role of occupational therapists
A series of three webinars by Jenny Rolfe looking at motor neurone disease and how occupational therapists can make all the difference to people living with MND and their families.
A fourth workshop is to be delivered by the MND Assocation, during which they will explain their role, discuss the support they can provide to people living with MND, their families in Ireland, and the support they can give to you as health care professionals.
Session 1:
In this 45min webinar we will examine the aetiology andpathology involved with motor neurone disease. We will look at different types of presentations and how these differ in terms of physical presentation and prognosis. We will explore how MND is diagnosed and what treatment options there are currently. In addition, we will start to explore common symptoms which will require intervention to help manage to improve quality of life and extend life expectancy in people who are living with MND.
Webinar Parts
How health care professionals can help with the management of MND
MND and the wider multi-disciplinary team
An introduction to the IMNDA
Learning Outcomes
- Be aware of different types of presentation of MND and why this is important in relation to intervention and outcomes
- Be aware of the considerations around diagnosis and prognosis
- Have an understanding of the pathology of MND and current medication options as treatment
- Have an understanding of the role of Genetics in MND
- Have an understanding of the range of signs and symptoms experienced by people living with MND
Meet our Experts

Jenny is a senior occupational therapist. She qualified in 1997 and completed her MSc in Neuro-rehabilitation in 2007. She has worked in Neurological Rehabilitation at the Battle Hospital in Reading, and the Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre in Oxford which became part of the Oxford Centre for Enablement in 2000. She moved into the Specialist Disability Service at the OCE from where she joined the Oxford MND Centre in January 2007.
Since August 2009 Jenny has been funded full-time by the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association to develop NHS wheelchair services across the UK, to improve wheelchair provision for people living with MND.
People who watched this also watched...
24-hour postural care and seating
A thought provoking exploration of postural care and seating, looking at how we can improve people’s quality and length of life by focusing on protection of body shape.
Prescribing seating for cognitively impaired users: exploring the risks
When prescribing seating, our aim is to meet the needs of the service user by prescribing a chair that will provide the right level of support, enable safe, easier assisted or independent transfers, reduce risk of pressure injuries and enable them to obtain and maintain a good sitting posture in the provided chair. However when a service user has a cognitive impairment and has poor risk awareness, additional risks are present. In this session we aim to outline some of these possible additional risks and how to overcome them to ensure the service user and their carers/family remain as safe as possible when the service user is seated in a chair that is there to meet their needs.
Seating for Care Homes
This webinar introduces how seating can be used to help manage pressure, as well as functional needs of your residents. We explore the benefits of good seating and potential consequences of not providing adequate seating. There's an overview of what posture is and how it is linked to pressure management. We also discuss the potential barriers and possible solutions to the provision of seating in care homes
