Presentation Abstract

Complex & Changing Lives: Participation Over Time Among People with MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often progressive neurological disease that can negatively impact many aspects of daily life. Over the past two decades, there has been a growing interest in enabling people with MS to build skills and confidence to actively participate in managing their disease, reduce the impact of symptoms on daily life, and support overall health. Although this work has often excluded people with significant mobility impairments, it has still generated many relevant insights that could inform research on physical activity for people who use, or may use, a wheelchair. This presentation will present four overarching insights on person-factors that have emerged from a combination of previous research and in-progress work and propose implications for research on physical activity for people who use, or may use, a wheelchair. 

About Dr. Finlayson

Marcia Finlayson is Vice Dean (Health Sciences), and Professor and Director of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.  As an occupational therapist and community-based researcher, she is committed to generating knowledge to enhance the health and well-being of people affected by MS. This includes people with the disease and their family members.  Over the past 20+ years, Dr. Finlayson’s research has highlighted the challenges of aging with MS, identified gaps in health-related service provision to people with MS, and identified effective, behavioral interventions that reduce the impact of MS on daily life. The ultimate goal of Dr. Finlayson's scholarship is to enable people affected by MS to lead healthy, meaningful lives, and exert choice and control over their participation in daily activities at home and in the community particularly as they age. Her work is published in a wide range of scientific journals and patient magazines, and she has delivered presentations and workshops around the world to share the findings of her work. 

Dr. Finlayson did not disclose any conflicts of interest for this workshop.