Motor Neurone Disease Association is urgently looking for volunteers
This comes after there's been a noticeable increase in people being diagnosed with the disease over the last few weeks
The Motor Neurone Disease Association is urgently looking for volunteers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
This comes after there's been a noticeable increase in people being diagnosed with the disease over the last few weeks.
Liz Cooper, East Anglia's support co-ordinator for the Association told us that volunteers gain a range of skills along the way: "Our volunteers will go on the journey from diagnosis and support the person with MND, alongside the family. Very quickly the volunteer will become very knowledgeable about MND, and I think that's very reassuring for the family. So, while the role is very challenging, I know it's also very rewarding".
Ms Cooper also told us that pandemic is at least partly to blame for this shortage: "The challenges regarding recruitment could be attributed to Covid, because during the last year and a half or so, our volunteers haven't be able to meet people face to face".
"Normally our volunteers go out to people's homes and there are sessions with families affected by Motor Neurone disease, but recently we haven't been able to do that".
She concluded by telling us that the charity itself is in a healthy position, but currently unable to fully support those who need it.
"As a charity we are holding up. But the real tragedy is that we're not providing the face to face support, the guidance, the friendship and the knowledge about MND. That's the sort of stuff that we're not able to provide and that's due to a lack of volunteers."