The French Association of multiple sclerosis was present this Wednesday in Auch to raise awareness of Gersois on this neurodegenerative disease.
The gray and blue Volkswagen Combi of the French Association of Multiple Sclerosis (AFSEP) is parked on the Lissagaray quay this Wednesday. Since the beginning of the summer, Pierre-Rémi Nouvet-Gire, the person in charge of the “road tour” of the AFSEP, crosses France in order to sensitize the public of more than 250 cities on this disease. At the end of the morning, the Puy-de-Dôme delegate made a stopover in Auch and set up tables and chairs in the car park. “After these two years of pandemic, the association needed to re-establish a social bond and find its members, presents Pierre-Rémi Nouvet-Gire. This operation allows us to raise awareness among the general public and to support people suffering from multiple sclerosis”.
This neurodegenerative disease is the second leading cause of disability in adults. It affects more than 130,000 people in France, 75% of whom are women. “The aim of the association is to support the sick, to accompany them and to advise them, indicates Mireille Francheschetti, AFSEP delegate from the Gers. We answer patients’ questions. The most frequent concern symptoms and diagnosis”. If the latter is today more quickly established, the pathology is still unknown compared to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. In 80% of cases, multiple sclerosis is diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but “more and more young people are affected by this disease, sometimes as young as 11 or 15 years old”, indicates the Gers representative.
Workshops to support
“For the moment, there is no medicine that cures the disease 100%. But there is a lot of research on this subject and it is promising”, assures Mireille Francheschetti. Through its action, the association supports medical research, even if this is not its main activity.
AFSEP’s mission is to support patients and to do so offers several services. It offers social and legal assistance and allows patients to benefit from a listening line. Several activities are also available for patients. In the Gers, the Mauvezin health center hosts discussion groups reserved for the sick every two months. “This allows multiple sclerosis patients to express themselves freely regarding their symptoms and their feelings”, specifies Mireille Francheschetti. Wellness workshops given by a naturopath also take place every month. Since the pandemic, activities have also taken place by videoconference, such as music therapy or yoga.
