Town and Gown cash is vital says care adviser (From Oxford Mail)

Town and Gown cash is vital says care adviser

8:47am Friday 20th April 2007 in News By Phil Vinter

A care adviser who has spent 14 years offering advice and support to muscular dystrophy patients is hoping thousands take part in the Town and Gown fundraiser.

Jane Stein, regional care adviser for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said money raised by the 10km charity race through Oxford was vital for maintaining the Oxford Muscle and Nerve Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The centre is involved in several areas of clinical research, from diagnosis to the management of muscular dystrophy.

It also works closely with many other research groups and laboratories around the world to identify new genes associated with neuromuscular disorders.

Miss Stein said: "I think it is very important that people take part in the Town and Gown because it raises a lot of money for us. I also think it is important to have something that is fun and raises our profile.

"I have done the Town and Gown and I can assure you that I am not fit. It is a fun day and the time you do it in is unimportant. Just do it!"

There are about 60 different types of muscular dystrophy - a debilitating condition which affects the muscles.

The severity can vary greatly, from very mild to very severe. Most forms are progressive.

As a care adviser, Miss Stein is involved in seeing patients in clinics and meeting their families from the point of diagnosis onwards, plus visiting schools and workplaces to raise aware- ness.

She said: "I think it is important that people understand what muscular dystrophy is and the impact it has on people's lives.

"It is a very variable condition. It can be very disabling, but our role is about limiting the effects of it on an individual's life.

"We have to take our guide from the families, but from the point of diagnosis onwards I would offer to visit the families at home, and that would be their time to ask questions. People often want information in stages.

"We don't close a file or a case, we see our patients as people who we want to create an on-going relationship with."

A national goal for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is to improve the provision of facilities for adults in the community.

Miss Stein explained: "At the moment, there are resources available for those who have acute problems, for example if they have a broken limb or something, but for others there is very little."

This year will be the 26th consecutive year the Oxford Town and Gown event has been run, and organisers are hoping tens of thousands of people will enter.