Kelly Hennessy, Occupational Therapist, at BARLO MS Centre. Photographed by Kevin Van Passen, Unity Health
As multiple sclerosis progresses, patients and families often face difficult decisions about adapting their homes, preserving mobility, and maintaining safety and independence.
The Elizabeth S. Barford Patient Comfort Fund helps ease that burden by providing essential equipment and home modifications when financial barriers stand in the way. Last year, the fund enabled accommodations for 18 patients and families, enhancing safety, comfort, mobility, independence, and caregivers’ ability to provide support at home.
In a Q&A, Kelly Hennessy, Occupational Therapist at BARLO MS Centre, shares her observations on how the Patient Comfort Fund has made a big difference for patients and their families.
Why is the Elizabeth S. Barford Patient Comfort Fund so essential to patients at BARLO?
Multiple sclerosis changes what a person is able to do. And as these abilities change, everyday tasks and familiar environments can become increasingly difficult. Stairs, bathrooms, beds, and routine mobility pose new challenges. At the same time, the cost of adaptive equipment and home modifications can cause a considerable financial burden on people and their families.
The Elizabeth S. Barford Patient Comfort Fund helps bridge this gap by providing support for essential equipment and home modifications that people with MS and their families need. This crucial resource enables people living with MS to continue participating daily activities at home as well as their broader community, and enhance their overall quality of life.
Thanks to this support, people living with MS have been able to obtain assistive devices and make essential home modifications that enhance safety and help them achieve their personal functional goals.
What kinds of support does the fund provide?
The Comfort Fund supports a wide range of equipment and home modifications that help people living with MS remain safe, independent, and engaged in their daily lives. Examples of this equipment include:
- Vehicle adaptations that enable continued community mobility following a driving assessment, such as hand controls, wheelchair tie-down systems, and other adaptive driving equipment.
- Home access and mobility solutions for individuals who can no longer safely use stairs, including ramps, porch lifts, stair lifts, and residential elevators.
- Sleep and pressure management equipment that promotes comfort, prevents pressure injuries, and supports caregivers, such as adjustable beds and pressure-relieving mattresses.
- Bathroom modifications that improve safety and accessibility, including widened doorways, roll-in or walk-in showers, and other accessibility renovations.
- Mobility and transfer equipment that supports participation at home and in the community, such as patient lifts (e.g., Hoyer lifts), slings, wheelchairs, and scooters.
How does this support change patients’ or caregivers’ daily lives?
Sometimes, a single piece of equipment or one home modification can make a profound difference in a person's everyday life. A stair lift may allow someone to continue accessing all levels of their home. A scooter can help maintain connections with family, friends, and the broader community. An adjustable bed or transfer device can improve comfort, reduce the risk of injury, and make daily routines safer and less physically demanding for both the individual and their caregiver.
By providing access to equipment and home modifications that might otherwise be out of reach, the fund supports greater independence, enhances safety, reduces caregiver burden, and supports the quality of life for people living with MS.
How does the fund also help families and caregivers?
When a person living with MS has difficulty moving safely, getting in and out of bed, or navigating their home, family members and caregivers often take on increased physical, emotional, and logistical responsibilities. The right equipment can make a meaningful difference. It can reduce the risk of falls and injuries, make transfers safer, and ease the physical demands of day-to-day caregiving.
Last year, the Comfort Fund supported 18 patients to obtain necessary equipment. However, the impact extends beyond those 18 individuals to also support family members, caregivers, and loved ones who help them every day.
What would you like donors to understand about the difference their generosity makes?
Donor support helps us say “yes” when a patient needs a piece of equipment or a home modification that could support them in their day-to-day life. It may mean helping someone remain safely in the home they love, move through their environment with greater confidence, maintain meaningful relationships, or conserve energy for the activities that matter most to them. The Elizabeth S. Barford Patient Comfort Fund helps make these opportunities possible. It provides patients and caregivers with the support they need to adapt to changing abilities while continuing to live fully and remain connected to the roles, relationships, and activities that define who they are.
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