Overview
The goal of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of adapting and delivering the existing home-based epilepsy self-management intervention, HOBSCOTCH, for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Can the current HOBSCOTCH program be adapted for people with MS?
- Will people with MS experience improved quality of life similar to that found in people with epilepsy after participating in the HOBSCOTCH program?
Participants will be asked to:
- attend nine, one-hour virtual (online and/or by telephone) HOBSCOTCH-MS sessions with a one-on-one certified HOBSCOTCH-MS coach
- complete a brief clinical questionnaire about their diagnosis of MS
- complete four questionnaires before and after the HOBSCOTCH-MS sessions about their quality of life and about memory and thinking processes
- keep a short daily diary about their MS symptoms and use of the self-management strategies taught in the HOBSCOTCH-MS program
- complete a brief Satisfaction Survey after the entire HOBSCOTCH-MS program
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 20 - 65 years
- Literate, English-speaking with grade 12 or equivalent in education
- Self-reported diagnosis of MS
- Self-reported cognitive/memory difficulties
- Telephone and internet access
Exclusion Criteria:
- Cognitive dysfunction that precludes participation in giving informed consent
- Significant visual impairment precluding reading or writing
- No reliable telephone or internet access
- Acute psychiatric illness
- History of progressive neurodegenerative disease (dementia)