Caregiving in MS

When multiple sclerosis enters a family, it doesn’t just change the life of the person diagnosed. It reshapes the daily routines, roles, and futures of the people who love them. A spouse steps into new responsibilities, a child learns to help in ways their peers never will, and an entire household begins to adapt. These changes occur quietly, and often without recognition. Caregiving is one of the most essential pillars of the MS journey, and also one of the most invisible.

This episode explores the caregiver experience from the inside out. We discuss why the uncertainty of MS can be one of the hardest parts of caregiving, how stepping into a care partner role can unexpectedly foster maturity, closeness, and personal growth, and why a caregiver’s own well-being is inseparable from that of the person they support. The conversation also dives into practical tools for building resilience including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the READY for MS program, and the everyday strategies one husband relies on to stay connected to his wife as they navigate life with MS together.

This episode is sponsored by TG therapeutics.

Jameson Holloman MD, neurologist at The MS Center for Innovations in Care, interviews:

Kenneth Pakenham PhD

Kenneth Pakenham PhD is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, and a global leader in resilience and caregiving research. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he has authored over 200 publications and pioneered the application of positive psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to chronic illness. His work focuses on how people grow through health adversity, the experience of young carers he has termed “invisible patients,” and resilience interventions such as the READY for MS program now used across the UK and Europe.

Dan Shaul

Dan Shaul brings a deeply personal perspective as a care partner to his wife, Kim, who was diagnosed with MS three years into more than three decades of marriage. A U.S. Air Force veteran and former Missouri state representative, he has served as state director of the Missouri Grocers Association since 2006. Since Kim’s diagnosis he has become active in the MS community as a board member of the St. Louis charity MS Bright Spots of Hope, and he speaks candidly about his experience as a caregiver.