Speaker - Simon Cooper: "Motor Neuron Disease"

Mon, Aug 12th 2019 at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Motor neurone disease (MND) describes a group of diseases that affect the nerves (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord that tell your muscles what to do.


With MND, messages from the motor neurones gradually stop reaching the muscles. This leads the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste. MND can affect how you walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe. Some people also experience changes to their thinking and behaviour. However, MND affects everyone differently. Not all symptoms will affect everyone, or in the same order. Symptoms also progress at varying speeds, which makes the course of the disease difficult to predict.

MND is life-shortening and there is no cure. Although the disease will progress, symptoms can be managed to help achieve the best possible quality of life.

There is a 1 in 300 risk of getting MND across a lifetime. It can affect adults of any age, but is more likely to affect people over 50.

MND affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time. As this is not a common disease, general health and social care professionals may not see many cases of MND. This means it is important to seek out specialists who have appropriate experience in its treatment and care – usually with referral to neurological services.

Here is a link to the MND Home Page

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Newsletter Library 2023

more  

We are celebrating 100 years of service in the Community and Internationally in 2021-22

more  

The Satellite Group is for Club members who would rather meet in the evening, instead of at lunchtime. Their activities include a full range of Rotary activities. Some of these are shown below

more  

We have been twinned with two other International Clubs for many years and enjoy regular visits to each others countries.

more  

Helping people round the world through International Service. Examples of previous projects are shown on the right. Just click on the picture for more information.

more  

How we raise funds to support local organisations and charities

more  

Projects for which the Club has obtained a Grant from Rotary Foundation Funding

more  

Providing support to people locally

more  

Offering Opportunities for Young People

more  

Club History

more  

All Northampton Rotary Events

more  

Buy on line and support our Rotary charities

more  

The Rotary Club of Northampton welcomes members of our community who cannot spare the time or the resources to be full members, but would like to help with certain events.

more