Hi Barry, I understand what a big jump this must be for you. You’re talking about joining a social scene and are anticipating the sort of challenges that you met when you were less disabled, perhaps. There are plenty of options for the physically disabled which are a good jumping off point, ranging from adult education courses, gentle physical stuff like tai chi and yoga to hobby and craft groups like art, ceramics and textiles. Have a look in your local library for information or town hall for possibilities. And there are always on-line searches to trawl through. In the meantime this Forum is an excellent place to chat to others about your life, how you are feeling and get to know chatty people. I’ve been a regular visitor here for over four years and I’ve met some inspirational people and made friends. Welcome to the Forum. Best wishes, Anthony
Did you and your wife have any shared hobbies & interests? If so you might still have access to a network of like minded folk.
If not, what have been important hobbies and interests in your life, you can take these forward or you could say “this is a new time for me, I am going to start something brand new and see where it takes me.” You might have to develop some coping strategies but that is just part of the deal.
As Anthony says, this forum is a good source of info & support.
This is a very open and inclusive place where lots of us find social interaction and friendship on a ‘virtual’ basis.
But starting afresh in the real world is quite daunting when you have any kind of disability.
Is there a local MS group in your area? You can find out by hitting the ‘Get Involved ‘ tab at the top of this page. Then scroll down to the bottom, there’s a bit marked ‘find support near me’, you type in your town or postcode and a list of various groups and services come up. In my area, a men’s breakfast group is listed, exercise classes for MS, a women’s group, a drop in centre and a few other services.
Or, is there an MS centre near to you? If you do a google search on MS centre and your county, if there is one, it should come up. In the Sussex centre there are drop in sessions, exercise classes, non drug treatment sessions, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy and social events.
Sometimes it’s easier to join a group that exists because of MS rather than another type.
Although you might find that there are a range of adult education classes locally that might appeal to you, art classes, or learning a language say.
But feel free to treat this forum as a ‘drop in centre’. You can join an existing thread or start a new one if there’s something you’d like to talk about.
Welcome to this site. Don’t know how old you are but my Dad is a member of U3A. Think you have to over a certain age or semi retired to join.
University of the 3rd Age. Sounds like a cult but it’s an organisation with over 1,000 groups around the country. It runs numerous activities from painting, history groups, photography classes to dancing classes.
You get to meet people and do an activity. Have a look.