Oxygen therapy is a treatment that helps Multiple Sclerosis patients with fatigue, pain, bladder control, brain-fog and healing, and volunteers who deliver that treatment have been celebrated by their nominator.
Berkshire MS Therapy Centre have put forward their volunteer Oxygen Operator Team for the Volunteers of the Year award, sponsored by A.B. Walker.
The centre provides support for people with MS and said: “We could not provide the service we offer without the dedication of our volunteers. There is no cure for MS but the support provided by our volunteer Oxygen Operator team makes a huge difference to our members’ lives.
“One of our members recently said: ‘Oxygen treatment has given me more energy and lifted my brain fog. I am able to do other types of exercise and maintain mobility and strength. I couldn’t live without it’.”
All sessions are run by volunteers with 11 providing 16 sessions a week over six days.
“Our operators not only run the sessions safely but also offer care and understanding for our members,” said the nominator.
“This is a big responsibility, with training both before they can take on the role and ongoing, plus their weekly commitment of six-eight hours on average.”
Each session lasts around two hours. Many operators volunteer for years. This year they will provide 3,000 treatments benefitting 120 people.
“They regularly schedule their own lives around their volunteer commitments so they don’t have to miss running a session,” said the nominator.
