Altrisk Donates to Multiple Sclerosis South Africa

Altrisk has donated R71 600 to Multiple Sclerosis South Africa (MSSA), a South African support group for people that are living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The association provides a platform where experts and people living with multiple sclerosis can

Each year Altrisk supports a non-profit organisation that works towards making a health-related improvement in the lives of South Africans by driving positive behavioural change. Part of the insurer’s fundraising drive is to encourage financial advisors to be part of the initiative. Altrisk therefore pledges a sum to a worthy cause for every application received from financial advisors during the campaign period. Previous organisations supported include CARe, Cansa, Diabetes South Africa and the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

The risk insurer’s support of Multiple Sclerosis South Africa is a fitting match, reaffirming Altrisk’s view that many critical illnesses, including MS, can be managed given the right support, education and care. Established in 1999, Altrisk is a specialist long-term risk product provider offering life insurance and personal risk products to individuals, including those that traditionally could not acquire cover elsewhere. Its inherent entrepreneurial spirit, clear focus, and specialisation in risk have helped Altrisk to grow to over 140 000 policies in-force and R208 billion sums insured.

Thembi Sene, the Chairperson of Multiple Sclerosis South Africa’s Inland Branch says their mission is to serve the Multiple Sclerosis community with the aim of empowering and improving the quality of life of people with MS and their loved ones. “It can however only be accomplished with the help of organisations such as Altrisk, as we rely heavily on donations and the generosity of the public and the private sector.

“Donations help MSSA to supply people living with MS with economic assistance such as grants and food vouchers, in addition to supporting them with personal care products, home visits and counselling. These are all immediate needs, though we have a long term plan of opening an MS-specific centre, which will comprise of a multi-disciplinary team that can meet the needs of people with MS,” explains Thembi. “Of course what is really hoped for is a cure for MS,” she adds.

Altrisk’s support of MSSA highlights the life insurer’s market-leading approach to providing cover for people who traditionally could not get cover because of a pre-existing condition. “The disease is often misunderstood with many thinking that it is the start of permanent disability. Multiple Sclerosis is however a manageable disease and many people that are living with it lead active and fulfilling lives. Multiple Sclerosis South Africa has done a beneficial job of raising awareness of the disease and helping MS sufferers to better manage their condition through education and support,” explains Michael Blain, Managing Director of Altrisk.

When Altrisk entered the risk industry in 1999, it brought a new underwriting standpoint to a fairly conservative business and was the first risk provider to offer affordable cover for people living with chronic diseases. Altrisk was in fact the first insurer to offer cover for people living with HIV/Aids.

“As a result of our niche focus on the traditionally ‘uninsurable’ market, we have amassed invaluable knowledge, experience and understanding of the complexities and effects of chronic illnesses, and the role that proactive disease management plays. Our support of MSSA emanates from our belief that, when living with a serious disease or condition, proper care and disease management is fundamental to ensure a fulfilling, better quality of life,” concludes Michael.

For more information got to www.altrisk.co.za

About Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

MS is not something that you contract, but rather a chronic, often disabling, disease that you develop. MS occurs when there is damage to the protective material (myelin) around the nerves in the central nervous system that comprises of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. When myelin is damaged, messages are slower or distorted or do not get through at all, which causes the symptoms of MS. MS is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system attacks its own tissue in the mistaken belief that it is a foreign body. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and can vary from one person to another to range from mild (numbness in the limbs) to severe (paralysis or loss of vision).

So then, what is MS to the person experiencing it? Multiple sclerosis symptoms depend on what the nerve connects to. If it is a nerve axon in the spinal cord bringing sensory messages up from the legs, then the person might notice tingling or numbness. If it is carrying motor messages down to the leg muscles, there may be some weakness. If they are nerves inside the brain responsible for say, the sense of balance, it may be impossible to walk without tipping over to one side. Because there is some swelling of the surrounding nervous tissue associated with this process of inflammation, nerve transmission through these nearby axons will also be affected. As the swelling subsides, these nerve cells which aren't seriously injured, but are not functioning because of inflammation and swelling, start to work again. So there is almost always some recovery for this reason alone. Also, some limited repair of damaged nerve cells takes place, with some remyelination, particularly early in the disease, so the multiple sclerosis symptoms further settle to some degree.

Thus the area of numbness or tingling is likely to get smaller and the weakness is likely to improve over time, as the lesion heals and scars, and the nerves that are not actually injured but are not working well due to swelling, recover. Recovery though is often incomplete, and people are left with residual multiple sclerosis symptoms, although less severe than when the attack was at its peak, in the same part of the body. These residual multiple sclerosis symptoms typically wax and wane depending on numerous factors.