CHARITIES UPDATE
MASONIC SAMARITAN FUND
RESEARCHING WITH FOCUS The Masonic Samaritan Fund has dedicated more than £227,000 this year to fund medical research aimed at combating progressive neurological diseases
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any masonic families are coping with the daily challenges of supporting a person affected by the disabling symptoms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or motor neurone disease (MND), for which there are no cures. As well as providing grants to help people living with these illnesses, the MSF supports medical research that aims to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The MSF makes funding decisions by considering the aims of the research and how closely they align to the needs of the masonic community.
VALUED SUPPORT The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) received £57,207 to advance understanding of the disease that affects mainly men in their fifties to seventies. In England, more than three thousand five hundred people are living with symptoms that have an impact on how they walk, talk, eat and breathe. The MSF has awarded more than £2.4 million to provide mobility aids and equipment to help people with MND and other disabling conditions to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible. BRACE, a charity that funds research into dementia, received £26,000 to advance a test for early Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Alzheimer’s affects one in fourteen people over the age of sixty-five
and one in six over the age of eighty. This condition can often lead to the need for round-the-clock care and the MSF regularly provides respite care grants to offer carers a valued break. The Cure Parkinson’s Trust received £144,000 to study the impact of a new treatment for the disease. Someone newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s may not need any practical help, but the MSF Counselling Careline offers emotional support and guidance for masonic families coping with a new diagnosis. With most progressive neurological diseases, symptoms vary from person to person and can sometimes take years to progress to a point where they impede their quality of life. Through funding medical research, the MSF hopes to not only improve the practical support it can offer to masonic families, but make possible revolutionary research that could cure these conditions for future generations. Freemasons, their wives, partners, widows and dependent family members newly diagnosed with a progressive disease should call the MSF today to discuss preparing to make a grant application.
IMPROVING LIVES Chris Tarr, of St Keyna Lodge, No. 1833, which meets in Bristol, has a rare, progressive neurological condition and his wife suffers from multiple sclerosis. Although there are no cures for these conditions, the Province of Somerset and the MSF are proud to have partnered in providing mobility aids and home adaptations to help the couple retain their independence. ‘The support given to me by the MSF, my lodge Almoner and Provincial Almoner has been tremendous,’ said Chris. ‘Together, they fitted an entry platform lift and stairlift, and also provided a wheelchair-accessible car. I’d recommend that anyone who needs specialist equipment not readily available from the NHS, or which is cost prohibited, should talk to their Almoner and see what help is available. Like me, they could be pleasantly surprised.’
60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ Tel: 020 7404 1550 Fax: 020 7404 1544 Email: info@msfund.org.uk www.msfund.org.uk
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