What Is Social Prescribing – And Why Does It Matter?

The term “Social Prescribing” may be relatively new, but the concept has been integral to comprehensive MS care for decades. As healthcare professionals working with people affected by MS and their care partners since the 1980s, we have emphasized the importance and value of incorporating wellness – physical, social, emotional, intellectual, vocational, and spiritual – into neurologic care. Attention to the health and wellbeing of everyone in the family affected by a chronic illness like MS requires not only a multidisciplinary healthcare team, but linkages with community resources and services that support and reinforce individual and family wellbeing. 

In the past, coordination of care with community resources was done primarily by social workers with a thorough understanding of the individual and family’s needs and familiarity with the community in which they lived. Today, the explosion of community and online resources and the complexity of MS care have given rise to a range of “social prescribers” who help connect individuals with local community services as well as national and online resources. Social prescribers include: 

• Certified Care Managers who help people manage a complex chronic illness to achieve the best possible outcomes. Care Managers may be social workers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, among others, who assist with medication managements, referrals and insurance paperwork, transportation needs, accessible housing, linkages to community services and resources, and community connection and engagement. 

• Care Navigators who work in hospitals, communities, and advocacy organizations. For example, the National MS Society has MS Navigators® whose role is to provide support, information about MS and available resources, and to help people connect with the care providers they need. 

• Certified Health Coaches who help individuals set, meet, and sustain their personal wellness goals, most often related to smoking cessation, weight management, stress reduction, and healthy habits. 

• Voluntary health organizations (e.g., National MS Society, Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, MS Foundation) that provide both online and in-person programming designed to provide education, connection opportunities, emotional support, financial guidance/assistance, and employment resources, among other resources that support all aspects of wellness. 

• Organizations that provide specialized services for people with MS 

• Day Programs provide in-person wellness education and interventions such as group exercise, social engagement opportunities, and cognitive stimulation. These programs provide a comfortable and supportive setting in which participants learn, connect, support one another, and share problem-solving strategies, while also providing bits of respite for care partners who need time to attend to their own wellness. Day programs also provide participants with local and national resources to enhance their care and increase access to additional programs and services. 

• Can Do Multiple Sclerosis provides cost-free online and in-person programming designed to enhance wellness for people affected by MS and their care partners. Programs designed to promote learning, social connection, and activation toward personal goals include multidisciplinary webinars and a range of small-group coaching opportunities around key areas of wellness such as self-care, symptom management, effective communication, sleep challenges, fall risk, staying active physically and socially, employment challenges, among other topics. 

Why Social Prescribing is So Essential in Today’s Environment

In 2023, the Surgeon General declared isolation and loneliness as an epidemic.  Although this report was released in 2023, the data cited for the epidemic pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic, which only served to increase that isolation.  

Recent research tells us that social connections are declining in this country in a variety of ways. Social connection is determined by: 

• Number of relationships (structure);  

• Degree to which relationships serve various needs (function); and 

• Positive and negative aspects of relationships (quality).   

In general, social networks are getting smaller, participation is decreasing, and fewer people feel attached to – or supported by – their community. In other words, opportunities to feel connected and supported are increasingly few and far between.  

It’s important to remember, however, that social connection isn’t static. It changes over time as various life events, including illness, job transitions, relationship changes, and changes in location, among others, come into play. Social prescribing offers a means to support people through life transitions and identify resources that help them navigate challenges in ways that support rather than diminish their social connections.  

How Social Prescribing Enhances Healthcare

The research has shown that social isolation and loneliness increase the risk for chronic disease and premature death while also increasing economic costs to individuals, communities, and society.  Efforts to increase social connection will reduce these risks while providing resources, connection, and support in the process. Social prescribing programs demonstrate improvements in mental health, social engagement, and lifestyle behaviors, as well as better health system outcomes. 

In addition, social connectedness often occurs in concert with activities that promote other aspects of wellness. For example: 

• A group aquatics program combines physical activity/exercise with social interaction.   

• Cooking classes combine cognitive stimulation and nutrition education with social interaction.   

• An online educational discussion can promote intellectual wellness along with social interaction. 

• Opportunities for shared problem-solving reduce isolation and feelings of helplessness, while also boosting connection and confidence.   

All of these activities promote health and wellness interventions while decreasing social isolation.

How Social Prescribing Enhances MS Care

Neurology providers, including neurologists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants are limited in their role as social prescribers by three key factors: 

• Their laser-sharp focus on the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis 

• The limited time they have during each appointment 

• Their limited awareness of the resources and support services available for their patients 

Comprehensive MS care (whether provided at a single center or by care providers in the community) requires a multidisciplinary team of clinicians who can address symptom management as well as the physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of wellness. 

How Social Prescribing Can Be Integrated into MS Care

Social prescribing can and should be integrated into an overall comprehensive care plan for people with MS and their support partners. It increases the ability of people affected by MS to connect with others with similar concerns, get answers to their questions, and access essential wellness resources while enjoying a critical community of mutual support. The bottom line is that social prescribing focuses on activities that people report wanting as part of their overall comprehensive care – which means that social prescribing is an essential adjunct to the neurologic care a person is receiving.  

So how can MS providers become better social prescribers?  

The answer is for them to point their patients in the direction of resources that already exist for this purpose. And all of us can help them do that.  

• The organizations described above can offer lists of programs and resources to hand out to their patients. 

• Those of us who specialize in social prescribing can offer MS care providers simple lists of wellness recommendations along with resources for accessing wellness information and support.    

• Communities and policy makers can provide greater accessibility to groups and programs that promote social connectedness.   

• People living with MS can help spread the word amongst their peers about activities that they have found beneficial and speak to their health care providers and community leaders about the benefits they have received. 

Together, we can work to make social prescribing an integral part of MS care for the benefit of people with MS and their care partners.  

• Health care providers should encourage individuals living with MS and their families to become socially active and participate.  

• Researchers should work with programs on their evaluation methods to provide a better understanding of the outcomes.  

• And people affected by MS should encourage their peers to take advantage of available resources and programs.  

How to Find the Support and Guidance You Need

If you are looking for ways to connect and engage with others living with MS, or with agencies, organizations, and other local or on-line resources, reach out to: 

• Can Do MS (info@CanDo-MS.org; 1-800-367-3101)  

• National MS Society (www.nationalMSsociety.org; 1-800-344-4867) 

• Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (https://mymsaa.org; 1-800-532-7667))  

• Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (https://msfocus.org); 1-800-225-6495)  

• Consortium of MS Centers (https://www.mscare.org/patient-resources/)