In 2003 Nora left one the most senior managerial positions in a large local authority to return to her roots in Scotland with her husband Chris to obtain a better work life balance.

Nora achieved this successfully on professional side by providing consultancy to both Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Councils, chairing the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee, becoming a Lay Employment Tribunal Judge, and volunteering with Erskine Homes, Shopmobility and Homestart. This still provided Nora with the time and opportunity to rediscover Scotland, sail the West Coast and Ireland, join several local social clubs, and enjoy family and the growing grandchildren.

However, early in 2012, Nora started to have balance and coordination difficulties and this was accompanied with extreme nausea. By 2013 Nora was using a wheelchair and Spino Cerebella Ataxia was diagnosed. This is a degenerative genetic disorder with no known cure. It affects all of a person’s motor functions.

Nora was referred to ACCORD and for over a year attended the Day Therapy Unit every week. This provided Nora with a welcome distraction from the day to day impact of her illness. As well as providing lunch the Unit organised competitions, group and individual activities, and facilitated physical support including reflexology, massage and relaxation therapies.
In 2015 Nora became bedridden as her illness progressed. Nevertheless, contact with ACCORD did not stop. They continued to provide counselling support and advice and regularly liaised with Nora’s GP. Things changed with the advent of COVID and the attendant restrictions and of course the emergence of Zoom. ACCORD now provides Counselling support and relaxation therapy for Nora via Zoom and the telephone. It has introduced a weekly Zoom meeting for patients, volunteers and staff. At this meeting the participants engage in a variety of joint activities, some of which Nora can only observe, but in others she is a keen participant, particularly the quizzes!

Nora also benefitted from the expertise, care and guidance of our broader team including the IPU team.

In essence ACCORD has been, and continues to be, an important lifeline to both Nora and her husband Chris for which they are both very grateful.