Additional Support
We know that there are times when your concerns and queries go beyond our main advice areas.
Over our 45 years, we have partnered with several organisations to ensure that we are able to offer our clients access to the widest range of support. Our experienced National Support Advisers can also signpost you to a host of external support, too, for those occasions when us, or our partners, cannot help directly.
Here is a snapshot of the wider support you may want to access.
Grants
Update June 2026.
We will be reopening our Cost of Living Grant soon—please keep an eye on this page for updates and further information.
If you have a specific one-off need, there may be other avenues of support available, beyond MND Scotland’s own funding. Please get in touch and our National Support Advisers can assist you to explore what might be available.
Employment Issues
Taking time off or leaving work due to ill health can sometimes raise concern about your rights as an employee, or the responsibilities of your employer. Sometimes it can feel better to discuss concerns with someone impartial, rather than rely on those within your workplace.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, known more commonly as ACAS, offer free, confidential advice regarding a range of employment queries.
Their website has a great advice section where you may find the answer to your questions, but if not, you can call their helpline 0300 123 1100 (open Monday to Friday 8am-6pm) to ask about a specific query.
Power of Attorney and Wills
MND Scotland can help you arrange a free will and/or Power of Attorney, giving you reassurance that these important plans are in place should they be needed in the future.
We have a longstanding partnership with solicitors Caesar & Howie, who provide these services to our clients.
For those with a diagnosis of MND, we offer a free will service and free fast-tracked Power of Attorney. We can also cover the cost of getting a joint will with your spouse or partner.
All referrals for these services go via our National Support Advisers, so please contact us in the first instance.
Once we have your consent/s, we will pass your details over to Caesar and Howie. They will then contact you, usually within a week, to arrange a convenient time for an appointment to gather the remaining information needed. If you have an MND diagnosis and live in Scotland, the Power of Attorney process is fast-tracked, allowing it to be registered quickly.
Please get in touch if you are interested in setting up a will or Power of Attorney, and one of our National Support Advisers can assist you.
Pensions and Health Insurance Policies
We know that following an MND diagnosis, you may want to explore accessing financial products that you have previously secured in case of ill-health.
This may include private or occupational pensions, as well as critical illness or life insurance policies. If you are thinking about accessing such a product, please check the terms and conditions of your policy, as this will indicate what their claim criteria is.
Having done this, we would recommend speaking with your clinical nurse specialist. They are familiar with the kind of evidence needed and should be able to guide and/or assist you.
As we are not a clinical organisation, we cannot provide medical evidence. The type of evidence required must come from a healthcare professional.
However, if you encounter issues or delays with a claim, our National Support Advisers should be able to advise on the best avenues to help you reach a resolution. Please get in touch if you feel we might be able to help you.
Money and Debt
Changes to household income following an MND diagnosis are common, and situations can arise which feel difficult to manage on your own. If you have financial commitments, or debt, which you can no longer maintain, we can help you get the right advice.
Our National Support Advisers can make a referral for you to the UK’s leading free debt advice charity, Step Change. Step Change counsellors are qualified to assess your individual situation and recommend tailored solutions to help you get back in control of your finances. Please get in touch if you would like us to make a referral to Step Change for you.
Disability Council Tax Discount
If your home has internal provision to meet the needs of a disabled occupant, you may be eligible for a discount on your Council Tax Bill. This discount is not a welfare benefit, but it can reduce your bill by a full rating band (e.g. from Band C to Band B).
Each local authority offers such a discount, but the criteria does vary slightly across Scotland. Different local authorities also use different names for the same discount.
Usually, though, you need to have the following within the property:
- an extra bathroom or kitchen to meet a disabled resident’s needs
- enough floor space for a disabled resident to use a wheelchair indoors
- a room designed to meet a disabled resident’s needs (not including a bathroom, kitchen, or toilet)
It is best to check your local authority’s criteria by checking their website or contacting them directly. There is usually a simple (usually online) form to apply. Please just let us know if you need any help to do so.
Energy
We have partnered with Home Energy Scotland, who offer free advice and support regarding domestic energy. They can advise if you are having difficulty heating your home, whether this be due to inefficient or old equipment, or finances. They can check if you are eligible to access any regional or national support schemes to help with these matters. Home Energy Scotland also offer comprehensive guidance around energy efficiency in the home.
Our National Support Advisers can make a referral to Home Energy Scotland for you, please get in touch if you would like to access their support.
Living Independently
Whilst some aids and equipment can be issued by your clinical team, other items may need to be obtained privately.
Your clinical nurse specialist, or occupational therapist, may know of reliable sources for you to try if you do need to purchase your own equipment, so you may want to ask them for guidance if you are unsure.
We have a long-standing partnership with Mobility Scotland and we know from years of feedback that they offer high quality products and exemplary customer service. Because of our history of working together, the team at Mobility Scotland know the specific requirements faced by those with MND, and they strive to ensure customers have access to the best solutions to allow them to live comfortably, and as independently as possible, at home.
Mobility Scotland specialise in larger equipment, such as rise-recline chairs, profiling electric beds, accessible bathrooms, and stair-lifts.
Their vast showroom is just north of Glasgow in Kirkintilloch, but they cover the whole of Scotland.
If you have a question about aids or equipment, please get in touch and our National Support Advisers will do what they can to assist. They can refer you to Mobility Scotland, too, if preferred.
Motability Scheme
If you receive the higher rate of a mobility component in your disability benefit (e.g. ADP, Scottish Adult DLA) the Motability scheme can help you get mobile.
The scheme involves using your mobility component payment to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), scooter, or motorised wheelchair. The lease also covers additional costs such as insurance, servicing and MOTs and breakdown cover.
For more information, please visit the Motability website or call Motability on 0300 456 4566 to speak to an adviser.
Please note that if you are over state pension age when you first claim a disability benefit, you will not receive a mobility component in your award, which means you cannot join the Motability scheme. If you require access to an adapted or wheelchair-accessible vehicle in this case, you will need to explore rental or purchase options privately.
Blue Badge Scheme
The Blue Badge scheme helps people with a health condition or disability to park closer to their destination.
Please speak to your MND clinical nurse specialist who will apply on your behalf for your fast-tracked MND Blue Badge via your local authority.
Please note that Blue Badges have a fee, usually around £10-20.
From 1 July 2026, guidance and enforcement around Blue Badge parking is becoming tighter. We want to remind people with MND, their families and carers to check the rules carefully before parking, to help avoid fines or the badge being removed.
Transport and Travel
We understand that a diagnosis of MND can bring about specific concerns or questions around travel and transport.
Here is a summary of the best resources we have identified which you may find useful. Please do get in touch if you have a query which is different to those covered below – we will always do our best to assist where we can.
- Euan’s Guide – this is a great online resource which allows you to search for accessible shops, attractions and facilities in your local area or holiday destination. Visitors can add reviews and recommendations, too, so that you can make informed decisions before travelling.
- Travel insurance – Whilst we are unable to recommend or vouch for the service provided by the following insurers, we have heard from clients that they do offer cover to those with an MND diagnosis: Stay Sure, All Clear, Good to Go, and Worldwide Insure. We understand that all offer worldwide cover but only on a trip-by-trip basis, except for Good to Go who also offer annual policies.
Find out what benefits you’re entitled to
Please fill in this form to let us know you would like to speak to one of our National Support Advisers. Within ten working days, the adviser will be in touch to arrange a convenient time for an appointment.
Alternatively, you could ask your MND clinical nurse specialist to make the referral for you.
Please note: All questions marked with an asterisk (*) must be completed before submitting your application.
