The centre will include specifically designed facilities made for patients with MS, including a specialist gym, respite areas and a social enterprise café.

The centre in Kilkenny is being opened by the MS Society SA & NT, a not-for-profit working to support people living with multiple sclerosis across South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The society’s disability employment services provider, Multiple Solutions, will partially operate from the new location.

John Hannan, a client of the society who was diagnosed with MS in 2012, welcomed the new centre.

“I look at it and think the Wellness Centre is great for people with MS to have facilities for physio, gym and any issues they encounter,” he said.

“This is something positive to support people with MS, to support them with their daily life living with MS.

“I love doing my physio, without it, I can’t go see the footy, can’t see concerts, I need it to keep living a fulfilling life.”

MS Society SA & NT CEO Jannine Jackson said the centre would continue to develop, becoming a “one-stop-shop” for people living with MS. Photo: Supplied

Specialty designs of the facility include accessible corridors and openings, tactile tracks along walls, and lighting designed to accommodate for sensory and vision impairments.

MS Society CEO Jannine Jackson said the new premises represented “a new era” in the organisation.

“Our Wellness Centre has been designed by clients for clients and will help us support the needs of our clients,” she said.

Jackson said the centre will focus “on specialised facilities and treatment areas to help people living with MS and other conditions reach and maintain their goals while alleviating pressures from mainstream health services”.

Eventually, the centre will offer services from mainstream to complementary therapies, with nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, dieticians, massage therapists and more.

“Our vision is the Wellness Centre will be able to fulfil our clients’ needs in one space, providing our clients with a holistic approach and continuum of care throughout their MS journey,” Jackson said.

Data released last year in a report commissioned by MS Australia showed the number of Australians living with MS is increasing significantly.

The report indicated 33,335 Australians were living with MS in 2021, indicating a 30 per cent increase from the four years since the previous reporting, double the increase from the previous reporting.

The report showed that in 2021, 131.12 Australians per 100,000 people were living with MS, with one to two Australians diagnosed every day.

The MS Society’s Wellness Centre is opening May 1, at 10-14 Regency Road, Kilkenny.