Only those living through the experience first-hand truly understand the challenges of being a full-time caregiver, particularly for someone living with ALS. The ability to complete basic daily tasks can be overwhelming and the need for help is great.
Avi works closely with The ALS Association, fundraising to ensure all people living with ALS have access to effective treatments and care. Almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak, he communicates by typing using small head movements. “My campaign to help find treatments and a cure is done primarily through a computer,” he says, “but my life is filled with joy, and I am living with ALS.”
The ALS Association believes that upon diagnosis, people living with ALS/MND and their families must have the right to access genetic counseling and testing, current education about clinical genetics in ALS/MND and safeguards against genetic discrimination. Thanks to a sponsorship from Biogen, the diagnostic company Invitae is offering genetic testing and post-test counseling to people with ALS and their families at no charge.
The impact of ALS on breathing is likely one of the most daunting aspects of the disease journey and one for which you and your family can and should prepare for early on. There are many different options and interventions to consider, and education and proactive planning can help to ease the stress for everyone involved.
The combination drug of sodium phenylbutyrate–taurursodiol has been shown to functional decline in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared with placebo in the phase 2/3 CENTAUR trial.
The organization called attention to unintended harms of the current Medicare benefit structure and the need for the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to be more “patient-focused” in its assessments.
Over a year ago, Sophia Harding became a volunteer for The ALS Association, a fourth-generation member of the Barnett family to join the fight against ALS. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved to Florida and joined the team at The ALS Association Florida Chapter as a Phone Friend Volunteer.
We talked with Dr. Marion Sommers-Spijkerman, postdoctoral fellow from the Netherlands, to learn more about her research focused on developing and evaluating a guided web-based self-compassion intervention aimed at reducing self-stigma in people living with ALS and their primary caregivers.