People living with ALS will likely experience complications related to the disease that warrant a visit to the hospital at some point in their journey. At the same time, they are not immune from other injuries or medical issues—people with ALS can still get sick or possibly hurt themselves in ways unrelated to the disease. Making the conscious choice to be prepared can make all the difference.
This week, The ALS Association commemorates Feeding Tube Awareness Week, an opportunity to recognize the important role that feeding tubes can play in the lives of people with ALS.
March 23, 2020 – We have received many questions about COVID-19 and its impact on people with ALS, their families, and their caregivers. We convened a panel of volunteers and staff to answer these questions – their bios are at the bottom. This situation is rapidly changing. We will update this FAQ as we receive more questions and more current information.
ALS can be confusing, scary, embarrassing, and overwhelming – for people living with the disease as well as for the youth within their families. Young people need age-appropriate details about ALS to help reduce some of the fear and uncertainty surrounding the disease.
The ALS Association has worked on developing and implementing new educational tools to meet the needs and requests of our community. We are pleased to announce and highlight two of our newest projects - our resource guide series translated into Spanish and the Key Medical Information App - which are now available.
In late-February 2017, The ALS Association announced the release of 11 new Living with ALS resource guides on our website, www.alsa.org. The guides were designed to inform and educate people about ALS in a comprehensive and easily understood format, addressing many of the common concerns and issues that face people living with ALS.
Over the last year and a half, The ALS Association has been working with authors from Association Chapters, ALS centers and clinics and other ALS organizations to rewrite the original Living with ALS manual series, adding new and relevant content. The series has been developed for people living with ALS, family members, caregivers and other healthcare professionals, as well as our chapter and national staff.
Children and teens that see a parent, grandparent or other family member progress with ALS and experience death are not immune to the pain, anger, frustration and confusion that adults experience. Depending on their age and maturity level, their understanding and needs vary widely and it can be very challenging to know how best to help them.