Each member of the team at an ALS multidisciplinary clinic plays an important role in delivering critical care for people living with ALS and their families. Association-wide liaisons work closely with ALS clinics nationwide, ensuring each patient’s unique needs and wishes are being addressed throughout their journey living with ALS. We recently spoke with Suzanne Schrag, senior director of care services for The ALS Association Rocky Mountain Chapter, and clinic liaison to ALS multidisciplinary clinics across Colorado and Utah.

Since high school, twenty-two-year-old Wil Armstrong dreamed of cycling across the country. After witnessing the impact of ALS on Rodney Lapp, his former mentor and high school basketball coach, Wil found his purpose to make this dream a reality.

The American Academy of Neurology ALS quality measures provide guidance and recommendations to health care providers, to ensure the most current information is available to provide the highest standard of care for individuals living with ALS. AAN has published draft updates to the ALS Quality Measurement Set and is now accepting public comments to help inform the final updates.

While there are many moving parts within an ALS multidisciplinary clinic, each team member plays an important role in delivering critical care for people living with ALS and their families. The leader of the team is the medical director, providing the professional guidance and support necessary to meet the unique needs of each patient throughout their journey living with ALS.

The multidisciplinary care model brings together a team of health care professionals specially trained to address the needs of people living with ALS, allowing them to receive care from each discipline they need during a single visit. The ALS Association collaborates with experienced ALS clinicians across the country to help ensure people living with ALS have access to this type of specialized care.

From the latest updates on ALS research and advocacy to information about caring for people living with ALS and stories from around the country, the Association’s blog covered it all. Here is a quick look at the top 10 features our readers enjoyed most.

The work detailed in this report covers the entirety of our mission to create a world without ALS, from expanding the research pipeline, to working to bring the best care possible to people living with ALS and their caregivers to fighting for increased federal funding for ALS research and public policies that improve the quality of life for people living with ALS.

My parents had been married less than two years when my dad was diagnosed. Of course, making a decision regarding whether or not to start a family was difficult at the time, but due to their faith and positive outlook, they chose to do so. Had they not shared the same optimism, my older brother John would not be here, and I would not be writing this today. To say that I am thankful for their decision is an understatement. My dad has had a long battle with ALS and is still fighting after 26 years.

We talked with Dr. Yuka Koike, postdoctoral fellow working under her mentor, Dr. Leonard Petrucelli in the Petrucelli lab at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, to learn more about her and her ALS research focused on revealing how TDP-43 mediated RNA dysfunction contributes to ALS/FTD disease.

Steve realized he needed to turn to his faith to help him live with ALS. Steve assembled a team and got to work developing ALS Family of Faith, a new ministry designed to meet the needs of those looking for prayer and spiritual counseling during their journey with ALS.

The Pooled Resource Open-Access ALS Clinical Trials (PRO-ACT) database recently received the Healey Center International Prize for Innovation in ALS, a $50,000 prize. The database is the largest collection of ALS clinical trial data and includes de-identified records of 11,000 patients from 23 clinical trials.

Thanks to the hard work of ALS advocates, Congress has passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act after a unanimous vote in the Senate. The bill previously passed in the House 423-2. The bill is expected to be signed into law by President Biden.

People with ALS and their caregivers who participated in a recent ALS Focus survey said that telehealth appointments improved their quality of life by saving them time and money, and that the appointments are just as good as in-person health care visits.

Research funded by The ALS Association has found that NFL players are four times more likely to be diagnosed with ALS and die from the disease than people who never played in the league, adding to the mounting evidence of a link between playing football and ALS.

Connecting ALS recently sat down with Ann Larson to learn more about her experience as an ALS caregiver for her beloved husband Dave, and better understand the challenges she encountered during their three-year journey with the disease.

We talked with Dr. Janani Parameswaran, postdoctoral fellow from Dr. Jie Jiang’s lab at Emory University in Atlanta, to learn more about her and her ALS research focused on unraveling the underlying disease mechanism.

Dr. Heidi Tarr Henson, recently diagnosed with ALS, reflects on in-the-moment advocacy, teachable moments and the power of setting boundaries with ourselves and others.

Holiday celebrations are times of fun, fellowship and of course, food. And, while the holidays are meant to be enjoyed, they can also be a tremendous stressor for people living with ALS and their families. Learn tips to help enjoy the holidays and delicious easy chew, easy swallow recipes the whole family will enjoy.

My husband’s ALS journey is not unique. It started with weakness in his left leg, and a few other puzzling issues which he began to note around 2010. We didn’t do anything about it until October 2012, when things got more puzzling.

When your loved one receives a diagnosis of ALS, you transition into a new role as a caregiver. This may happen gradually over time, or quickly, catching you off guard and possibly unprepared. Regardless of where you are in your caregiving journey, who better to accept advice, guidance and emotional support from than other families and caregivers who are living through similar experiences?