ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease (MND).
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively affects nerve cells in one’s brain and spinal cord, and creates the inability for the brain to control muscle movement, and sometimes slowly paralyzes the patient.It is the progressive effect of the disease on the nerve cells that can lead to the eventual paralyzation of a patient, while the brain of the patient is usually still intact, and able to understand even complicated concepts, as well as understand where they are, what is happening, and why they are at the stage that they are.
There is no medical treatment that can improve the symptoms and effects on the body, that ALS has; however, more and more people are becoming aware of ALS, and many are making great donations toward finding a cure for this awful disease. Since there is no treatment, the focus, for now, has become making the person as comfortable as possible. Such care includes emotional support, communication therapy, respiratory care, nutritional care, bowel and bladder care, and careful positioning of the patients body, along with many many more.
Since most ALS patients do end up paralyzed, it is very important that caregivers position a patient correctly. This is especially important with ALS patients, as they do not lose sensation, just the ability to move or control muscles. One way to guarantee comfort and great positioning is through a neck pillow. The proper neck pillow will offer comfort, support, and stability, and can save an ALS patient from sleepless nights.
One such pillow, that is making a difference to ALS patients, is the Neck Sofa® Collar. The Neck Sofa® Collar is ideal for that patient who is dealing with pain from a medical injury, from paralysis, or with something as life-crushing as ALS. The Neck Sofa® Collar. as been designed to be used in different positions to optimize comfort and support, making it ideal for an ALS patient. ALS patients often find that staying in the same position can cause stiffness, aches, and pains. Rotating positions on the Neck Sofa® Collar. can help prevent the problem often caused by regular pillows.
To your comfort… Gabe
