MDA is dedicated to extending comprehensive support to individuals and families affected by ALS through a wide array of services. Please know that, if you or a family member has been diagnosed with ALS, you are not alone.

Services offered by MDA's ALS Division include:

• MDA Clinics & MDA/ALS Centers
  
  
• Purchase of Durable Medical Equipment
  
  To help individuals and families defray the cost of medical equipment, MDA assists financially with the following items:
  
  • Wheelchairs
  • Leg braces
  • Communication devices
  • Repairs to wheelchairs and leg braces
  
  
  
• Flu Shots
  
  
• Loan Closets
  

  MDA loan closets lend durable medical equipment to those unable to obtain prescribed equipment through alternate resources. Depending on availability, the loan closets offer, at no cost, hospital beds, patient lifts, wheelchairs, walkers, shower benches, transfer boards and communication devices. The loan closets also gratefully accept equipment donations.

• Support and Education
  

  You are not alone. The ALS Division offers the following ongoing activities:
  

  • Support Groups
  • myMDA™ Online Community
    
  • Educational Seminars
    
  • Home visits
    
  • Community outreach
    
  • Phone Friends Support Network
    
  • Internet chats
    
  • Advocacy
  • ALS Awareness Month initiatives
    
  • ALS Research alerts through E-Updates
    
    
• Publications and Videos
  

  A variety of award-winning materials about ALS are available at local MDA offices and on this web site. (Some of these materials are also available in Spanish.):
  

  • MDA/ALS Newsmagazine
    
  • Quest Magazine
    
  • Facts About ALS (booklet)
    
  • MDA ALS Division (brochure)
  • MDA ALS Caregiver's Guide (book)
    
  • Everyday Life with ALS: A Practical Guide (book or CD-Rom)
  • With Hope and Courage: Your Guide to Living with ALS (DVD)
    
  • Milestones in ALS Research (brochure)
    
  • Breathe Easy: Respiratory Care in Neuromuscular Disorders (booklet)
    
  • Breathe Easy: A Respiratory Guide for People Living with Neuromuscular Diseases (video)
    
  • Breath of Life (video for medical professionals)
    
  • 101 Hints to "Help-with-Ease" for Patients with Neuromuscular Disease (booklet)
    
  • Meals for Easy Swallowing (book)
    
    
• MDA Chat Groups
  

  Please note that many of our ALS chats are held at regularly scheduled intervals, while others vary and feature panels of ALS Experts and special guests. Transcripts from previous ALS Chat sessions are also available online.