HBF Recognizes ALS Awareness Month and Celebrates Christine H.

May is ALS Awareness Month and HBF is recognizing a few of our clients who are living with ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that strikes about 1 in 50,000 adults each year. This month we are proud to share the modifications HBF and supporters have completed for clients living with ALS.

In mid-2020, Christine H. experienced an increase in lower and upper extremity weakness. She was walking with a walking stick at the beginning of that year. However, within about 6 months she was using a power chair full-time. The upper extremity weakness made showering difficult, and it wasn’t long before she needed assistance from a caregiver to complete the task. Christine wanted to be proactive and requested a bathroom modification to allow her to safely ambulate into a roll-in shower.

With the help of Aloha Builders, HBF was able to widen doorways and completely remodel a bathroom. The bathroom was modified from a tub/shower combo that was not safe. In it, Christine had very little room to move around. Since the modifications, the simple act of daily showering can be done safely and as easily as possible. And Christine no longer struggles to get the power chair through the bathroom door.

Please join HBF, and our Community Partner the ALS Association Rocky Mountain Chapter, as we recognize ALS Awareness Month and celebrate clients like Christine!

More About ALS Awareness Month

May is ALS Awareness Month, during which the various chapters of the ALS Association – including the Rocky Mountain Chapter which serves families in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah – encourage the public to learn more about the disease and to elevate the need for funding into research for treatments and/or a cure.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurological disease affecting nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. Individuals with ALS experience a degeneration of their motor neurons. This causes the muscles to stop receiving the signals needed to function. After a certain time, the brain completely loses its ability to control voluntary movements. Hence, people with ALS are often unable to walk, move, or even breathe properly.

“Until there is a cure or some good therapeutic interventions to slow the progression of ALS, the most important thing we can do at the local level is to provide support and care so that these individuals can remain safely at home with their loved ones throughout their terminal disease,” says Suzanne Schrag, Sr. Director, Care Services at the Rocky Mountain ALS Chapter.

 

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