Posts tagged as:

ALS

New Technology helps People who are Paralyzed to Communicate with Brain Power

by Jackie Kaufenberg on November 14, 2008

Did you see this video on 60 Minutes? It features a guy with ALS and a lady with a stroke who are both completely paralyzed and nonverbal. Neuroscientists have found a way to tap into the thoughts in their brain, and make them into actions performed through a computer. The gentleman with ALS is able to communicate by choosing letters on the screen, and the woman was able to move a cursor around the screen and even operate a power wheelchair with just her brain power. They also showed a monkey who actually controlled a robotic arm with his brain.

The hope is that the technology can help people with disabilities to communicate and control mechanisms like a wheelchair. See for yourself!

Watch the 60 Minutes video “Brain Power” or read the text version of the story here.

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Shartrina Shares how Husband with ALS uses the EasyStand- Video

by Jackie Kaufenberg on November 4, 2008

I ran across this video on Youtube showing Matt, a young man who has ALS- Lou Gehrig’s disease, using the EasyStand stander. Shartrina is Matt’s wife and caregiver, and demonstrates how she transfers Matt into the stander and gets him into the standing position. She also has some tips on making it more comfortable, adapting it for use with a ventilator, and more.

Matt and Shartrina have an inspirational website called the Matt White Cure ALS Foundation where they have documented their story and are educating others on ALS. I encourage you to check out www.cureals.org to read about their story.

What do you think of the video? Do you know a person who has ALS?

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