Paralyzing Poverty Campaign: ALS Paralyzes Ontarians, ALS Ontario Aims to Paralyze Poverty Amongst ALS Sufferers

Online, October 25, 2010 (Newswire.com) - ALS Ontario is Paralyzing Poverty, the same way ALS, a fatal, rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease, paralyzes those afflicted.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has no known cause, cure or effective treatment. ALS strikes regardless of age, ethnicity or sex and 80% of those diagnosed live only two to five years. Forty percent of ALS Ontario clients live in poverty.

The 'Paralyzing Poverty Campaign' aims to address the domino effect of ALS wherein entire families are affected by the diagnosis of a loved one. The loved one is soon unable to work, the spouse usually leaves work to care for their loved one while children lose more than just their parent.

To help maintain care at home, ALS Ontario's Paralyzing Poverty Campaign aims to provide for current growing equipment needs, to expand the equipment program to meet a broader range of requirements, to provide for an Emergency Family Care Fund and to provide for an ALS Children's Scholarship Fund.

From October 25 to November 5, voting for ALS Ontario's Paralyzing Poverty Campaign through the Aviva Community Fund (www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf7768) increases the Society's chances of winning up to $500,000.

The money is needed to fund its current equipment program which has seen a 62% increase in equipment requests and the number of ALS clients served has increased by 15% since 2007.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, devastates families physically, emotionally and financially. As the disease runs its course, families watch their loved ones lose all voluntary muscle control, including the ability to move and speak. Spouses, parents and children become primary caregivers helping the family members with routine daily activities, such as getting in and out of bed, using the bathroom and grooming.

The loss of two incomes is common when a family member has ALS. Without the support of ALS Ontario, it would cost a family upwards of $140,000 to purchase the equipment necessary to have the person remain at home. This does not include the costs of home renovations and vehicle modifications. And at the end of all this, the loved one is taken from the family, often leaving children without a parent.

The alternative is for the ALS client to stay in a long term care facility, which burdens the healthcare system and taxpayers to the extent of $200,000 per year, per ALS client. With 3000 ALS clients in long term care for an average of four years, the cost would be $2.4 billion.

Please help ALS clients stay with their loved ones during their last days. Vote for ALS Ontario - Paralyzing Poverty through www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf7768
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ALS Ontario is a charitable organization dedicated to providing the necessary equipment and support services to people living with ALS, and to funding research toward a cure or effective equipment.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal, rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease. Common symptoms include muscle weakness, wasting and cramping, difficulties swallowing and problems with speech. Most become immobile and many are robbed of their ability to speak. There is no known cause, cure or effective treatment. ALS strikes regardless of age, sex or ethnicity - every day two to three people are diagnosed with ALS and two to three people die from ALS. ALS is five times more prevalent than Huntington's disease, four times more prevalent than muscular dystropy and has a similar incidence rate as multiple sclerosis. The number of people with ALS is smaller than people with these other neurological diseases because people with ALS usually die so rapidly.

View ALS Ontario's public service announcement featuring Brian Dyck, who recently died from ALS, but not before his battle for veteran benefits motivated the Federal Government to adapt its policies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezy-tz96aw

For more information, visit www.alsont.ca

Kathryn Dunmore
Communications Officer
ALS Ontario
905.248.2101 ext. 213
[email protected]