ALS and the Mac

On Oct 27, 2007, at 11:13 AM, Charles Maurer wrote:

> Does anyone have experience with devices to control a Mac that are
> suitable for someone with ALS?

I had our best friend die from ALS about seven years ago. During some
of his better days, he used a laptop [PC] with a mini mouse, which was
almost like a joy stick, so that there was only the slightest movement
of his fingers that would operate the computer. He had programmed
various phrases into that machine so that he could simply scroll to
that point and it would vocalize whatever he was trying to speak. I
have no idea what the make/model of that device was that he was using.

I would suggest that you get in touch with the ALS Foundation, since
they were great is providing resources for any and all type of
equipment. I believe that this is where his computer came from.

http://www.alsa.org/?gclid=CJfV4InAr48CFQccHgodsTBOJQ

If I knew the person's name that you are providing this for - first
name only is sufficient - I would daily pray for them. In the few years
that our friend battled this cruel disease, I came to realize the extra
effort he put forward in trying to stay in touch with family and
friends around him.

One of these days, the healthcare industry will come to light and
provide additional funding for research, as they do for other diseases.

At 04:01 -0700 UTC, on 2007-10-28, Robert Lucas wrote:

> On Oct 27, 2007, at 11:13 AM, Charles Maurer wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have experience with devices to control a Mac that are
>> suitable for someone with ALS?

No idea what ALS is. From the response, it seems to be some sort of disease
that affects muscle control? In that case, have a look at
<http://www.assistiveware.com/videos.php>, to get some idea of what is
possible/available in the "Mac accessibility" domain. Some people even fully
control their Mac with just a cheek muscle.


--
Sander Tekelenburg, <http://www.euronet.nl/~tekelenb/>

Thanks, that looks just like the software that our friend is soon going to need. It will probably be easier for her to learn it and set it up for her own particular needs now, while she can still use a keyboard and mouse, so I shall download the demos to show her. The hardware will depend upon the progression of the disease.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a degenerative disease of the motor neurons. It usually does not affect the mind but it gradually paralyzes the body, imprisoning the patient within his skin until he eventually becomes unable to breathe and suffocates. It is the disease Stephen Hawking suffers from. In North America it's often called Lou Gehrig's disease, after a famous ballplayer who contracted it in the 1930s.

On 29-Oct-2007, at 07:40, Sander Tekelenburg wrote:
> No idea what ALS is.

Lou Gehrig's disease. It's what Stephen Hawking has been dying of for
over 30 years.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis>

On 27-Oct-07, at 8:13 AM, Charles Maurer wrote:

> Does anyone have experience with devices to control a Mac that are
> suitable for someone with ALS?
> --
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TidBits readers will certainly come up with a good range of
suggestions for gear to help ALS sufferers with their Macs...

My suggestion is somewhat different: go to <http://childrenscornerschool.com/radio/boydhaley.wmv> for an interview with
Professor Boyd Haley about mercury and other heavy metal toxicity and
prevention. Prof Haley's work is good enough that he is often
consulted, but cannot get grant money for basic research that would
bankrupt many kinds of industry.

We would all rather die rich at 56yrs that live a healthy, modest
life, till 100yrs of age. Perhaps we can deal with global warming
best by dying off early?

Getting somewhat better or curing MLS can be tackled at
<www.sanoviv.com>.

George
Horseshoe Bay

[OK, this is the _last_ message on this branch. -Adam]


--On November 3, 2007 7:32:39 AM -0700 George Wade <georgewadeshaw.ca>
wrote:

> My suggestion is somewhat different: go to
> <http://childrenscornerschool.com/radio/boydhaley.wmv> for an interview
> with
> Professor Boyd Haley about mercury and other heavy metal toxicity and
> prevention. Prof Haley's work is good enough that he is often
> consulted, but cannot get grant money for basic research that would
> bankrupt many kinds of industry.

TidBITS Talk isn't the place for a discussion about this, but since the
links came through I do think it would be wise to offer a counterpoint to
this.

Mercury is blamed for many things, by those outside of the medical
community. Actual medical research has been performed in these areas and
within FDA exposure limits mercury has not been shown to be the cause of
all the issues it associated with.

<http://www.badscience.net/2006/05/and-now-the-news/>
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.html>

> Getting somewhat better or curing MLS can be tackled at
> <www.sanoviv.com>.

Sanoviv is listed by Quackwatch as a Questionable Organization:

<http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/nonrecorg.html>

I don't want discourage anyone from seeking treatment that helps them, but
from my experience there are far more scam artists parading under the flag
of "alternative medicine" than in the real medical community.