What We Do
The ALS Association symbolizes the hopes of people everywhere that Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis will one day be a disease of the past, conquered by the dedication of thousands who have worked ceaselessly to understand and eradicate this perplexing killer.
Until that day comes, The ALS Association relentlessly pursues its mission to help people living with ALS and to leave no stone unturned in the search for a cure for this progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Care Services
Our Care Services Team works directly with patients and their families to create a plan to address the physical, emotional and financial challenges of living with ALS, including identifying resources for needs such as home safety and home modification assessments. ALSA-CT is committed to enhancing those living with ALS quality of life through the many cost free programs. We understand the value of those with the disease being able to communicate, function safely in their home, and travel to ALS Clinics for comprehensive evaluation and treatment. Our programs are designed to meet these essential care needs as well as the emotional needs of those in our community and caregivers.
Advocacy
ALSA-CT focuses on state and federal advocacy for research, health & long-term care, and caregiver support. The ALS Community's involvement in advocacy has led to increased federal funding for ALS research at the NIH and federal funding for ALS research through the Department of Defense.
The ALS Association advocates for funding and legislation every year through the ALS Association Advocacy and Public Policy Conference. There are opportunities to advocate and submit public comment throughout the year. Sign up to become an advocate to stay up to date on current priorities and initiatives.
Research
We are the largest private funder of ALS research worldwide, and our efforts have led to some of the most promising and significant advances in the field. So far we have committed more than $122 million to research. Thanks to the donations raised during the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, we're now spending three times more than on ALS Research than before summer 2014.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of our research program. We partner with academia, industry, government, and other nonprofit organizations and lead by spurring long-lasting collaborations among researchers across all sectors, leading to globally shared data, protocols, and research samples to accelerate research progress.
Public Education & Awareness
Both the medical community and the community at large turn to our Care Services Team as experts in the latest strategies for managing ALS. Our managers provide in-service education at VNAs; skilled nursing and assisted care facilities; hospice settings; and civic, social work and nursing organizations to increase awareness of the disease and of the resources that are available to support individuals and families—and to encourage the use of the ALSA-CT’s free resources. Our Care Services team are a welcomed extension to the medical team at skilled nursing facilities, where they are able to support and inform the team regarding challenges and resources which are unique to the disease.