Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Explained Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative is a big word which means the nerves are slowly dying. Amyotrophic, when broken down, literally means no muscle nourishment. If a muscle does…

Alzheimer and dementia Overview Dementia is a generalized term for the decline in a patient’s mental ability, which is severe enough to interrupt daily life. Dementia is progressive, which means it begins slowly and gets worse over time. Many people do not realize a patient has dementia until it is…

Should I Bother with Advance Directives? They Seem Like So Much Work! Should you bother with advance directives? The answer is overwhelmingly, YES! While it’s true they are a lot of work, the overall work involved benefits everyone in the big picture. The good news is that there are a…