Hiroshi Mitsumoto, MD and Theodore L. Munsat, MD, editors / 2001 Demos Medical Publishing, Inc. / 470 pp.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that profoundly changes a person's life. This book contains chapters written by experts in medicine, rehabilitation, and social work on many different aspects of this disease: what it is, how it affects a person and his/her family, how to stay as healthy and active as possible, members of the health care team who will help, how to choose equipment such as wheelchairs, and end-of-life issues.
This book was originally written for health care professionals in 1992. This edition was revised and rewritten for patients and families. Unfortunately, a number of the chapters included do not seem to have been reworked into accessible language for the non-medical person or those without a college degree. Much of the text is written at a 12th-grade level. The book is uneven, with some parts being fairly clear and others being dense and hard to read.
Still, this book is a good start at pulling together all of the parts of a person's life affected by ALS. It contains comprehensive information and covers the issues patients and families deal with.
Knowledge is power, and giving people the information they need to care for themselves or a loved one affected by ALS is welcome indeed.
