Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, abbreviated as ALS or otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is unpredictable in many ways. It can make one's physical abilities dramatically different from one day to the next.
That's why the ALS Society of Alberta keeps a warehouse literally filled with different types of accessibility equipment to lend out to those who need it. Actually, it has two: one in Edmonton and one in Calgary. The ALS Society was named as a recipient when St. Albert Community Foundation gave out its annual grants last month.
Through its client services, the society works hard to do everything it can to support people living with the degenerative disease of the central nervous system.
"We do an initial visit. We talk to the families in their homes, [asking] if there's anything they need from us at that point. We work collectively with home care staff. And we have a significant equipment loan program that is probably one of its kind," stated Karen Caughey, executive director of the organization.
"We do pride ourselves on on-the-ground supports and services for our families. Our families direct us. Whatever they need, we provide. It doesn't matter where you live in the province. Our mission is to make each day the best possible day for our families."
People can access mobility devices (including walkers, and manual or power wheelchairs), collars, bidets, lift chairs, ramps, porch lifts, iPads, voice amplifiers, hospital beds and mattresses. and other medical equipment all free of charge. Even the costs of delivery and pickup are covered.
The province's two biggest cities are also where the organization maintains clinics for diagnosis, education, treatment, rehabilitation, and research.
Please visit www.alsab.ca to learn more.
SAIF is changing the world, one person at a time
It's a rare day when such good news comes out of St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families (SAIF), the local organization that works to prevent domestic abuse and family violence.
On the occasion of receiving a $6,500 St. Albert Community Foundation grant to primarily fund its youth counselling program, SAIF's executive director Doreen Slessor announced that some of that program's participants had become its best spokespeople. They've taken what they've learned about boundaries, fair fighting, guilt, shame, and stress and, in turn, become teachers to the people in their own lives. She said it's "shockingly amazing and wonderful to us."
"They start to role-model that to other family members. Sometimes we find the parents go 'Wow! They're not engaging me in this type of battle any more.' It starts to decrease and end those family dynamics that cause violence in the home. It's just fantastic. It just shows to us that if we can support them through trauma at this age in their lives, absolutely we're helping to prevent future mental health issues or cycles of abuse when they start dating or become parents as well."
That's one of the many reasons why she is so grateful to the SACF for its ongoing support of that program, which grows in demand every year while maintaining its other counselling programs as well.
"We could actually have two counsellors working that program; there's such a need. We just don't have the capacity to do that so we do what we can with what we have."
Last year, SAIF even started group counselling for youths who completed their individual counselling sessions. One of those participants was a young man, SAIF's first.
"It teaches them resiliency, to keep moving forward, supporting other people, coping mechanisms, but also what are unhealthy bonds and attachments and how to develop healthy ones."
Slessor added that this would be the year of community education for SAIF. To further support its efforts, it will be hosting its annual Red Shoe Gala on April 22 at the Doubletree Hilton in Edmonton. This time, the men will have to bring their own shoes as SAIF donated their collection to another organization after last year's event.
Call 780-460-2195 or visit www.stopabuse.ca for more information.
