Michael Bougher of Benicia, Calif., received a diagnosis of ALS in July 1998, and is completely paralyzed from the neck down. A former project control systems designer and project manager for Telstar, Bougher was a self-proclaimed workaholic before ALS came into the picture. Now, assistive technology (AT) has enabled him to pursue a new passion – digital painting.

Ron Edwards of Pryor, Okla., never expected to be the co-owner of a home business with his wife, Linda. With a 38-year career in banking, Ron, 59, was content to be a bank president.

In the fall of 2005, Ron began experiencing muscle weakness in his shoulders and arms, and after rotator cuff surgery in one shoulder, he continued to lose strength rapidly in both arms. In May 2006, he received a diagnosis of ALS.

When good cells go bad, as they seem to do in ALS, you have to ask the same questions distraught parents sometimes ask about wayward children: Is the problem strictly internal? Are outside influences also to blame? And if they are, what can be done about them?

As far back as 2003, Don Cleveland and colleagues at the University of California-San Diego showed that, in ALS, outside influences in the cellular neighborhood in the nervous system matter.

The production of assistive technology (AT) devices and vast technological advances, particularly in communication, have enabled people withALS to enjoy greater independence, maintain relationships, and contribute to the workplace and the community.

Here’s a look at how computer technology and AT have helped enhance the quality of life for some people with ALS.

A link to the world

It all started in October 2004, with severe pain in my lower back. Numerous doctors failed to pinpoint the problem. Finally, I went to the Cleveland Clinic, where several tests revealed I had an anterior horn cell lower motor neuron disease. A neurologist referred me to the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Center at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital here in New York. On Dec.

Like hotels and hospitals, there are good and bad nursing homes. Even the best isn't the same as living at home, but residential facilities offer round-the-clock care that may be impossible to get at home.

Some people with ALS choose to go to nursing homes as an act of control over "being a burden" to others. But often the reason is that caregivers are unable to give care because of age, sickness, employment, location, other responsibilities or simply being overwhelmed.

Moving to a nursing home raises emotions for all concerned - guilt, abandonment, desolation and more.

Caring for a loved one with ALS and simultaneously keeping up on the job can make you feel as if you’re being ripped apart.

There are obvious benefits to working while caregiving, like income and health insurance, and less obvious benefits, like social contact and getting a small mental break from caregiving responsibilities. Employers benefit from retaining skilled and trained workers.

In the world of assistive technology (AT), communication devices, mobility aids, adapted vehicles and home modifications are all costly, and Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance don’t always cover their purchase.

Here are some assistive technology funding resources that can help ease the financial burden.

Linda Parr had a hard time convincing her husband and caregiver Larry to take a little break and let someone provide respite care for her. Larry worried Linda wouldn’t get the quality of care he could provide. If she hadn’t pushed for it, he probably wouldn’t have done it.