Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

‘They embrace you virtually’: The internet as a tool for social support for people with ALS 

‘They embrace you virtually’: The internet as a tool for social support for people with ALS
Chapter:
‘They embrace you virtually’: The internet as a tool for social support for people with ALS
Author(s):

Paul Wicks

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198757726.003.0011
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2020. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 22 February 2020

People with ALS may feel lonely, isolated, and bereft of information. Although professionals provide support, their time is in short supply and patients only see them periodically. For many decades there has been a tradition of face-to-face support groups to offer help to patients and caregivers in their local communities, but these have limitations. In recent years a new form of community has arisen, the online community. A relatively small evidence base suggests they may help patients and caregivers to be better informed, receive psychosocial support, and regain a peer network even as their ability to communicate and be physically active in the world diminishes. There are risks, however, such as misinformation, vulnerability to scams, and harms that might arise from becoming too involved in the disease at the exclusion of other facets of their lives. As mainstream social networks such as Facebook become dominant, the landscape will evolve rapidly.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.