Get a massage or take a long, hot bath. Join a support group for caregivers. Feelings of isolation are so common in caregivers because they are suddenly dealing with traumatic experiences and disturbing emotions unlike any they've had before. Perhaps nothing is as important for dealing with these troubling feelings as simply talking about them with others in similar situations. MDA has a number of support groups for caregivers.
Many hospitals sponsor groups for caregivers as well.
While these may not be ALS-specific, the issues for caregivers are often the same regardless of the medical condition. By generating billions of random molecules, and then amplifying those that bind most tightly to a purified spinal cord membrane protein called the NMDA receptor, Li has developed a group of small molecules called peptides with the ability to shut down the receptor. The NMDA receptor is one type of receptor for the chemical glutamate, which plays a role in neural transmission. While the cause of ALS is still unknown, one major hypothesis of the disease process is that overactivation of glutamate receptors triggers the death of the spinal cord neurons. Scientists hope that modifying the action of glutamate receptors will eventually lead to treatments that prevent death of the neurons.