One new technical advance that substitutes for more invasive interventions is noninvasive ventilation, a ventilatory support system administered via a mask, nasal pillow, or full face mask. Designed for home use, it has shown some effectiveness in reducing fatigue, insomnia, dyspnea, and sleep apnea. In addition, the patient's family must cope with all the changes this disease will make in their lifestyle, roles, responsibilities, and general well-being. In turn, nurses must cope with their personal feelings about disability, terminal diseases, and death. The degree to which anyone copes with a particular problem depends on the availability of resources and the perceived effectiveness of those resources.
Nurses can provide the resources either through physical aid, emotional support, or information.
The nurse can help patients and family members identify the problem, evaluate their resources, and then act upon the problem based upon that information. Assisting the patient in this appraisal may be very helpful, especially if the patient is depressed and unable to identify resources. The degree of psychological distress that patients with ALS may experience is directly related to their perception of their individual situation. The family may be coping with these same fears, and family members may express concern about the family's financial situation if the patient is the breadwinner. Also, the family may be experiencing the patient's anger.