SLHS Annotated Bibliography

SLHS Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Mark Stibich, Ph.D. – Reviewed by a Board-certified Physician. “What Is the Life Expectancy of a Person With ALS?” Verywell. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 April. 2017.

The above article begins by briefly explaining and defining ALS. The article explains that ALS is a neurodegenerative type of disease that significantly affects all nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. The statistics obtained showed that 50% of the affected generation lived more than three years, 20% lived more than five years, a 10% affected population lived more than ten years, and the last 5% lived more than 20 years. The source further explains and gives precise details on ways of increasing life expectancy. Some of the discussed ways include noninvasive ventilation, percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy, and medications. However, the only drug that is approved by the FDA is called Riluzole, which assists in prolonging life expectancies for a few months. There exist other medications that improve life’s quality. Noninvasive ventilation assists in increasing life expectancy to about 7-12 months and uses a mask and tube, which helps an individual breathe properly. A tube placed in the stomach to maintain stable body weight is called percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy..

This particular article bears relevance to my research project by enabling me to understand various ways of increasing life expectancy among individuals affected by ALS. This source is valid since it got authored by Mark Stibich, a Ph.D. holder from Johns Hopkins public health schools. The source bears validity since it is peer-reviewed by a board-certified physician, and the sources used were obtained from ALS websites.

McCoy, Terrence. “How Stephen Hawking, Diagnosed with ALS Decades Ago, Is Still Alive.” The Washington Post. WP Company, 24 February. 2015. Web. 09 April. 2017.

This particular article focuses primarily on Stephen Hawkins, a man diagnosed with the ALS condition, and he has lived ever since. This article mainly talks about how Stephen shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing because of his ALS condition. The source talks about the average life expectancy of individuals affected by ALS. However, Hawkins has surpassed the two-decade mark on two different occasions, making people wonder why he is still alive. The article reveals to its readers that Hawkins was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 22 years. The author outlines more credible points of discussion that revolve around Hawkins and his ALS condition.

The article is valid and bears relevance to my research project since it focuses on Stephen, an individual affected by ALS, and while researching ALS, his name kept ringing in my head. The article is also relevant since it gives more information as to why Stephen has lived for long with ALS. The information obtained would help me understand the various ways of increasing the life expectancy of individuals. The article answered most of the questions in my research project. The material is written by McCoy Terrence, a writer who works for Washington Post. He receives respect for his credible work.

Bartels, EJ. “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Helping the Patient with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Rn.42.12 (1979): 48-50. Print.

In this particular article, Bartel is discussing how he tried to help one of his patients called Joe, who had ALS. He first researched the meaning of ALS to avoid any confusion. The author explained more about ALS and the parts affected by this disease. Bartel goes into depth on how individuals can assist those affected with ALS and various ways of boosting their life expectancy. Bartel further gives tips on how to help ALS individuals when eating, and their head is in certain positions. Bartel states that anyone helping ALS patients should always be available, but they should forget about themselves.

The article bears validity to my research project since it gives me ways on how I can help people who have ALS. The source is relevant since it has given me tips based on real-life and how I can become successful in helping an individual. This article is valid since it is authored by Bartel, who discussed his findings as he worked with ALS affected patients. Bartel used data and research to support his primary points. The article is peer-reviewed, thus having validity.