Knowals is written and reviewed by Makayla Matson, OTD, OTR/L, a licensed occupational therapist. It exists because her grandmother was diagnosed with ALS, and her family could not find the practical guidance they needed.
The heartbeat of Knowals: Mema’s story
My path into occupational therapy and to founding Knowals.com was profoundly influenced by personal experiences when my grandmother, Mema, was diagnosed with ALS. During my teenage years, Mema’s diagnosis and the challenges we encountered as a family while providing her care left an indelible mark on me, steering my professional and personal ambitions in a new direction.
Watching Mema, once the cornerstone of strength and joy in our family, succumb to the relentless progression of ALS was heart-wrenching. The disease gradually eroded her physical abilities, yet her spirit remained unyielding. It was during these years, amidst the challenges of daily care, that I discovered my calling.
I saw firsthand the difference that compassionate care and effective support could make, not just for Mema, but for our entire family. The professionals who worked with her showed me the profound impact of helping someone maintain their independence and dignity, even in the face of a devastating diagnosis.
This experience ignited a passion within me. I knew I wanted to be that source of support and hope for other families facing ALS. I pursued a career in occupational therapy and became a licensed occupational therapist, dedicating myself to learning how to best help people keep their quality of life and independence for as long as possible.
My ambition did not stop there. I recognized a gap in the resources available to caregivers and families facing ALS. Too often I saw families like mine struggling to find the information and support they needed. It was from that realization that Knowals.com was born, a site dedicated to comprehensive resources, guidance and community support for those caring for loved ones with ALS.
Knowals.com is more than a website. It is a testament to Mema’s legacy and the struggles we faced together as a family. It is a place where caregivers find practical advice on daily care and emotional support, alongside people who understand the journey because they are walking it too.
Creating Knowals.com has been my way of turning a deeply personal loss into a source of strength for others. Every video, guide and resource here is written knowing that caregiving is hard, and that nobody should have to do it alone. My hope is that Knowals extends a hand to families facing what mine faced, offering the guidance I wish had been easier for us to find.
In this journey Mema’s spirit guides me, reminding me of the resilience of the human heart and the power of compassion. Through Knowals.com I aim to honor her memory, and every family touched by ALS, so that in their hardest moments they find hope and support.
Who writes this site
Makayla Matson, OTD, OTR/L is a licensed occupational therapist. She holds a Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Georgia State University, where Knowals began as her doctoral capstone project. She writes and reviews every technique and equipment guide on this site.
That matters because of what this site covers. These pages describe how to physically move another person. Getting it wrong causes injury, to the person being moved and to the person moving them. Every procedure here is written by someone trained to teach it.
Navigating barriers to care
Comprehensive care is not within reach for everyone. Geographic isolation, cost and thin local services all get in the way. We recognize those barriers and aim to provide practical information and tools that people with ALS and the people caring for them can actually use.
Nothing on this site replaces an assessment by your own occupational therapist or physical therapist. Use it to prepare for that conversation, and to practice safely between visits.