Winter can be a beautiful time of year — especially when you're inside under a warm blanket, drinking hot cocoa and looking out the window at the glistening white and the snow-coated branches. Unfortunately, most people have to carry out their daily lives regardless of slippery conditions.

Slipping and falling are hazards for everyone in winter weather, but for people with neuromuscular diseases, it's crucial to be extra careful around snow and ice.

A one-hour, MDA-sponsored webinar features two physicians and the parent of a child with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) who has undergone bracing and surgery for a spinal curvature, as well as questions and answers from listeners.

Durable medical equipment (DME), such as wheelchairs, walkers, portable oxygen devices and hospital beds, can be very expensive — and the process for obtaining them from Medicare can be very confusing. 

Learn about Medicare coverage of DME and get the latest information on obtaining such equipment in a webinar Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern time.  

“Medicare Coverage of Durable Medical Equipment” is presented by the Medicare Rights Center and costs $40 to attend. It will cover:

Like many high school seniors, Drew is busy choosing a college and preparing for the big transition from life at home to life on a college campus. Unlike his peers, Drew has Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“As you all know, being the creative type that I am, I love do-it-yourself projects … However, I found myself in the middle of a rather unusual project, which involved a lot of creative ‘thinking outside of the box,’ and it was more than just a do-it-yourself. It was more of a ‘do it ourselves’ project. And we did it. Successfully. Here’s the story of how we helped Nick Dupree.”

Findings from a study of 516 Italian boys show a significant improvement over the last six decades in survival time in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

A small nonprofit organization is offering limited grants for in-home care to people with physical disabilities. The next quality-of-life grant application deadline is November 1, 2012.