Declaration for Independence

A Call to Transform Health and Long Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities





America’s Other Social Nemesis: Ageism and Elder Abuse

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On June 15, the United National recognizes World Elder Abuse Day. In a time where even older celebrities such as Stan Lee can be a victim of elder abuse, this day is a reminder of the importance of paying attention to the problem of physical, emotional, and financial abuse of older adults. In the beginning of [...]

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What We’re Reading: June 11, 2018

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Older Americans Among "The Unseen" In The Opioid Epidemic | The Fix Opioid misuse nearly doubled for Americans older than 50 over a 12-year span. The focus of the opioid crisis tends to be on younger generations. But this could be problematic, as, according to the Washington Post, older generations are increasingly at risk to [...]

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What We’re Reading: June 4, 2018

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Disability Leads Dallas Sidley Austin Partner to Create Support Group } Texas Lawyer When Sidley Austin partner Mike Hatcher was 23 years old, he was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot with dreams of becoming the first astronaut to land on Mars until a disability changed both his life and his career. If it weren’t [...]

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What We’re Reading: May 29, 2018

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The disability system is blocking people like Jaki from their benefits – literally | The Guardian (UK) If you want a symbol of Britain’s benefit system, Jaki would be it. The 36-year-old spent her 20s in Essex grafting – taking on any job to provide for her four children, even shelf-stacking for 60 hours a [...]

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What We’re Reading: May 21, 2018

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‘A Dangerous Son’ Trailer: Liz Garbus Chronicles Children Struggling With Mental Illness in a Chaotic World | Indie Wire Prolific documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus is currently preparing to debut her new series “The Fourth Estate” at this month’s Tribeca Film Festival, but she’s already got another brand-new feature ready to go. Her latest film, “A [...]

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What We’re Reading: May 14, 2018

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How one reporter tied immigration rhetoric to losses in health coverage | Center for Health Journalism One woman who emigrated decades ago from the former Soviet republic of Georgia skipped chemotherapy for her multiple myeloma in 2017 out of fear that she might be deported. Two other cancer patients who had overstayed visas were scared [...]

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What We’re Reading: May 7, 2018

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New campaign hopes to help young people struggling with mental health | NBC News With the hashtag #MyYoungerSelf, a group of celebrities discuss their own struggles to help erase the stigma and encourage kids to get help. Many older Americans have active sex lives, survey shows | CBS News If you think seniors abandon their [...]

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What We’re Reading: April 30, 2018

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Using Your Home Equity For Aging In Place | Forbes A new Bankrate survey says 62% of homeowners never plan to move. If you’re one of those who'll be aging in place, you may be considering using your home equity to help do it, by taking out a reverse mortgage, a home equity line of [...]

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What We’re Reading: April 23, 2018

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Aging death row: Is executing old or infirm inmates cruel? | AP Vernon Madison has spent decades on Alabama’s death row. Now 67, Madison has suffered from strokes and dementia and his lawyers say he no longer recalls the crime that put him there: the 1985 killing of a police officer. His speech is slurred, [...]

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Beyond Awareness: A Rallying Cry for Acceptance and Inclusion

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"Intersectionality, as coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw and rooted in a longer history of black feminism, helps us understand that discrimination against autistic people who experience more than one kind of marginalization will look different than it does for autistic people who don't. This Autism Acceptance Month, we join our community members in recognizing the voices [...]

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