AARP opposes Senate tax bill, calls Medicare cuts and Obamacare mandate repeal ‘troubling’ | CNBC Health Care
AARP, the lobbying group for almost 38 million older Americans, on Thursday blasted the Senate’s proposed tax bill for threatening cuts to Medicare, repealing a key Obamacare rule and hiking taxes on many seniors. “We urge the Senate to vote NO on the proposed tax legislation that will cut billions of dollars from Medicare and increase taxes for millions of older Americans,” AARP said in a tweet pinned to the top of its Twitter page.
Living and aging well with HIV: New strategies and new research | SF Gate
generation ago, a list of tips for aging well with AIDS would have seemed a cruel joke. It also would have not been useful. Life expectancy immediately following the identification of the virus in 1984 was often months after diagnosis. Today, however, with World AIDS Day being commemorated for the 30th year, many people with HIV are living as long as the general population.
Safeguarding America’s Health System From Sabotage | Huffington Post
Despite months of Congress’ repeal and replace attempts and President Trump’s executive actions seemingly aimed at sabotaging the Affordable Care Act (ACA), open-enrollment for the ACA Marketplace — which started on November 1st and runs until December 15th — has surged, up 47 percent compared to this time last year. However, a robust sign-up for insurance plans in the ACA’s Marketplace is just one component necessary to keep the ACA strong and intact. Senate Republican’s tax reform bill’s inclusion of repealing the ACA’s Individual Mandate and its passage through the Senate budget committee yesterday , combined with the Trump Administration’s assaults on different provisions of the ACA beginning after the President’s inauguration on January 20, 2017, continue to chip away at the significant progress made by ACA since its enactment. For example, the uninsured rate, which reached a historic low of 8.8 percent in January 2017 under the ACA, has already increased to 12.3 percent as of October 20, 2017, and is projected to rise as a result of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine the law.
Health Nominee Grilled on Commitment to Lower Drug Prices | The New York Times
Alex M. Azar II, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, said Wednesday that he would try to reduce the burden of high drug costs, but he largely absolved drug companies from blame, placing the responsibility on a system that encourages price increases on medicines. Mr. Azar sailed through the first of two hearings on his nomination without making major missteps. But he did not appear to dispel the doubts of Democrats who distrust him because of his experience as a top executive at a major drug maker, Eli Lilly and Company, for 10 years.
Will You Be A Distance Caregiver For Your Aging Parent? | Forbes
Whether you’re two hours away or across the country from aging parents, you may be helping in all ways that are considered caregiving. It’s not just the hands-on work that makes a caregiver. It’s paying attention, paying bills, watching over finances, offering transportation or even taking frail elders in your life on vacation with you. Rosalyn Carter once said
“There are only …
Girl Asks Rick And Morty’s Co-Author How To Cope With Depression, Does Not Expect His Response | BoredPanda
Depression is a bitch and not all people are able to tackle it alone. However, when Twitter user @chojuroh asked Dan Harmon, the co-showrunner of Rick and Morty, for help, she didn’t think he would respond. But he did, and Dan’s words were so powerful, we thought everyone should read them. “I asked Dan Harmon because I wanted advice from someone who suffers, but is not a professional,” chojuroh wrote. “This is the most basic, general advice I’ve been given so far, and it’s great. I participate in 4 separate therapies, and treating depression is the least of my worries. I know what works for me, but I knew it would help others for someone in the public eye to say something. Letting out your pain can do a lot of good in the long run, even if you don’t feel better right away.” Scroll down to read what Harmon had to say about the topic and let us know what you think about it in the comments.
Twitter’s new update leaves accessibility users behind | The Outline
Many social media sites seem to see accessibility as an afterthought, but Twitter has always stood out from the rest. The iOS app has a decent layout and has been compatible with screen readers, applications that help people read the screen by using audio or braille, for some time. VoiceOver, the built in-screen reader on Apple products that is either extremely helpful or useless depending which app or website you’re trying to use with it, has nearly a full range of everything a sighted user can do when used with Twitter. Except one thing: On Tuesday, when Twitter flipped the switch that boosted the character limit from 140 to 280, it neglected to do so for accessibility mode.
Tyneisha continues quest to prove herself as a parent with a disability, but she could still lose her son | Public Source
Tyneisha Wilder dreams of a day when the snot rags, diapers and white teddy bear her son loves are no longer a twice-a-month occurrence, but a routine. The 18-year-old dreams of the bedtimes when she and her son can sleep in the same room. She dreams of a future where she can be his sole provider and guardian. But her aspirations could remain just that — a dream.
Prior to her son being born, Tyneisha was diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability [IDD]. For Tyneisha, this means she has trouble with a few independent living skills and is not fully aware of some common child safety practices. Within a week of giving birth to her son, the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families [CYF] removed him from her custody.
Man With Autism Offers Sensory Friendly Santa Visits So No Kid Misses Out
For many kids, waiting in line to visit Santa Claus is a cherished annual gig. But when Kerry Magro was a child, meeting jolly old Saint Nick wasn’t that easy. “Growing up with autism, I had challenges in meeting Santa in public places because I dealt with a lot of sensory challenges, so giant malls were never really an option for me,” he told HuffPost.
The blaring music, the sparkling decorations, the crowds of people could all be too much to handle.
When Loved Ones Die At Home, Family Caregivers Pay The Price | The Huffington Post
Increasingly, people are dying at home, which sounds like a good thing. For years, Americans have told researchers and anyone else who would listen that this is how they want to go: surrounded by loved ones in the familiarity of their own house. But is dying at home really best for everyone?
For older LGBT adults, equality is not a piece of cake | The Hill
When Jack Phillips told a young gay couple that that he would not sell them a wedding cake because he has a religious objection to same-sex marriage, he set in motion a chain of events that has led to a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear the case on Dec. 5. While some people are calling this the “cake case,” much more is at stake than whether bakers can refuse to sell wedding cakes to same-sex couples.
Congress should fix the Social Security disability backlog | The Washington Post
The Nov. 21 front-page article “597 days. And still waiting ” put a face on the many obstacles for Americans who are unable to do substantial work and revealed how the numbers game in Washington comes at the expense of the most vulnerable. Congress has an opportunity to make things right before leaving town for the holidays. Social Security is a promise to working Americans: Nobody should be left behind because of circumstances outside of his or her control, whether it’s a severe impairment or old age.
Meet the man who gives all children a chance to ride a bike | NBC News
Minnesota’s Jack Carlson is making sure kids with physical challenges can still experience the freedom of riding a bike. Boyd Huppert of KARE in Minneapolis reports.
Retirement dream — more money for travel, less for health care — tough to achieve | USA Today
Traditionally, retirement has a meant a shift in household budgets from the obligatory to the indulgent — from mortgages payments, work suits and gasoline to exotic trips, golf and upscale restaurants. But while older Americans would like to significantly ramp up spending on indulgences like travel and dining out when they retire, many are downsizing those visions, according to an Ipsos/USA TODAY survey. For example, a quarter of 45- to 65-year-olds want to set aside 21% to 40% of their post-retirement budgets for travel, but only 13% feel they’ll be able to do so, according to the September survey of 1,170 people in that age bracket. Just 2% of those surveyed currently earmark that much for trips, with 98% spending zero to 20%.
Having trouble sleeping? It is not just because of aging. | the Washington Post
Many older adults have sleep problems that can be caused by aging. But other issues also contribute to the prevalence of sleep complaints, and they should be discussed and investigated, experts say.A national poll conducted by the University of Michigan and released in October found that almost half of those 65 and older have trouble getting to sleep, and more than a third are taking prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids.
Disability History Month: unseen pictures of disabled children from Barnardo’s archive | The Telegraph
To mark the beginning of Disability History Month, Barnardo’s has released previously unseen photographs of disabled children from their archive, dating back more than 125 years. From the beginning, Thomas Barnardo accepted children maimed in industrial accidents or born disabled into his community and disapproved of a segregated life for disabled children. They were often taught trades like tailoring or needlework. Barnardo continues to provide support for disabled children to this day,
Career advice: how to make your university disability-friendly | The World University Rankings
Disability on campus is not a fringe issue: one in eight UK undergraduates reports some kind of disability. These students are also, on average, more likely to drop out, achieve lower grades and find it more difficult to gain immediate employment after graduation than non-disabled students.
From sexual harassment to hostile colleagues: readers’ experiences of life with a disability | The Guardian (UK)
Worst, by far, have been the ghosts’
I’ve just started using a symbol cane (a shorter version of the cane most people associate with blindness) in public. I’m progressively losing my sight due to a congenital nerve disorder, and was tired of bumping into everyone and the understandably irate responses that followed. The cane, I thought, would solve all that. How wrong I was. Any benefit I’ve received is mitigated by my negative experiences. Some of the worst of these have been with people who try to “test” me. I’ve had people deliberately stand in my way to see if I move around them; one lad tried to run me down with his bike; another started waving his hands in my face to see if I reacted. I’ve also had a fair bit bit of unwanted guidance: people grabbing my arm or touching me without permission in order to steer me. Personally, I find it rather alarming to have a complete stranger manhandling me, no matter how benevolent their intentions.
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