The Trump administration’s move to shelve a plan aimed at lowering drug prices, explained PBS Newshour
The White House has said it is committed to making health care more affordable, with lower drug prices central to that promise. But this week, the Trump administration reversed its position on reforming the drug rebate system that it had suggested would have decreased the cost of medications.
Whole grains are on the menu, but older Americans should add more, CDC says |McKnights Long Term Care News
Whole grains account for nearly 20% of older adults’ total grain intake. That amount has risen in recent years, but it falls short of the 50% recommended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recently released survey data revealed that from 2005–2006 to 2015–2016, men and women of all ages added a greater percentage of whole grains to the total grains in their diet, with older adults adding the most. Higher family income was also found to be tied to greater whole grain intake. Meanwhile, men appear to consume a bit less (14.8%) than women (16.7%).
Disability insurance can replace your income if you’re injured or too sick to work, but not everyone needs it | Business Insider
More than one in four Americans will experience a disability during their career that keeps them from working for at least a year, according to the Social Security Administration. Those chances are high, but disability insurance can help lessen the financial burden.
Presidential candidates, take the lead on aging issues | Des Moines Register
As more than 20 Democratic candidates for president scurry around Iowa looking for a way to stand out from the crowd, here is a suggestion: Take the lead on aging issues – the challenges affecting those who are now or who will soon be 65 and over.
Dignity In Old Age Is An Illusion So Long As Care Providers Are Undervalued | Forbes
Our country is getting older and each year, more of us need help with everyday tasks as we age. Supporting older adults is big business – in this business cycle alone, employment in services that assist older Americans has grown rapidly. But if dignity in old age is a national priority, the quality of these jobs does not reflect it. These jobs are much less stable and pay much lower wages than jobs in general and other health care jobs in particular. No wonder then that we are heading towards massive shortages in home health care and skilled nursing care. Making sure that paid care work offers people real careers with meaningful pay and benefits will have to be a key step towards dignified aging for all.
Trump’s Efforts to Rein In Drug Prices Face Setbacks | New York Times
President Trump’s plan to lower prescription drug prices hit two major obstacles this week. He killed a proposal on Wednesday that would have reduced out-of-pocket costs for older consumers out of concern that it would raise premiums heading into his re-election campaign. And a federal judge threw out a new requirement that drug companies disclose their prices in television ads.
Jury Award for Failure to Accommodate a Perceived Disability Upheld | SHRM
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict for an employee who claimed that her employer failed to accommodate her perceived disability, because the employer waived its argument that employees who are merely regarded as disabled are not entitled to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Some older Americans spend more than 10 waking hours alone — here’s why that could be harmful | MarketWatch
U.S. adults aged 60 and up are flying solo for more than half their waking hours, not counting time spent on “personal activities,” according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis — totaling just over seven hours alone every day, on average. Some 14% of the 60-and-up crowd say they spend all of their measured time alone. In contrast, just 8% of those under 60 say the same. Pew crunched numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey to draw its conclusions.
Alelia Murphy, oldest living American, turns 114 years old in Harlem
Alelia Murphy, the oldest living American, turned 114 on Saturday, celebrating in a vibrant yellow gown, a tiara and lace gloves. She bopped her head to the beat as friends and family sang an up-tempo version of “Happy Birthday.” The supercentenarian — a title reserved for people who are 110 years old or older — was feted at the Harlem State Office Building in New York, WNBC-TV reported.
New tax-free accounts allow Mississippians with disabilities to save without the risk of losing benefits | Mississippi Today
For the first time, Mississippians with disabilities will now be able to work and save money without losing their benefits under the state’s Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which establishes the use of savings programs for qualifying individuals. “A person like my daughter with a disability can only have $4,000 to keep the Medicaid assistance that she has,” disability rights and elder law attorney Richard Courtney said.
The Paradox of Living With an Invisible Disability | Yahoo News
As children, almost all of us had the opportunity to discuss a very serious question: If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Many children wish to be inhumanly strong, to manipulate natural and cosmic forces, or to live forever – all logical responses for anyone looking to help others or just get their own way. But in every group, there is always somebody championing the cause of invisibility, to go anywhere and do anything without being noticed. It’s no accident that in a world overflowing with magical artifacts, Harry Potter relies most frequently upon his invisibility cloak.
Dual Stigma: HIV Positive and Over 50 | Next Avenue
Half of Americans with HIV are 50+, but care and prevention skew younger. HIV/AIDS used to be considered a disease of the young. In the early 1980s, when doctors first reported cases of HIV, nearly 70% of diagnoses were among people under 40.
‘Forrest Gump’ at 25: Disability Representation (For Better and Worse) | Forbes
When I share that I’m a disabled writer I often hear the same handful of questions, one of which is “what’s the first movie you saw with a disabled character in it?” The answer is easy: 1994’s Forrest Gump. The story of a mentally disabled young man (played by Tom Hanks) who plowed his way into several disparate historical events has become a bit of a punchline, especially when it comes to its use of mental disability (see my Tropic Thunder anniversary article). But where I identified with Forrest Gump wasn’t with its title character. No, before I saw another actual person in a wheelchair other than myself, I saw Lieutenant Dan Taylor (Gary Sinise).
Labor Department Launches Awards For Contractors Who Include People With Disabilities in Workforce | OHS Online
The U.S. Department of Labor has established a new set of awards to recognize federal contractors who demonstrate excellence in including people with disabilities in their workforce.
The Excellence in Disability Inclusion (EDI) Awards will feature two levels of recognition, according to a department news release. Up to four – two large and two small – federal contractors will receive a “Gold Award” and a three-year moratorium on compliance evaluations from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).
International News
Social media platforms must protect those of us with learning disabilities | MetroUK
Last week, I wrote about how children with learning disabilities can achieve anything, if only the government would support them. After my article was published, I found myself a target of online abuse just for speaking out as a person who has a learning disability. I had been on a real high after a brilliant week campaigning alongside the families who took the government to court over its inadequate funding of special educational needs support.
The swimming pool helping Israel’s disability community learn to walk | JNS
A hydrotherapy center in Israel is the first to use an augmentative alternative communication system that allows the nonverbal to express their feelings to caregivers, support staff, therapists and lifeguards via special communication boards placed around the pool.
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