As Trump targets immigrants, elderly and others brace to lose caregivers | Chicago Tribune
The two women have been together since 2011, a 96-year-old originally from Italy and a Haitian immigrant who has helped her remain in her home – giving her showers, changing her clothes, taking her to her favorite parks and discount grocery stores. But changes to federal immigration policy are putting both at risk. Haitian caregivers like Nirva, who got temporary permission to stay in the United States after the 2010 earthquake destroyed much of their homeland, now face a July 22, 2019, deadline for returning. If they and tens of thousands of other immigrants with similar jobs and tenuous legal status are forced to leave the country, Americans living with disabilities, serious illness or, like Dicenso, the frailties of old age could find themselves with few options besides nursing homes.
Apple proposes new emojis for people with disabilities | USA Today
Apple has outlined a series of emojis “to better represent individuals with disabilities,” according to a proposal submitted to the Unicode Consortium. People on social media have been cheering for what some called long overdue representation. Emojis with hearing aids and using sign language, wheelchairs and white canes are among the proposed options for iPhones.
The proposal states that emojis “may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities,” but that diversifying emoji options “helps fill a significant gap and provides a more inclusive experience for all.”
Medicare Doesn’t Equal Dental Care. That Can Be a Big Problem | New York Times
Many people view Medicare as the gold standard of United States health coverage, and any attempt to cut it incurs the wrath of older Americans, a politically powerful group. But there are substantial coverage gaps in traditional Medicare. One of them is care for your teeth. Almost one in five adults of Medicare eligibility age (65 years old and older) have untreated cavities. The same proportion have lost all their teeth. Half of Medicare beneficiaries have some periodontal disease, or infection of structures around teeth, including the gums.
Don’t Call This Rebel On Wheels An ‘Angel From Above’ | NPR
Maryangel Garcia Ramos wears silver glitter eye shadow. She once raised hell at a Killers concert because the venue wouldn’t let her rock out with her wheelchair in front of the stage. And she wants you to know that yes, people with disabilities do have sex. That was one of the points she made at South by Southwest, the annual technology, film and music conference in Austin, Texas this past week. The 32-year-old from Monterrey, Mexico, was part of a panel discussion on Sex, Beauty and Women with Disabilities. The aim was to break stereotypes about women with disabilities.
How To Protect Your Most Important Asset With Disability Insurance | Forbes
Five years ago when my wife and I were expecting our first child, I was quick to get term life insurance policies in place. It wasn’t until last month, however, that I protected my human capital from disability. I’m not alone, either. Most people see life insurance as a no-brainer to protect against losing their income due to death, but few people consider protecting their human capital in the event they become sick or injured.
Airbnb Rolls Out New Features For Those With Disabilities | Disability Scoop
Following accusations of discrimination against travelers with disabilities, Airbnb said it is implementing changes aimed at making its platform friendlier to those with various needs.
The short-term rental platform is rolling out 21 new filters specifically aimed at those with disabilities. Rather than search for a catch-all category of “wheelchair accessible” listings, users will be able to zero in on rentals with certain features like step-free access, wide doorways or hallways, accessible-height beds, roll-in showers and other features, the company said.
Amazon’s secretive health team talking with AARP about making products for older people | CNBC
Saturday Night Live is on it. The show came up with a hilarious skit last May about Amazon’s Echo voice assistant partnering with the AARP, a group that represents the interests of people over 50, for a new “silver” device that responds to any name remotely close to Alexa. Now CNBC has learned that Amazon has in fact been meeting with the AARP since 2015 to discuss potential collaborations and share research, and it is interested in designing technology for aging populations.
Should You Hire A Care Manager For Your Aging Parents? | Forbes
Many of us are probably unfamiliar with the concept of care managers. That may be because geriatric care management is not a clear-cut, licensed profession like nursing or social work. Further, they now call themselves Aging Life Care Managers, a catchall title that does not specify what they can and cannot do.
Challenged Athletes Foundation helps competitors achieve their dreams | NBC News
The Challenged Athletes Foundation provides grants to Paralympians and others, supporting athletes like Ironman competitor David Rozelle, who lost part of his leg while serving in Iraq, or 6-year-old David Fangerow who dreams of running races.
Echoes of Katrina: Post-Hurricane Maria Public Health Threats and Trauma | Center for American Progress
2017 saw unprecedented weather in the United States. The country grappled with three catastrophic Category 4 tropical cyclones—including hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria—which together cost $265 billion. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were hit particularly hard by the one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria just days apart in September. These supercharged storms were fueled by above-average warmth in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Taken together, Irma and Maria’s aftermath surpassed Hurricane Katrina’s costs and impact, and they will likely exceed its death toll. The similarities among Katrina, Irma, and Maria don’t stop at the storms’ aftermaths; like Louisiana and Mississippi, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had struggling economies, aging infrastructure, and fragile ecosystems that had been compromised by shortsighted and unjust environmental policies. And now, six months after Hurricane Maria made landfall, Americans in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are experiencing the same public health crises as Gulf Coast communities did after Katrina.
This Founder Creates Conversations On Disability And Intersectionality | Forbes
In 2012, Vilissa Thompson received her masters degree in social work. As she was job searching, she started to blog about social work and disability. A year later she turned that blog into her own company when she founded Ramp Your Voice. “I wanted a little more freedom to write about the issues that mattered to me from a more diverse lens of race, gender, social work and disability,” Thompson said.
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