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

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What We’re Reading: November 2, 2020

November 2, 2020 by Claudia Paoletto

Danger: Aging Parents Overspending, Running Low, And What You Can Do | Forbes

Briana called AgingParents.com in distress. She was feeling panicky and angry. Her 80 year old mother, Rhonda, had just bought another new car she could not afford. Briana explained that her mother’s funds were limited, but she kept insisting on living the life she had before her husband passed. Her parents had depleted their assets in the process of having a lot of fun in retirement, never considering that their money would not last. Rhonda was going to run out of savings in about a year, the way she was spending, and it was becoming clear that she was starting to need help at home.

1 in 3 Americans Prescribed Inappropriate Drugs | U.S. News & World Report

More than one-third of older Americans are prescribed drugs they may not need, a new study finds. In fact, these patients are prescribed twice as many drugs as needed and are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized or wind up in the emergency department. On average, they pay more than $450 a year in extra health care costs, the researchers said.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Chief Diversity Officer Michael Lopez on National Disability Employment Awareness Month | HRC

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation sat down with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chief Diversity Officer Michael Lopez to discuss workplace diversity and inclusivity for both the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities.

Kicked From the Curb in Alabama | The New York Times

The Supreme Court’s ruling to restrict access to voting last week is a reminder of the importance of disability rights laws for protecting the civil rights of all Americans.

With Just 4 Weeks Until Thanksgiving, Half Of Americans Aged 70+ Won’t See Family In-Person Or Haven’t Made Plans For The Holidays Yet, According To New Harris Poll/Aloe Care Health Survey | PR Newswire

More Than Two in Five Americans Aged 70+ Want Daily Communication with Family; Two-Thirds Wish There Were a Simpler Technological Solution to Speak with Family Members

Are We Heading Toward Shangri-La Or Geriassic Park? | Forbes

Health is retirement’s biggest wild card, the difference between activity, independence, and financial security – or worry, constraint, and financial insecurity. Today’s newly minted Boomer retirees can look forward to longer and healthier retirements, perhaps extended by medical breakthroughs. But at the same time, more of them may spend more years later in retirement fighting the chronic and often debilitating diseases of aging.

A pandemic election should move America to address caregivers’ struggles | The Hill

Multiple news stories recount the same sad story. Lockdowns and social distancing are necessary public health interventions to prevent widespread COVID-19 infections that would overwhelm hospitals and run-up a sad tally of dead and disabled Americans. But these interventions mean America’s families struggle to balance multiple commitments: care for sick or disabled relatives, raise and educate children, and work. Family members of residents of long-term care facilities that restrict visitors are reporting rapid declines in their relatives’ health and well-being. These awful events display how “visitors,” often a spouse or adult child, are long-term care institutions’ essential but hidden caregivers. They effectively staff the understaffed and under skilled facilities. The surge in unemployment is further stressing families’ resources to care.

The Six Short Films Of “CripTales” Tell Authentic Stories Of Disability | Forbes

There are still a few days left to enjoy a free streaming event presented by BBC America and the AMC Network, in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities. Through the month of October 2020, “CripTales,” a collection of short films from the United Kingdom, all of them written, directed, and acted by people with disabilities, is free to view on the networks’ websites.

Heading To The Polls? If You Have A Disability, Here’s What To Know | NPR

Everyone in the U.S. is facing a new barrier to voting this year: COVID-19. But if you have a disability, 2020 probably isn’t the first year you’ve faced one obstacle or another while casting your ballot. During the 2016 election, a whopping 83% of polling places posed at least one impediment for voters with disabilities — say, a pathway inaccessible to a voter in a wheelchair. And, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office, less than 40% of locations equipped their voting systems for people with disabilities to cast their votes privately: electronic voting systems weren’t powered on, for example, or they lacked earphones, or the stations weren’t big enough for a wheelchair.

Mindset Matters: Venture Capital As A Signifier In The Evolving Narrative Of Disability Employment | Forbes

In continuing to argue for an inventive attitude to enhance the potential for increased disability employment, it is important that both disability organizations and the business community recognize the need to think outside the traditional models that have been a signature of National Disability Employment Awareness Month over the past seventy five years. We are at a moment now where we need to use our imagination to expand not only opportunities, but possibilities. Employment should not be seen just as a simple transaction of human capital to do a task for payment, but rather something much more profound, a new way to think about the future.

Researchers link severe COVID-19 cases to mental decline equal to aging a decade

People that have suffered severe cases of COVID-19 may experience mental decline equal to the brain aging by a decade, according to a new study released this month.  Researchers from the United Kingdom analyzed the test data of more than 84,000 participants who took the Great British Intelligence Test and were suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19.

Entertainers discuss disability representation in Hollywood | ABC News

Marlee Matlin, Millicent Simmonds and Danny Woodburn are just a few of the Hollywood insiders who participated in a series of virtual panels Monday examining the state of disability representation in Hollywood

The Disability Community Needs Paid Family and Medical Leave | Center for American Progress

While the United States lacks a permanent national paid family and medical leave policy, it is gaining increasing attention—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic—as a critical workplace protection and necessary part of the social safety net. Paid family and medical leave, which is separate from short-term paid sick days, allows workers to take extended time away from work to recover from a serious medical condition or to care for a new child or a seriously ill loved one without sacrificing their job or a paycheck. It is a vital support for workers with disabilities as well as for family members who care for people with disabilities.

Nursing homes prepare for third COVID-19 surge | The Hill

Nursing homes, long in the spotlight as a key battleground in the fight to prevent the spread of COVID-19, are making key structural changes to prepare for an expected third surge of the disease. Facilities have implemented increased testing, promoted mask use and changed clinical practices in an effort to protect older Americans who are at higher risk of complications from the coronavirus.

During pandemic, ‘telehealth’ emerging as important lifeline to connect patients with caregivers | The Hill

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States early this year, it sent shockwaves across our economy and pushed many of the nation’s public health systems to the brink. Frontline health care workers, hospitals and patients suddenly were forced to confront a silent, deadly, fast-moving virus with no known cure and no vaccine. For millions of anxious Americans, the isolation measures put in place to stop the spread of the virus only exacerbated the gaps in access to the health care services they need. It was especially hard on rural and older Americans, communities of color, low-income families, and those dealing with addiction or mental health issues.

Senate confirms Barrett to Supreme Court, cementing its conservative majority | the Washington Post

A bitterly divided Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as the 115th justice to the Supreme Court on Monday, elevating just the fifth woman to the court in its 231-year history and one who further cements its conservative shift — a legacy that will last even if Republicans lose power in next week’s elections.

The information and links provided here are a courtesy. The National Advisory Board does not necessarily endorse or share the views contained in any article, report or web site. No link provided here should be considered an endorsement of any opinion, product or service that may be offered in the article or at the linked-to site.

Filed Under: COVID-19/Coronavirus, Disability Issues, Election Issues, Health Insurance, Mental Health, News, What We're Reading Tagged With: aging parents, Albama, Amy Coney Barrett, COVID-19, Crip Tales, disability representation in Hollywood, drug prescriptions, elections, Hewlett-Packard, mental decline, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, NDEAM, nursing homes, Paid Family and Medical Leave, pandemic election, telehealth, Thanksgiving, venture capital

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The information and links provided here are a courtesy. The National Advisory Board does not necessarily endorse or share the views contained in any article, report or web site. No link provided here should be considered an endorsement of any opinion, product or service that may be offered in the article or at the linked-to site.
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