Category: Disabilities
Medicare failing to monitor prescribers, putting seniors and disabled at risk
An analysis of four years of Medicare prescription records shows that some doctors and other health professionals across the country prescribe large quantities of drugs that are potentially harmful, disorienting or addictive.
Obama administration mulls rule to give home health aides better wages
The president has called for minimum wage and overtime guarantees for home health aides. But the proposal has been strongly opposed by some industry and disability groups.The average yearly salary for home health aides in 2012 was $21,830, according to the Labor Department.
Teens and Sexual Assault: Developmentally Delayed Teens
Developmentally delayed teens are at a much higher risk of sexual assault than their non-delayed peers; the numbers are both depressing and well-validated.
CDC’s new antismoking campaign: Tips from Former Smokers
This week the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launches a new ad campaign featuring the stories of former smokers living with smoking-related diseases and disabilities.
Government-run health care that works – in conservative Arizona
Arizona occupies an unusual place in the national landscape: as a model for how a generously-funded, tightly regulated government program can aid vulnerable, low-income patients like Antonia Lopez
What will the impact of sequestration be on Washington health programs?
Less money for vaccinating children, providing HIV testing, treating substance abuse and preparing for biological, chemical and radiological disasters.
New tools help health providers reduce patients’ risk of falls
For older adults, falls are serious, whether they take place in the home or in a health care setting. More than one-third of adults over age 65 fall each year. Falls can cause bone fractures, disability, and even death. Among people 75 and older, falls are far more likely to cause admissions into a long-term care facility than for adults 10 years younger.
Independence of advocates for long-term care residents challenged
While ombudsmen in some states maintain their autonomy, in other states conflicts have erupted and government officials have been accused of trying to muzzle ombudsmen, especially when they publicly disagree with state policies or battle industry officials.
Adults with Disabilities More Likely to Seek Care in the Emergency Department
People with disabilities, while making up just 17 percent of the working-age adult population, account for almost 40 percent of all emergency room visits. They may seek care at an ER due to the complexity or urgency of their medical conditions, because they lack access to other accessible care or because they lack health insurance.
Words can wound: How the media describe the mentally ill and disabled
Wacko, nutcase, maniac, wing nut, retard, psycho, crazy, loon . . .
Study: PTSD treatment for soldiers improving, but there’s still work to be done
The study estimated that PTSD, which is often triggered by traumatic events that are commonplace in combat life, affects somewhere between 13 to 20 percent of the 2.6 million soldiers who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.
How mothers-to-be can avoid toxins that affect fetal development.
Mothers-to-be can reduce the risk their children will be be harmed by environmental toxins by takings simple steps to avoid exposure to certain chemicals before they conceive and during their pregnancies.
Brain changes linked autism start early in life — UW study
Changes in the brains of children at high-risk for developing autism who later go on to develop the condition can be detected as early as six months of age, long before any signs of autistic behavior appear.
The coming nursing home shortage
The latest casualty of the Great Recession may soon be the nation’s elderly. Cuts in government payments for patient care and less construction of new nursing homes are already taking a toll. Add to this the aging baby boom generation and you have a worst-case scenario.
Long-term care insurance can come up short
Will it cover your needs? Can you pay for it? Can you afford not to have it?
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