RSSCategory: Disabilities

Medicare failing to monitor prescribers, putting seniors and disabled at risk

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.

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May 12, 2013 | By | Reply More
Obama administration mulls rule to give home health aides better wages

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.

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April 29, 2013 | By | 3 Replies More
Teens and Sexual Assault: Developmentally Delayed Teens

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.

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April 17, 2013 | By | Reply More
CDC’s new antismoking campaign: Tips from Former Smokers

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.

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March 29, 2013 | By | Reply More
Government-run health care that works – in conservative Arizona

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

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March 7, 2013 | By | Reply More
What will the impact of sequestration be on Washington health programs?

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.

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February 25, 2013 | By | Reply More
New tools help health providers reduce patients’ risk of falls

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.

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February 5, 2013 | By | Reply More
Independence of advocates for long-term care residents challenged

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.

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January 28, 2013 | By | Reply More
Adults with Disabilities More Likely to Seek Care in the Emergency Department

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.

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December 23, 2012 | By | Reply More
Words can wound: How the media describe the mentally ill and disabled

Words can wound: How the media describe the mentally ill and disabled

Wacko, nutcase, maniac, wing nut, retard, psycho, crazy, loon . . .

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September 11, 2012 | By | Reply More
Study: PTSD treatment for soldiers improving, but there’s still work to be done

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.

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July 13, 2012 | By | Reply More
How mothers-to-be can avoid toxins that affect fetal development.

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.

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March 6, 2012 | By | Reply More
Brain changes linked autism start early in life — UW study

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.

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February 25, 2012 | By | 1 Reply More
The coming nursing home shortage

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.

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January 27, 2012 | By | Reply More
Long-term care insurance can come up short

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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January 24, 2012 | By | 1 Reply More