Health and Disability

Following up on the announcement this week by Avalere Health that a new Medicare post-acute and long term care reform plan developed by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) and Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care could both enhance U.S. seniors' care choices as well as save approximately $35 billion in federal funds over ten years, AHCA and NCAL today turned their attention to how the plan will benefit state lawmakers as they struggle with fiscal crises of historic magnitude. The spring meeting of the National Conference of State Legislature's (NCSL) commences today in Washington….

NCSL Urged To Back New AHCA-NCAL-Alliance Medicare Post-Acute And Long Term Care Reform Plan

Legislation to expand access to long-term care insurance and strengthen consumer protections of these insurance products has been introduced in the House. The Long-Term Care Affordability and Security Act of 2009 would permit long-term care insurance to be included in employer-sponsored cafeteria plans and flexible spending accounts, enabling people to pay long-term care insurance premiums using pre-tax dollars…..

Who Moved My Dentures? Musings on Aging.: Legislation to expand access to long-term care insurance introduced.

Many more details of the White House protest on nationaladapt Twitter.  Click link at bottom.

http://twitpic.com/44u8e - Tom Earl handcuffed to the White House fence.about 9 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/44u67 - Nancy says it loud and proud.about 9 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/44u4b - Chris Hilderbrant started chants in front of the White House.about 9 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/44tyv - Patricia Zeigler at the White House protestabout 9 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/44twk - Johnny Crescendo sang for the crowd in

NationalADAPT (NationalADAPT) on Twitter

U.S. Park Police arrested 91 people, many in wheelchairs, outside the White House Monday afternoon. Those arrested were part of a group demonstrating in support of legislation that would allow people with disabilities to use federal funding to pay for attendant services in the community rather than nursing home care.

More pictures at http://twitpic.com/photos/NationalADAPT

The demonstration came after representatives of ADAPT, a disability rights group, met with officials at the White House Monday morning to request that the Community Choice Act be included in efforts to reform the health care system. When the group failed to get any such commitment from the administration, they began demonstrating outside the White House.

Police Arrest 91 With Disabilities Demonstrating Outside White House - Disability Scoop

FOR more than a week now, people on both sides of the Atlantic have been using the story of Susan Boyle — the dowdy Scottish spinster who sang her way to fame on “Britain’s Got Talent” TV show — as an example of just how shallow we’ve become.

Skip to next paragraph

Enlarge This Image

Andy Barr/News International/ZUMA Press

WHAT YOU SEE ... in the case of Susan Boyle, isn’t what “Britain’s Got Talent” (or the world) expected.

Related

Unlikely Singer Is YouTube Sensation (April 18, 2009)

Andrew Milligan/Associated Press

WHO’S THAT GIRL! Fame has changed Susan Boyle (her look, anyway).

Readers' Comments

Readers shared their thoughts on this article.

• Read All Comments (365) »

Before she sang, Ms. Boyle seemed to be merely a frumpy 47-year-old unemployed church volunteer who lived alone with her cat, Pebbles, and had, she said, “never been kissed” (a claim that she later took back).

Now, after the video of her performance went viral, a flurry of commentary has focused on how we stereotype people into categories, how we fall victim to the prejudices of ageism or look-ism, and how we should learn, once and for all, not to judge books by their covers.

Yes, Looks Do Matter - NYTimes.com

Pictures from the Funrun and the national Action. Click Twitpic link for more. 

Twitpic / NationalADAPT

First trickles of activity from the Washington DC ADAPT Action to support the Community Choice Act.  There is a Rally on Wednesday at Senate Park around 11 am, if you are in the area.

The Community Choice Act would make Choice for LTC Federal Law, so it is a critical step in real reform. You can find more info about the CCA on the ADAPT Home Page. Look for the link to a CCA pdf or click on the link in the navigation sidebar.

More soon.

If you have a Twitter Account, you can follow the action, including pictures, by following National ADAPT

ADAPT - Home Page

…….You have not provided me with nearly enough information with which I need to give you a proper answer. So I took the liberty of running your question by Cyndi Stephenson, who manages the reverse mortgage division at HomeFirst Mortgage Corp., a mortgage brokerage firm in Alexandria, Va.

Stephenson says that if you and she were sitting down together, one-on-one, she would ask you these questions:

• Do you have any liens on the property at this time?

• How much longer would you plan to stay in this home if you do a reverse mortgage?

• Which one of you is 71?

• What is the ZIP code for the property?

• Is it a single family residence, condominium or a townhouse?

• What are your priorities, both long- and short-term?

• Do you plan to leave something to your heirs? To charity?

The reverse mortgage specialist also would ask a question she says keeps her awake at night and that is: Do you have long-term-care insurance?

"I do not worry at all about those who plan to live in the home until they pass away, that is exactly what this product is designed to support," she explains. "What I worry about are those who take out a reverse mortgage, live in their home for maybe three years, then have a stroke or suffer some other disabling illness or injury and need to get moved immediately into an assisted living facility. Especially if they are single."……

What to ask when considering a reverse mortgage - MarketWatch

The Isabella Geriatric Center in New York city has an innovative program, really a culture of connecting the generations. Their Project N.O.I.S.E.E. (Naturally Occurring Interactions in a Shared Environment Everyday) is an intergenerational program that grew out of a partnership formed between their on-site childcare center and their Therapeutic Recreation Department….

Children bring noise—laughter, screams and giggles—and their physical presence completely changes the atmosphere, injecting enthusiasm, energy and youthful excitement….

Who Moved My Dentures? Musings on Aging.: Intergenerational Programs in Nursing Homes Good for the Young and Old