KINewsYour family's source for
disability resourcesSeptember, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue 5
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| IN THIS ISSUE |
| Family Supports |
| Community Supports |
| Disabilities |
| Health & Mental Health |
| Legal & Legislation |
| Assistive Technology |
| Life Skills |
| Housing |
| Education |
| Employment |
| Recreation & Leisure |
| Quality Assurance |
FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT.....
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"A Man Playing Guitar," by Ronnie Daniels
The artwork images in this newsletter have been generously contributed by WVSA ARTs connection (WVSA), which is a unique non-profit organization providing multiple creative environments, opportunities, and experiences for children and adults through arts-infused educational and vocational programs.
Click directly on the images to purchase them at the WVSA Arts Online Store or click the link below.
Learn More about WVSA ARTS.
Purchase WVSA Artwork.
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Greetings,
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Who cares? At some point in the course of our lives we all may care for children, our parents, and we may also care for brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, or close friends. It's also important that we are taking care of ourselves. So, caring is part of all of our lives.
That said, caregiving can be difficult, stressful and complicated; it may call for acquiring new skills and changing your lifestyle. Thankfully, there are many people and organizations that can help you learn how to provide good care, find help when you need it, and plan for the future of a loved one. This September issue of KINews looks at caregivers and care supports for children, adults and seniors.
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FAMILY SUPPORTS
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Audio Interview with New Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee
The new Assistant Secretary for Aging, Kathy Greenlee, has expressed support for family caregivers and has promised to prioritize them in the Administration on Aging. Listen to this audio interview Greenlee talks about caregiving, respite and resources.
Go to the Caregiver.com audio page and click on the first interview.
Eldercare Locator
Would you like to find resources and services for an elderly loved one? Eldercare.gov can link you to local resources for assistance for older persons and their families. Here you can find home and community-based services such as transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support services.
Visit Eldercare.gov.
Exceptional Military Families
Did you know that over 100,000 military families have a member with a disability? Read the family stories from MilitaryHOMEFRONT that show the strength of military families and what resources they have used for support. You can even submit your own story.
Visit the MilitaryHOMEFRONT website.
Sibling Issues
How does having a sibling with a disability affect the other children in a family? This article from NICHCY (The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities) provides a lot of insight and references to online sibling support sites.
Visit NICHCY's Sibling Issues page.
What Siblings Would Like Parents and Service Providers to Know
Siblings will probably be in the lives of their brother/sister with a disability longer than anyone. So why are they often an after-thought, especially for providers? Find out what siblings think, and what they want their parents and service providers to know.
Learn more from the Sibling Support Project.
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COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
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Respite Care: Understanding, Finding and Using Caregiver Relief
Are you one of the many people who think respite care is only available for children? Think again. This Help Guide has a wealth of information on respite care for adults and elders. It has basic information on what respite care is, talks about the different types, how to select and pay for respite, useful links and more.
Visit HelpGuide.org to learn more.
The ABCs of Choosing Child Care
How do you find the best care for your child? This guide from Easter Seals provides lots of questions parents should ask when looking for child care.
Visit EasterSeals.com to learn more.
 "The Statue of Liberty," by Christopher Smith
Direct care support is something many individuals with disabilities need in order to live meaningful lives in the community. Many families are concerned about the high turnover of direct care support staff, and how this affects their family member, as well as the family caregivers. This website will help visitors understand the role of direct support professionals. It addresses their concerns, the needs and concerns of those they support, as well as offering possible solutions to challenges.
Learn more from UCP.org.
An Interpreted Pictorial Presentation on the History of Human Services: The Origins of Some of Our Major Contemporary Service Patterns
How much do you know about the history of people with disabilities and about the service delivery systems set up to help them? The Minnesota Developmental Disabilities Council has just added this great new resource to their website. It is from a 2-day seminar presented by Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger and Susan Thomas. As it is long, you might want to watch it over several days. Join the audience for this online video of a most informative lecture.
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DISABILITIES
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Neurological Diseases Support
Sometimes finding a support group is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a caregiver. This web page from the Mayo Clinic many resources for caregivers of children, adults and seniors affected by neurological conditions.
Visit MayoClinic.org.
Emergency and Disaster Relief & Preparedness for People with Disabilities Partnered with Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are helpful for many individuals with disabilities, in addition to those who are blind or visually impaired. What happens when disaster strikes and someone who uses a service dog needs emergency shelter? Find out what is required of shelters in accommodating a service dog.
Visit the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners website.
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HEALTH & MENTAL HEALTH
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Caregiver Depression: A Growing Mental Health Concern
Caregiving can be stressful and those caring for elderly relatives can experience depression. This policy brief from the Family Caregiver Alliance, of the National Center on Caregiving, offers good information on the role of caregivers and the need for policies that support them.
Take a look at the Caregiver.org website.
State-by-State Long-Term Health Care Costs
There is a lot of talk these days about the cost of health care, especially for older Americans. Find out what the average cost of Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, Home Health Aides, and Adult Day Care are for each state from this AARP article.
Find information for your state on the AARP website.
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| LEGAL & LEGISLATION |
Nineteen Years of Independence-Obama's 21st Century Treaty: Realizing a World of Potential
Want to hear a personal story about how the ADA affected the life of one young man? The Justice For All newsletter has this man's story as he talks about President Obama signing the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Read the explanation and commentary about the UN Convention document.
Read the personal story.
Health Insurance Reform Reality Check
We've all heard the rumors about what health care reform legislation will or will not do. The White House has a new web page that addresses these concerns and issues. Read about it for yourself and get informed. Who knows, you may even want to get involved....
Visit the White House Health Insurance Reform Reality Check.
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LIFE SKILLS
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Three Life Skills Children Can Learn When Mom or Dad is a Caregiver
What are three important life skills children can learn from watching their parent(s) as caregivers? This article is about elder care, but also applies to siblings when parents are caring for a child with a disability. It will help the caregiver see some of the positive benefits for her/his family.
Take a look at AssociatedContent.com.
 "Garden of Flowers," by Crystal Fouch
Dismissed As Nonverbal, Teen with Autism Proves She Has a Voice
"I am autistic, but that is not who I am. Take time to know me before you judge me. I am cute, funny and like to have fun". You'll want to read this Disability Scoop article by Shaun Heasley with a link to the ABC news story to find out about Carly and how she learned to communicate.
Read this great story on the Disability Scoop website.
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| HOUSING |
Turning 'Home Sweet Home' Into 'Home Safe Home'
Helping your elderly loved ones stay in their own home as long as possible may require some modifications. This article from AARP has information on no-cost, low-cost and extensive changes that may help.
Read the article on AARP.org.
Easy Access Housing for Easier Living Program: Adaptable and Accessible Housing
How can you tell if a home or apartment can be easily adapted for accessibility? This checklist from Easter Seals and Century 21 can help you evaluate.
Read the checklist on EasterSeals.com.
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| EDUCATION |
Holding a Family Meeting
The Family Caregiver Alliance has many fact sheets that help educate family caregivers. Check out this one on how to hold a constructive and productive family meeting to discuss the care needs of a family member.
Read the fact sheet on the FCA website.
10 Practical Tips for Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's or Dementia
This educational guide is written for those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's or Dementia, and has good information for anyone in the caregiving role.
Click here to read the guide.
Tip Sheet for Providers: Caregiving Education
Did you know that Medicare will pay for certain types of family caregiver education? Read this tip sheet to find out more, and share it with your loved one's physician.
Find the tip sheet on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services website.
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| EMPLOYMENT |
Employment and Caregiving: Is There a Balance?
Most businesses and many employees may one day face the issue of elder care. What things can help both the employer and the employee?
Read this short article from the Ohio Department of Aging.
Real People, Real Jobs: Stories From the Front Line
With this website, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) highlights the success of individuals with developmental disabilities who are working in paid jobs in the community.
Have a look at RealWorkStories.org for some ideas and inspiration.
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RECREATION & LEISURE
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ElderHostel
Have you been looking for a travel program that would accommodate someone with a disability? ElderHostel offers senior citizens nearly 8,000 educational tours in all 50 states and more than 90 countries and has been doing so 1975. Many of these tours are accessible.
Visit ElderHostel.org's page on disabilities to learn more.
 "Foxtrot," by Kevin Williams
Caregivers often toss out their leisure and recreational time because of the many demands of caregiving. This study talks about that and has some suggestions for how recreation professionals can help caregivers find time to relax and participate in recreational activities.
Click here to read the study.
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| QUALITY ASSURANCE |
Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving's Evidence-Based Caregiver Intervention Resource Center
Want to find out about "science that works"? This web page talks about evidence-based interventions to improve the health and well-being of caregivers.
Have a look at rosalynncarter.org.
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HOW DID WE DO?
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Too much information? Not enough? Have something you'd like us to announce here? Your input will help us improve. Please feel free to contact us at familysupport@aed.org or call 877-535-7575.
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Sincerely, The KIN Team   | |
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