Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

Patti's Comments:  Thank goodness someone is doing something about this critical need...

Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report

The Washington Post on Tuesday examined how the number of geriatricians who practice in the U.S. is "falling seriously behind needed levels," despite "countless attempts to convince the medical profession and the public of their worth." Currently, only about 7,000 geriatricians practice in the U.S., and teaching hospitals produce one or two geriatricians for every nine cardiologists or orthopedic surgeons, according to one estimate.

Experts attribute the lack of geriatricians in large part to low reimbursements, the attraction to other specialties that pay more and a lack of interest in treatment of elderly and severely ill patients.

In response to the problem, geriatricians have sought to encourage primary care physicians to receive extra training and certification in the treatment of elderly patients from the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Geriatrics Society has lobbied for government support and more medical training. In addition, medical schools have added courses on the treatment of elderly patients to their curricula, and several foundations have provided grants to fund such courses (Kim, Washington Post, 3/11).

Appropriation Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

The Appropriation subcommittee today recommended to the full approps committee a DCH budget that eliminates all but $1 million of the Governor's recommended increases to home and community-based waivers, including the expanded array funding for AAL, AFC, and HFA.  This is not good news for home and community-based services nor for having more options available to folks.  Please contact the full approps members to urge them to restore the funding recommended by the Governor.

The full Committee is:  Senators Jelinek (C), Pappageorge (VC), Hardiman, Kahn, Cropsey, Garcia, George, Jansen, Brown, McManus, Stamas, Switalski (MVC), Anderson, Barcia, Brater, Cherry, Clark-Coleman, and Scott.

We cannot assume this will be fixed.  Nursing homes continue to relatively large increases.  We all have to work harder if we want expanded home and community-based options for people.

February 13, 2008 Senate Appropriations Committee Meeting Minutes

2008 AARP Michigan Senate DCH Appropriations memo

Patti's Comments:  This budget will just keep folks locked up in nursing homes and institutions as the only places to secure long term care services.  The services need to be separated from the place, as most folks prefer to get their services in a home-like setting.  Furthermore, we cannot afford to build a nursing home or group home for every person in need of long term care. Please let the folks in Lansing know that this budget is bad public policy for Michigan! Thanks.

2008 AARP Memo.pdf

25% of parents with Special Needs children have to significantly reduce hours or stop working

Patti's Comments: I have no idea if the figures in the following article are accurate or not, but I bet they apply in a similar fashion to folks care-giving for their parents as well.

From The Special Parent:  (click for entire article:

A ‘recent’ survey (2005-2006) by the Health Resources and Services Administration which is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services found that 14% of all US children had special needs. Children with Special Needs was defined in this survey as as having or being at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that have lasted or are expected to last at least 12 months.

PDRTA worries over rule that could exclude Medicaid transportation benefits

Patti's Comments: I worry about this same rule. I have more than 3 cases fighting over the same issue here in Michigan.

From SCNow.com: (click for entire article)

"Rural Medicaid recipients in the Pee Dee and across the state could be stranded without a ride to their medical appointments if a proposed federal rule goes into effect, local transportation officials said. A 30-day comment period, ending March 24, is under way for the proposed rule concerning Medicaid, a publicly funded insurance program that pays for health care for eligible low-income people."

Judge won't budge on Medicaid services

From Courier-Journal: (click for entire article)

Kentucky has three days to launch a long-delayed Medicaid plan to help people with mental disabilities live at home or in the community, a federal judge said yesterday. In a written order, U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood affirmed his verbal order at a hearing last Friday that the state must begin its program to provide services for adults with mental retardation and other disabilities by Friday.

Patti's Comments:  More power to this judge! I wish there were more out there willing to force the states to keep their promises to their citizens with disabilities!

Vaccines and Autism

Several articles related to this important case for folks with Autism and their families.  Excerpts included below - click links for entire articles.

From New York Times: Deal in an Autism Case Fuels Debate on Vaccine

Study after study has failed to show any link between vaccines and autism, but many parents of autistic children remain unconvinced. For the skeptics, the case of 9-year-old Hannah Poling shows that they have been right along. The government has conceded that vaccines may have hurt Hannah, and it has agreed to pay her family for her care. Advocates say the settlement — reached last fall in a federal compensation court for people injured by vaccines, but disclosed only in recent days — is a long-overdue government recognition that vaccinations can cause autism.

From ABA Journal: Autism Settlement Based on Special Circumstances

The government has agreed to compensate the family of a girl who claims a vaccine caused her autism, but the settlement is not precedent-setting because of the special circumstances surrounding the case, experts told the Associated Press.

The girl, Hannah Poling, now 9, received five vaccines when she was 18 months old. Almost immediately after, she was screaming and feverish, and then gradually her behavior changed, her parents said in a news conference yesterday. “Suddenly my daughter was no longer there,” said the girl’s mother, Terry, a lawyer and a nurse.

Autism Society of America statement:

Individuals living with autism need help today, and this case illustrates the need for the medical community to probe further into environmental causes of autism. The Polings, like all families affected by autism, deserve to be heard and supported in their journey raising their daughter. While we don’t know the cause for autism, or its interaction with other conditions or environmental aggregators, we need to focus today on what works to maximize the potential of people with autism to help them live meaningful, productive lives. This has always been ASA's mission and we will continue to advocate for research, family and individual support, and lifespan services for people across the autism spectrum.

Autism no longer an obstacle for students seeking college degree

From Freep.com (click for entire article):

"If college were purely academic, 16-year-old Cullen Kappel would have no worries. But the mostly straight-A student who studies astrophysics just for fun knows his challenge at college will be in what happens between classes. Cullen has Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. Like others with Asperger's, he tends to hyper-focus on topics, can be thrown off-kilter with a slight change to his routine and has a tough time deciphering conversation cues."

Patti's Comments: Transition from special education to adult or age appropriate programs is still difficult for many folks, but this is an inspiring article that shows that many can move on to a successful college experience.

The case for increasing the number of Medicaid waivers

From Dailypress.com (click for entire article)

"Over 50 years ago, parents of children with disabilities had few options. Their options were putting their child in an institution or keeping their child home and raising them "to the best of their abilities." Many parents put their children in institutions, but more and more parents started keeping their children home."

Patti's Comments: This is a great article written by a parent explaining what Medicaid waivers are and why it is important for us to get more of them to fund services for people with disabilities in all the states.

Supportive Housing for Individuals with Down Syndrome and other Developmental Disabilities

A series of four workshops on how to create successful supportive housing arrangements is being offered by the Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan.  They are intended for families or caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome or other developmental disabilities and will be held at the Eberhard Center of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Downtown Campus at 301 West Fulton in Grand Rapids. You may attend any or all of the workshops.  Beverages will be provided; you may bring a snack. Registration is required:

Contact the Association at [email protected] or 616-956-3488 (866-665-7451 toll free) for questions or to register.

Workshop #2 - Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 7pm: Learn the four ways real estate may be owned, identify which options involve nonprofit organizations, and which options can be arranged privately. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of renting and owning, as well as the key characteristics of cooperatives, condominiums and direct ownership.

Workshop #3 - Thursday, April 17, 2008, 7pm: Learn how to fund the non-traditional housing options, and understand the key role of Person Centered Planning and Self-Determination in funding support services.

Workshop #4 - Thursday, May 15, 2008, 7pm:  Learn how to finance the cost of building the home by accessing governmental housing funds from HUD, MSHDA, quasi-governmental, and private sources.