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

Free Audiobooks

Patti's Comments: For all you folks out there that are like me and love to be read, or listen to books, I have a great source for you. For FREE audiobooks, go to www.LibriVox.org

You can download classic adult and children’s books, short stories and poems to your iPod or burn them onto a CD. Titles include "Pride and Prejudice" - "A Little Princess" - "The Call of the Wild".  All titles are in the public domain and are read by volunteers.  You can volunteer to read as well.  Audio books are great for young readers and older readers, or folks like me with limited time, but need to relax by getting into a good story now and then. I listen while I exercise, garden, walk, when I cannot sleep because I am thinking of work, etc. Of course they are great for folks with sight and reading challenges. ENJOY AND SPREAD THE JOY OF A GREAT STORY!! 

5 disabled Detroit-area residents sue NWA, Airport Authority over access

Patti's Comments: Mr. Bernstein is also a person with a disability. Besides the suit against U of M mentioned in the article, he also sued the city of Detroit to have the public transportation system (bus system) made accessible for wheelchair users and others in need of accommodation to use the system.

From Crain's Detroit Business: (click for entire article)

Five disabled metro Detroit residents are suing Northwest Airlines Corp. and the Wayne County Airport Authority seeking enforcement of a 2006 out-of-court settlement they say protects the rights of disabled passengers.

The five, represented pro bono by Richard Bernstein of Farmington Hills-based Bernstein Law Firm, say the airline and airport discriminate against disabled passengers by not giving them what they said it legally required equal access to air travel and facilities.

The plaintiffs accuse Northwest and the airport of failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Air Carrier Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The suit seeks compliance, not money.

Medicaid changes could cost Michigan

Patti's Comments: Hopefully, Dingell's efforts will put this off for a while. Not sure how he thinks that the state could "electronically" verify asset transfers??? Anyone out there know what that means exactly?

From Freep.com: (click for entire article)

Using one of the U.S. government's own formulas for figuring out the impact of regulatory change, a group advocating affordable health care argued Tuesday that Bush administration plans to change Medicaid could cost Michigan billions of dollars in lost business and thousands of jobs.  Families USA, based in Washington, unveiled research suggesting that Michigan could lose $1.5 billion in business activity, $572 million in wages and 15,300 jobs in the first year of the Medicaid rule changes if they are put in place.

May 6th: Legislative Day for Alzheimer's Association

Patti's Comments: An important message from the Alzheimer’s Association:

FYI, May 6th is Legislative Day for the Alzheimer's Association.  Our tent on the Capitol lawn will be open, with light refreshments available, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  There will be a short program from 10:30 - 11:00.  Advocates will be visiting with legislators in their offices and in the tent to discuss key issues including the state budget and quality dementia care.  Program staff will be available to answer questions about Alzheimer's disease and services available.  Please feel free to join us for part, or all, of the day!

We Need Your Help in the Fight Against Alzheimer's!
May 6, 2008  10:00 am -  1:00 pm
Legislative Day
Michigan State Capitol lawn, Lansing

Come visit us in the tent!

Sara Duris
State Public Policy Coordinator
Alzheimer's Association
269-463-3542

Ask Congress to Restore the Level Playing Field for Children with Disabilities

Patti's Comments: Important Educational Alert for students with disabilities - spread the word!

From Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates: (click for entire article)

Reinstate Parents' Rights to Recover Expert Witness Fees - Make the Burden of Proof Fair and Equitable

Over 33 years ago, Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so children with disabilities would receive a free appropriate public education--a right they had long been denied, and which many continue to be denied. IDEA’s enforcement depends on the ability of parents to seek impartial hearings when their children are denied basic educational rights.  Recent Supreme Court decisions make it much harder for parents to exercise this right, by barring prevailing parents from recovering their expert witness fees and forcing parents to bear the burden of proof. Families now face a system tilted dangerously in favor of school districts with their greater resources. We ask you to join us in supporting legislation to override these decisions.

State and National Park Disability Passes

Patti's Comments: This is an awesome resource for families planning summer vacations and play activities.

From Bella Online: (click for entire article)

Families of children with disabilities may qualify for free entrance or reduced fees at state and national parks with disability passes. Most require application well in advance of a park visit. You may find information on documentation, identification and other requirements at individual websites.

Down Syndrome and Diabetes Dual Diagnosis

Patti's Comments: I have heard about the link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease, but not with Diabetes. Anyone else know much about this issue?

From Bella Online: (click for entire article)

Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) was a serious diagnosis to hear about my newborn son when he was one day old. However, because my OB/GYN was raising his own 16 year old son with DS, I had access to the best information, resources and support from the day my son was born.

He had opportunities to grow up in the mainstream of our community as a well known and appreciated person in our neighborhood, regular preschool and elementary classrooms and community programs (gymboree, Sunday school, cub scouts, little league and soccer). Seven years later, he developed juvenile diabetes. I felt devastated by this second diagnosis.

Representative Payees for family members

Patti's Comments: I am passing this along from the Elderbar List Serve: Spread the word!!

Do you have a client or know of someone who is blind or visually impaired and is representative payee for a family member?  If so, please let me know asap.  We have an action pending against SSA for their failure to provide notices in other than standard print format to blind and visually impaired individuals.   While we have several plaintiffs, we only have one who was a rep. payee.  Unfortunately her husband, who had Alzheimer’s and for whom she was serving as rep. payee, has  died.  As a result we are looking for a new plaintiff to replace her so we can be assured of maintaining our claim on behalf of rep. payees. 

Gerald A. McIntyre
National Senior Citizens Law Center
3435 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2860
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-674-2900
213-639-0934 (FAX)
[email protected]

New Law Regarding Principal Residence Exemption

Patti's Comments:  The article below was written by an attorney working with me.  It outlines a new law - FINALLY!!  A law that may help take some pressure off of homeowners who are unable to sell property!

NEW LAW REGARDING PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE EXEMPTION

Governor Granholm recently signed a bill into law that significantly changes the way the Principal Residence Exemption, also known as the homestead exemption, applies to Michigan property owners.  This new law, which was signed by the Governor on April 8, 2008, allows a homeowner to receive the homestead exemption on two pieces of property at the same time for up to three years, provided certain conditions are met.  Those conditions are as follows:

1. the second piece of property is not occupied;
2. it is for sale;
3. it is not being leased;
4. it is not being used for any business or commercial purpose.

This law is especially important with the current housing market as sluggish as it is and homes for sale sitting on the market for months at a time.  The law allows property owners to receive the homestead exemption on the home where the owner currently lives and the property that the owner is trying to sell if the above conditions are met.  Before this law, property owners could only receive the homestead exemption for one piece of property at a time--if the owner moved into a new house while trying to sell the old one, the old one would not receive the exemption and the owner would pay the full property tax.

Unfortunately, this law is not retroactive, meaning that you cannot receive the dual homestead exemptions for past years.  It only applies to 2008 and forward.  To receive the dual homestead exemptions for 2008, you must submit “Form 4640 Conditional Rescission of Principal Residence Exemption” by May 1, 2008 to your local assessor.  Thereafter you must submit the form on or before December 31 each year.

Raymond A. Harris
Attorney
Hafeli Staran Hallahan Christ & Dudek, P.C.

Bill To Ban Binding Arbitration Agreements in Nursing Home Contracts 'Warranted,' Editorial States

Patti's Comments: I could not agree more with this editorial! Families are so stressed out about securing quality services when picking a nursing home, they will sign just about anything if it means there will be a decent place for their loved one to be "discharged to." They are often stressed out because the hospital gave them a very short time to find a place (sometimes as short as 24 hours, even on a holiday weekend). I encourage you all to take a step back and review any nursing home admissions contract carefully if you ever find your family in such a situation. In the meantime, hopefully congress will ACT!!

From Kaiser Network.org:

Congress has begun to consider several bills that seek to establish standards for binding arbitration agreements in consumer contracts, and legislation that would ban such agreements in nursing home contracts "may be warranted," a Washington Post editorial states. According to the editorial, such agreements "mandate that any dispute between the consumer and the company be resolved through private arbitration," which is "generally cheaper and speedier than litigation." However, most consumers "aren't aware that many of the contracts they sign include" such agreements, some of which "can be unfair," and those who are aware are "helpless to do anything about them because consumers generally must accept contracts in their entirety," the editorial states. Nursing home residents are "among the most vulnerable in the country, and decisions to place family members in these facilities are often made under the most stressful of circumstances," the editorial states, adding, "Allowing residents or their families to sue may be the only way to prod nursing homes to improve care" (Washington Post, 4/12).