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Disability Policy Consortium Weekly Update
Greetings!
We're back...at 6 AM Monday by popular demand! Have to admit that I kinda like not having to pull it together on Sunday.
Bill Allan
Disability Policy Consortium
wfallan@dpcma.org| 617-542-3822
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Editorial: Ping Pong Time?
The liberal Progressive Change Campaign Committee
aired a controversial ad claiming Republican Congressman Charles Bass voted to end Medicare during the weekend's Republican debates.
The ad stirred the concern of the National Republican Congressional Committee as early as June 2011.
The NRCC wrote a letter to stations in New Hampshire and Comcast, complaining that a PCCC ad attacking Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) for having "voted to end Medicare" was false and demanding that it be taken down. The PCCC obviously did not defer to the NRCC's demand to pull the ad.
In the ad a woman says the following:
"As a social worker here in the north country, I've spent my life helping people with disabilities. Now, I have a disability. If I didn't have Medicare, doctors' bills could wipe me out - and put a burden on my five kids. When Congressman Charlie Bass voted to end Medicare, that was an attack on New Hampshire families just like mine."
My first reaction was "Great, we finely have disability mentioned in a federal election when there was a large audience". Unfortunately, the ad's factual basis is open to dispute, although Republican intent on Medicare seems clear.
Entitlements, Social Security, food stamps, Medicaid and Medicare will be the subject of many discussions in the months to come. These discussions will not deal with the everyday health and security of poor people, elders or people with disabilities. Instead, the attacks will continue to be high level polemics which will not address real people and real needs.
We need to become vigilant, active and VOCAL. This challenge will remain active for the next 11 months. Let's not let our interests be treated like a small plastic ball between two paddles.
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On the Calendar: Tax Time (almost)
Please join the Boston Earned Income Tax Campaign's Disability Work Group at a Meet and Greet to learn more about this upcoming tax season and how we can help you and other disability organizations, activists and clients prepare your taxes and obtain tailored financial services such as credit advising and FAFSA preparation.
When: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Where: The Museum of Science, Skiline Room Time: 10 am-11:30 am
Information about the 22 tax sites accessible to taxpayers with disabilities, outreach materials, and how you can get involved will be shared. Services available in 8 languages including: English, Spanish, Hatian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portugese and Somaili. Parking is availble in the MOS garage. Please bring your parking ticket with you to the information booth and it will get validated. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th.
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Calendar: Accessible Skating
DCR Offering Accessible Ice Skating
Crown Rink in Revere
The Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) Universal Access Program is offering accessible ice skating at the Cronin Rink in Revere, 850 Revere Beach Parkway. Try your wheelchair, an ice sled, or conventional skates on the ice. Spin, slide, race, slalom, socialize, and play gently competitive games with others. Ice sleds will be available for sled hockey and agility games. Conventional skate rentals also will be available. Power wheelchair users are welcome to come out on the ice with their wheels.
Please pre-register by calling Heidi Marie-Peterson at 413-577-3840.
The Universal Access Program (UAP) strives to increase the participation among persons with disabilities in indoor and outdoor recreation activities in integrated settings at a number of state and urban park facilities across the Commonwealth. During January, February, and March, UAP will offer ice skating, sit-skating, cross-country skiing, sit cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, kick sledding, snowmobiling, and other winter activities. The program also offers accessible cycling, boating, hiking, birding, horseback riding, and letterboxing in summer and fall.
WHEN: Tuesdays on the following dates:
January 10,
February 14,
March 20
11:30-1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cronin Rink, 850 Revere Beach Parkway, Revere
DIRECTIONS: From Boston, take Interstate 93 north to exit 27 on the left toward Route 1 north/Tobin Bridge/Revere. Merge onto Route 1 north, and exit onto Revere Beach Parkway. Destination will be on the right.
Call 413-577-3840 (voice) or 413-577-2200 (TTY) to receive a taped message confirming program status in the event of inclement weather, as well as more information on DCR's Universal Access Program. For a schedule of activities, visit www.mass.gov/dcr and click on the "Universal Access Program."
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Calendar: Martin Luther King Day
Join Mayor Menino and the City of Boston in a celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This event will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Alvin Poussaint, as well as a moving selection of classical music, spirituals, and freedom songs performed by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras' Intensive Community Program. Jan 16, 1pm. Faneuil Hall.
www.cityofboston.gov/arts
***This event will be interpreted -- arrive early for a good seat, as it is a full house every year!
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News from the Net: Braillist Job
New England Homes for the Deaf has an opening for a part-time Braillist. We are understanding and supportive of deaf and deaf/blind culture. We invite you to come and be a valued part of our team and assist us in further expanding and reaching our goals!
We operate a state-of-the-art independent living facility and rest home/skilled nursing center that meets the needs of deaf and deaf blind seniors. For more information please visit us at www.nehd.org.
Duties and Responsibilities for the Braillist include:
Translate/transcribe written materials into Braille and large print using appropriate computer software and equipment.
Establish the individual needs and interests of reading materials for each appropriate resident.
Research, when necessary, sports, news articles, etc.
Distribute Brailled and/or large print materials to appropriate residents.
Perform other duties as assigned
Staff Development
Attend and participate in facility mandatory in-service training programs as scheduled (e.g., OSHA, TB, HIPAA, Abuse Prevention, etc.).
Attend and participate in workshops, seminars, etc., as approved and required.
Requirements:
An attitude of respect and compassion towards all residents and staff.
Ability to communicate clearly: ASL fluency preferred.
Experience with tactile signing.
Pleasant Personality.
Ability to work well with others/flexibility
New England Homes for the Deaf is an equal opportunity employer and provides a drug free workplace. Please email your resume to kmelanson@nehd.org. You may also fax your resume to (978) 774-0271 or apply in person at 154 Water Street, Danvers, MA 01923.
Kathryn H. Melanson
New England Homes for the Deaf, Inc.
154 Water Street, Danvers, MA 01923
kmelanson@nehd.org
978-774-0445 ext. 251
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News from the Net: E-Giving Job
Subject: Job opening: E-Giving Specialist, Perkins School for the Blind
<http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Nonprofit_Tech_Jobs/message/6471>
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News from the Net: Elder Suicide
Elder Suicide: A Public Health Challenge of the Elder Boom
By Michael Friedman Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University Schools of Social Work and Public Health
Huffington Post January 3, 2012
By the age of 88, Mr. W.* had lost most of his closest friends to death or dementia. His children had moved to other parts of the country. He saw them and his grandchildren rarely. He had retired from his long career as a teacher without finding new interests. But he and his wife were happy. They both read a great deal, and every day they took a walk together, talked about books and the state of the world, stopped for happy hour at a local restaurant where "everyone knew their name." When his wife developed lung cancer, he took her for treatment and nursed her at home. But her cancer was more virulent than most. She died quickly. The children came for the funeral and stayed a couple of weeks, but then they went back to their homes. He was alone, and he felt lost. He began to have bouts of dizziness and severe heart burn. He went to the doctor, who prescribed medications that helped a bit. One day after a doctor's visit he went home and took his own life. (1)
Nearly 15 older adults take their own lives every day in the U.S. -- about 5400 per year. (2) The frequency of suicide among older adults is not well-known, probably because older adults die from many other causes. Suicide is among the top three causes of death for teenagers and young adults; it is not among the top 20 causes of death for women over 65 and is only the 17th leading cause of death for older men. But the fact of the matter is that older adults complete suicide at a rate nearly 50 percent greater than people 15-24 years old. Older white men are particularly vulnerable, completing suicide at a rate three times that of the general population. White men over 85 are the population at highest risk; they take their own lives at about four times the rate of the general population. (3)
There are a number of striking facts about suicide among older adults.
- Older men are far more likely to take their own lives than older women, despite the fact that women are far more likely to have a major depressive disorder. (4)
- Most older adults who complete suicide have seen their primary care physician within 30 days of taking their own lives but have not been identified as a suicide risk. (5)
- Older adults may not attempt suicide more frequently than younger people, but their attempts are generally more lethal. (6)
- Men usually use guns to take their lives. Women usually take pills. (7)
Reducing suicide among older adults is an important public health imperative that will become even more important over the next two decades as the population of older adults booms (8). But it will not be easy to achieve.
Frequently the onus is placed on primary care physicians because a majority of older adults who take their own lives have made a doctor's visit shortly before they choose to end their lives. And it is likely that if doctors screened for depression as a matter of course, asked more questions and explored what was going on in their patients' lives, they would identify more of their patients who are depressed and might be able to provide treatment that would avert suicide. (9)
But suicide risk is not easy to identify. Most people who are depressed are not going to kill themselves, some people who kill themselves are not depressed, and a great many people who do kill themselves hide their intention very effectively. Let me rush to say that some do not hide their intentions, and people who say they are considering suicide must be taken seriously.
If you are worried about yourself or someone you know, CALL THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE -- 1-800-273-TALK -- or visit http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
There are other warning signs of suicide in addition to talking about suicide, including depression, substance abuse, history of suicide attempts, and more. For older adults, recent loss, severe physical illness, social disconnection or increased dependency and loss of dignity sometimes contribute to the decision to attempt suicide. For more warning signs visit NSPL athttp://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetHelp/SuicideWarningSigns.aspx.
But most people who exhibit warning signs do not attempt suicide, and people like Mr. W., who are stoic by nature, keep their feelings to themselves and who have guns at home are very hard to identify as suicide risks.
Yeates Conwell, perhaps the nation's leading expert on suicide among older adults, uses the interpersonal theory of suicide (10) to explain the complex factors that contribute to older adults' decisions to take their own lives. According to this theory the decision arises in large part from a mix of "thwarted belongingness" and "perceived burdensomeness."
The implication of this theory is that prevention of suicide cannot be accomplished solely through improved identification of risk, timely intervention and access to help. These are important; but, in addition, older people need a place of belonging and a sense that becoming dependent does not mean becoming an intolerable burden.
That will be a tremendous challenge in our ageist society, which tends disparage age. Even in families who choose to be caregivers, older adults with disabilities are often not treated with enough dignity and respect.
In other contexts, the kind of societal change that is needed has been called building "age-friendly communities" (11) (12). It may well be that in the long run the public health challenge of elder suicide is more about building such communities than about traditional preventive interventions.
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News from the Net: White House
Hello Everyone,
We're once again resuming our monthly disability calls.
In order to help keep you more informed, we host these monthly calls to update you on various disability issues as well as to introduce you to persons who work on disability issues in the Federal government.
This call is open to everyone, and we strongly urge and ask that you distribute this email broadly to your networks and listservs so that everyone has the opportunity to learn this valuable information.
If you received this email as a forward but would like to be added to the White House Disability Group email distribution list, please visit our website at http://www.whitehouse.gov/disability-issues-contact and fill out the contact us form in the disabilities section or you can email us at disability@who.eop.gov and provide your full name, city, state, and organization.
We will be addressing a number of issues during this next call since we have not had a call recently.
Also, we will begin answering the questions and issues many of you raised through disability.gov. So, dial in to hear if we answer your question or address your issue.
And, we will have some exciting announcements!
I would encourage you to call in about five minutes early due to the large volume of callers.
The conference call information is below.
- Date of Call: 01/18/2012
- Start Time: 2:00 PM Eastern (dial in 5 minutes early)
- This call will probably last one and a half hour.
- We will provide the dial in information and the link for captioning in another email in the first week of January so look for that email.
This call is off the record and not for press purposes.
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DPC Needs your Help!!!
The DPC uses the PayPal PayFast system for your tax deductible charitable donations. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use this system because credit card payments are also accepted.
The DPC also uses the Causes program for recurring donations (as well as one time donations). This is a great way to make a smaller monthly donation.
Donate by Mail
Make check or money order payable to:
Disability Policy Consortium
59 Temple Place, Suite 669
Boston, MA 02111 |
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