In the News

Amidst the holiday glitter and shine, the Self-Advocacy community lost one of its brightest stars. Betty Williams passed away on December 4, 2018.

The Baltimore Business Journal (1/2, Eichensehr, Subscription Publication) reports BrainScope won FDA clearance for its “portable medical device that can quickly assess a range of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).” The device is cleared as a “multi-modal, multi-parameter assessment,” that can detect a “concussion” or “mild traumatic brain injury.”

BenefitsPro (1/2, Craver) reports millions of older Americans are “unemployed, underemployed, or stuck in low-paying jobs” that offer them “little hope of retirement.” Per BenefitsPro, “The older that unemployed workers are, the harder it is for them to regain their previous job status,” and “those over 56 earn 27 percent less in a new job after being unemployed for more than a month, according to” one study.

Vanderbilt News (January 2, 2019) Vanderbilt Kennedy Center MLK Lecture: Lance Robertson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Next Avenue (1/2) reports although Americans say they prefer to “age in place,” they are unable to due “their homes having too many stairs or are in frigid climates that aren’t hospitable,” and it therefore is why “accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are catching on.” According to Next Avenue, an ADU is typically “a small, standalone structure with its own bathroom, sleeping quarters and kitchen, placed in a homeowner’s backyard.” In an AARP survey of “adults 50 and

On its website, WUSF-FM Tampa, FL (1/2, Ochoa) reports that six disabled seniors are suing Florida “over alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.” This “case involves long wait times of up to 3½ years for access to in-home health care through Medicaid.” These “plaintiffs are among some 50,000 disabled and elderly people who are on a wait list to get Medicaid approval for in-home services.” The lawsuit claims “the patients face hardships without these

NPR (January 2, 2019)

U.S. News’ Best States (1/1, Stankiewicz) reports a new “village,” a national membership network for older adults that aims at “helping them remain in their homes and neighborhoods as they age,” will launch early next year in Columbus, Ohio, joining three other villages in the area.

Reuters (1/1, Christ) reports a study from Johns Hopkins University found “having a one-floor house or having the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom on one floor were the features most strongly associated with aging in place,” while elevators or lifts also encouraged aging in place. Housing design alterations may be considered before the need arises.

In “Personal Health,” Jane E.