Aging

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities holds an annual National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference. The conference is for staff of Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as partners, providers and advocates providing services to people with long term services and supports (LTSS) needs in the community. 

Do you know where you will live when you are 80 years old? Will your home accommodate your health and physical needs? How will you manage if you cannot drive? Will you be able to sell your house and move into affordable, accessible housing with accessible public transportation? 

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, changing the landscape of one of America’s most beloved cities and altering the country’s understanding of natural disaster preparedness.

I was optimistic about the direction the field of disability was taking when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed. I had spent a year arguing with my brother-in-law who belonged to an organization that was actively lobbying against the ADA. He was convinced that the ADA would be the death of the small business that employed him. Our arguments were heated and often led to me saying things such as, “We’re all only temporarily able-bodied.

Our lives have become dependent on instant communication. We spend every waking hour talking and texting, so it is hard to imagine a scenario in which you suddenly lose the ability to speak, write, and comprehend what you hear and read. This is called “aphasia” – the loss of language – and most often it is a result of a stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other neurological condition. Aphasia is not a well-known condition, possibly because our fast-paced, communication-driven culture does not recognize individuals who cannot speak up.

November is National Caregiver Month, a time to pay tribute to the 44 million individuals caring for older adults and people with disabilities in the United States. Family caregivers have an increased risk of negative health outcomes, including the erosion of physical, emotional and financial health. What can we do to ease their burden?