Moratorium on Nursing Home Staffing Standards On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law. One of its provisions placed a moratorium on the Biden Era minimum staffing standards for nursing homes. Specifically, Section 71111 of the OBBBA provides: Subchapter B—Preventing Wasteful Spending SEC. 71111. MORATORIUM ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RULE […]
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Medicaid is critical for individuals with special needs. It pays for things no one else will pay for and it has recently come under fire. The Arc is working to protect Medicaid for its constituents. It is activating advocates to protect services for the disability community. It is also seeking donations to further its efforts. […]
If you follow Women’s College Basketball, then you must have heard of Pat Summitt. Coach Summit was a legend in NCAA women’s basketball prior to leaving the game due to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Now, there is a rumored new documentary on Netflix that recounts her journey from player to becoming a legend at the University […]
Service animals used by individuals with a disability can only be excluded from public places if they cannot be controlled by their handler or if they are not house broken. See Title II, Section 35.136. Usually service animals must be harnessed, leashed or tethered unless the individual’s disability prevents using those devices or unless it […]
On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), a comprehensive civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. The law was amended on September 25, 2008, when President George W.Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA […]
In City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson (U.S. 6/28/2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. This decision followed the City of Grants Pass’ adoption of an ordinance restricting homeless individuals from camping […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model on July 1, 2024. It is a voluntary nationwide model test that aims to support people with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. The GUIDE Model is an attempt to provide Medicare funded comprehensive, coordinated dementia care to improve quality […]
In February 2024, Justice in Aging released a new report based on California’s “performance measure” data from the state’s Medicaid assisted living program. Aging in Justice concluded that the quality of care measures provide no meaningful information. A perfect score tells you nothing about the quality of care residents receive. The report concludes that the […]
Sometimes you just have to say No “No” isn’t a four-letter word. Saying “no” isn’t necessarily bad and you shouldn’t feel bad when you say it. Part of saying no means taking a stand. It can mean standing up to injustice. For example, our legal system is, for the most part, dependent on people saying […]
Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) is a landmark study of the effect of hearing intervention on brain health in older adults. Findings, recently published in Lancet, showed that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline and one goal was to determine whether hearing intervention could reduce cognitive decline. ACHIEVE’s key findings showed […]
The 8th Annual North Georgia Autism Conference will be held October 27, 2023 at the Dalton Convention Center (2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, Dalton, Georgia 30720). Keynote speakers are Rodney Kellum and Stephanie O. Hubach. Register for the conference at HamiltonHealth.com/autismconference
Here are a few stats: The average shopper sees 4,000 ads in a day. The average person is interrupted once every 8 minutes. On average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their phones. The typical American spends three hours per day watching TV. The stats on prayer aren’t quite as good. […]
If you are in the midst of a crisis, it’s critical for doctors and other health care providers to know who to listen to and who can make decisions. Obviously, if it’s your regular physician, the ideal solution is to give him or her a copy of your health care advance directive and have it […]
I recently met with Mr. David McGuffey at his office in Dalton, GA to make my blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, an LLC. I am a powered wheelchair user and I work hard to spread the word about wheelchair accessible destinations all over the world. Mr. McGuffey helped to ease my mind and make […]
Last updated 8/6/2025 Almost every Wednesday morning, Allen Byers shares God’s Word with a group of believers. These messages are not for the faint of heart or those who aren’t interested in hearing the truth. Allen speaks God’s Word raw and unadorned. It’s straight from the scripture. If you want to hear these messages, they […]
Public Chapter 548 (2018), codified in Tenn. Code Ann. § 71-2-115, required the development of a resource map of all services and programs affecting older Tennesseans. The report is intended to better inform the Governor and members of the General Assembly in making policy decisions that affect the State’s elder population. P.C. 548 requires the […]
At this point, there are many companies and services out there claiming to provide care and care planning. So what’s that all about, and what’s the difference between care and care planning? Essentially, care is a service where someone comes to your home, or another place where you need help, and provides care. Usually a […]
The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013 (S. 313/H.R.647) was introduced in the 113th Congress by a bipartisan group of Congressional Champions that included Sens. Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), and Reps. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Pete Sessions (R-TX). The ABLE […]
First, if someone you know shows signs of stroke, call 9-1-1 right away. A stroke is a medical emergency so don’t mess around. Get to the hospital. Quick action can reduce brain damage and future complications. A stroke (cerebrovascular accident) occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted or stopped. There are two types of […]
In the late 1990s, Dr. Ed Wagner (and his team at the Macccoll Center – now the ACT Center), created the Chronic Care Model for the delivery of care. They had the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The chronic care model recognizes that when care is delivered over time, patient involvement becomes increasingly […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
By: Judith Graham August 5, 2022 Eight months after falling ill with covid-19, the 73-year-old woman couldn’t remember what her husband had told her a few hours before. She would forget to remove laundry from the dryer at the end of the cycle. She would turn on the tap at a sink and walk away. […]
We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
There are numerous ways to contact Georgia Medicaid. We will list a few here: Online How to Apply (Georgia.gov) Georgia Gateway Customer Portal How to Apply for Medicaid and CHIP (USA.gov) Once you apply for Medicaid your Medicaid application will be assigned to a Medicaid Eligibility Specialist to complete and make an eligibility determination. You […]
Recently we received an unsoliticed email regarding Alternative Baseball®, which originated in Dallas, Georgia, and we decided to republish it here. If you have any interest in participating, contact information is below. Greetings! My name is Taylor Duncan! I am 26 years old and I have autism. I am also the Founder and President of […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
Sometimes nursing home residents want to leave the nursing home to visit family or just get some fresh are. So can they do that while Medicare is paying for skilled therapy. This question was address in a November, 2019, blog post by the Center for Medicare Advocacy. The article cites footnote of the Medicare Benefit […]
In this day and age, people are glued to their smart phones and other electronic devices. They hardly look up and old time family dinners are often a thing of the past. Alternatively, people binge watch TV or spend significant time playing video games. None of these activities require or encourage interaction with the real […]
We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
The following articles relating to Elder Care, Elder Law and Special Needs were found during the week of July 29, 2022: Health Related Articles: Barriers to and facilitators of ethical encounters at the end of life in a nursing home: an ethnographic study Home‐ and community‐level predictors of social connection in nursing home residents: A […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]
(Republished with permission from KHN.org/CNN) At US Hospitals, a Drug Mix-Up Is Just a Few Keystrokes Away Brett Kelman April 29, 2022 More than four years ago, Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught typed two letters into a hospital’s computerized medication cabinet, selected the wrong drug from the search results, and gave a patient a fatal dose. […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]
We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]
February is American Heart Month! Read President Biden’s Proclamation on American Healrth Month 2022 We regularly post links to news articles and other resources we believe might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. […]
General News Sources: Getting the Most from Social Security (NYT – subscription required) The average retiree spends 30% of their Social Security income on health care Governor Mills of Maine) Releases Historic Elder Justice Roadmap Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers free virtual memory screenings How car sensors monitor Alzheimer’s disease A document checklist for family […]
NOTE: If you have a Georgia corporation or limited liability company, your annual return is due by April 1, 2022. General News Sources: Dog Aging Project is looking for more participants National Black (African American) History Month: February 2022 (Census) Tricare coverage and Medicare explained Growing elder populations require more services, awareness NAIC Comments on […]
Residents in long-term care facilities have the right to choose their treating physician. This right is supported in federal and state law. See 42 C.F.R. § 483.10(d); O.C.G.A. § 31-8-108(b)(1). As a practical matter, however, most physicians, don’t make house calls to the facility. This mean, by default, most residents are treated by the facility’s […]
General News Sources: Oldest person in the US reportedly dies at 115 Supreme Court declines to hear case of Delphi retirees over lost pensions Big pensions are nearly 100% funded, the healthiest they’ve been since 2008 financial crisis Pre-tax vs. Roth 401(k): There’s more to consider than you think Widow’s dilemma: When to claim Social […]
Hamilton Medical Center annouced two new podcasts that may be helpful. Dr. Hector Dourron, a board-certified vascular surgeon at Hamilton Vascular Center in Dalton, Georgia and Chatsworth, Georgia, speaks on Detecting and Treating Peripheral Vascular Disease. Dr. Carlos Peñaherrera, a board-certified endocrinologist at Hamilton Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, speaks on Thyroid Cancer Treatment. Listen to […]
In addition to a health care advance directive, one way to create evidence regarding your health treatment wishes and end-of0life wishes is to complete a health values questionnaire. One of the issues in Cruzan and Schiavo was the absence of adequate evidence demonstrating what the patient would want if she could speak for herself. Wouldn’t […]
In Georgia and 26 other states, insurers that sell Medicare supplement insurance must also sell those policies to individuals under 65 who receive Medicare as a result of disability. Specifically, O.C.G.A. § 33-43-3(g) provides: Insurers offering medicare supplement policies in this state to persons 65 years of age or older shall also offer medicare supplement […]
General Sources: Autism Society’s Capital Connection 12-16-2021 (reviewing Build Back Better Act) National Health Care Spending in 2020: Growth Driven by Federal Spending in Response to Covid-19 (Health Affairs) House Advances Build Back Better Act (Health Affairs) Indirect Gift Tax Considerations for 2021 (The Tax Advisor) Smart moves to make with your retirement portfolio before […]
The Arc of the United States has posted more than 40 video programs designed to provide online activities for individuals with disabilities, their families and service providers. Topics include arts, community and life skills, health and wellness, virtual clubs and more. Click here for more information.
The HIPAA privacy rule is not absolute. It recognizes that certain disclosures are beneficial, such as those where information must be shared to ensure that a patient receives the best treatment. Section 164.510 provides that a covered entity may use or disclose protected health information, provided that the individual is informed in advance of the […]
