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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently issued new regulations for Targeted Case Management, which is a Medicaid program. What is Targeted Case Management? Targeted Case Management (TCM) is a Medicaid funded program that helps states to pay for services to unique groups of individuals who have higher than normal costs for case management. It helps pay for Caregiving, whether by a family member or professional, is a complicated subject. Here are some basics of what you need to know about this often necessary relationship. By Rob Ingraham With about 44 million people in America acting as caregivers for relatives, spouses, or friends with disabilities—and the looming retirement of over 75 million “baby boomers”—the issue of obtaining and sustaining competent caregivers is rapidly becoming a major question for families across the country. To provide a basic overview of considerations for people with disabilities seeking to hire a caregiver and issues for spouses, friends, and family who are, or [...] Parents of children with SCI ask themselves not only when to let their children go, but how, and even whether to let go at all. By E.M. Treston Statistics show the average age at which a person sustains a spinal cord injury (SCI) is between 17 and 25, a time in life when the young adult is launching out on his or her own, graduating from school, starting a career, becoming engaged and starting to do all the things that are expected to happen to an adult within a lifetime. An SCI changes that path, at least initially. Independence, so recently acquired, [...] Cutting edge hope for patients with chronic neurological disorders. By Tom Scott Viruses are ideal vectors for gene therapy. What is Gene Therapy? Gene therapy is the experimental treatment process of inserting a “corrected” or therapeutic gene into an individual’s cells and tissues to replace an “abnormal” disease-causing gene in order to treat a disease, or to use a gene to treat a disease, just like a medicine. Although gene therapy is still in its infancy, it has shown great potential in correcting and replacing defective genes behind many diseases, including cancer. Researchers in the US and Italy are investigating whether the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone, in a low dose, can relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis. By Ronald Hoffman, MD, and Skip Lenz, Pharm D, FASCP Last month, Action looked at a new use of the drug naltrexone, which was invented to combat addictions to heroin and other opiods, that has the potential to treat a range of neurological and other conditions when taken at a low-dose. (That article, “Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and MS,” is available here). This month we will look at three studies around the world that are testing the ability [...] By Linda A. Cronin Providing care for a loved one takes a huge emotional toll on a person. Studies reveal caregivers of a parent experience symptoms of depression twice the rate of the general population, according to the Journal of Public Health. For caregivers of a spouse, the rate is six times higher. Caregivers are too busy taking care of others to take the time necessary to recognize and treat their own symptoms, but self- care is a necessity not a luxury. “Caregiving doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Suzanne Mintz, president and co-founder of the National Family Caregiver Association (NFCA, www.thefamilycaregiver.org [...] A critical safety alert for people using Duragesic or Sandoz patches!!! On Tuesday, February 12, 2008, patches containing the prescription drug fentanyl were voluntarily recalled because of a flaw that could cause patients or caregivers to overdose on the potent medication inside. Sold in the US under the brand name Duragesic by PriCara and generically by Sandoz, Inc. the recall includes all 25-microgram-per-hour patches with expiration dates on or before December 2009. Other strength patches (12.5. 50, 75 and 100 mcg/hr) are not affected. Anyone with 25 mcg/hr Duragesic patches being recalled should call 800-547-6446 for further instructions. By Ed Lash Controlled clinical trials have not been done for allergies and multiple sclerosis (MS). Many neurologists feel that this would be necessary for proof of efficacy. The National MS Society also feels that way, but states that “Good general health, sustained by a well-balanced diet is still the recommendation of our Medical Advisory Board, and the appropriate treatment of allergies and infections is always recommended for optimal general health and well-being.” Part 1 of ALLERGY AND MS, in last month’s edition of Action, mentioned a book that discussed allergy and MS. Another interesting book with this subject is MS: Something [...] By Richard L. Bruno When people talk about caring for someone with a disability, you often hear of caregivers getting burned out. When it comes to caring for polio survivors, it’s the polio survivor who often gets burned-not out, but up. Many polio survivors get angry when it’s suggested that they ask others for help. Actually, their anger is hiding a real fear. Most polio survivors had painful early experiences of rejection and emotional and physical abuse, often by family members, just because they’d had polio. Polio survivors learned early and often that they should look “normal” and act “normal,” never [...] By Tamar Asedo Sherman Anyone who is looking for a job automatically searches the want ads in their local newspaper, but that is the least effective way to find a job. Employers list a job opening in the newspaper only as a last resort. They much prefer to hire someone who has been referred by a current employee, a friend or family member, or someone who might have contacted them previously for an informational meeting. The Internet is quickly becoming a good resource for finding new employees, although an employer can be overwhelmed by receiving hundreds of résumés from across the country [...] Chicago’s Focus on Accessibility Could Be Key in Bid for 2016 Summer By Tom Scott Linda Mastandrea, Paralympian and While the Windy City is famous for a lot of things, one of the least mentioned is its good accessibility. But Chicago is making great strides at offering an even more welcoming atmosphere to its disabled visitors and citizens. With the support of the Open Doors Organization, a disability-based nonprofit, Chicago recently released a 54-page comprehensive accessibility guide for travelers with disabilities titled Easy Access Chicago. A full PDF of the guide can [...] |
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