Stimulus 2020 and Unemployment

We should all feel for the workers out there risking themselves working essential services for the rest of the population.  Some work in Supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices, hospitals, labs, banks, take-outs, or as home health aides and caregivers, etc.

Some of these workers are part-time and may only make $200. a week or so.   These people will not be getting the unemployment stimulus that many are getting in our Country which will give them their unemployment plus an extra $600. a week.

Imagine getting $175. in p/t unemployment plus a $600. a week bonus totaling $775. for sitting home doing nothing or just watching TV and snacking.  This will be a 4 month weekly bonus with an extended 39 week unemployment allowance.

People of higher incomes will get up to $713. in NJ unemployment plus the $600. a week bonus and they may still be getting less than what they previously made.

The stimulus left out much of the disabled population and kids over 16.  It does not give anything for higher income workers who are on the front line risking themselves full time for everyone else’s essentials or medical needs.

The Stimulus 2020 was not very well thought out.

Stimulus 2020 Let's see if those just as needy get included

Let's see if those that are just as needy as everyone else gets included, at this most extreme time of our lives, with the financial hardship of Covid-19.

https://www.wavy.com/news/health/coronavirus/kaine-supports-bill-to-extend-500-dependents-stimulus-credit-for-college-students-young-adults-with-disabilities-older-teens/

Hard Working Staff for the Developmentally Disabled

With all the bad going on, and all the news stories about how Developmentally Disabled people are being abused by the staff at Group Homes, we have to step back and realize that there are many good, caring, and wonderful staff who work with this population too.

We have be grateful that the majority of workers who care for the Disabled really have big hearts and do their best to make a difference in the lives of those who need daily assistance.  Considering that even with the small wage increases they are getting, they still do very challenging and burdensome work.  It is a job that can be very physically and mentally fatiguing.  The workers can easily become exhausted, but as with a caring parent, they go the extra mile to care for those who rely on them. 

I, myself had many long term workers for my children who were wonderful and caring.  They often gave back more than what they made.  These workers became part of my family and some spent Holidays with us because you develop a relationship and bond over the years.  Many of the workers I had are still part of our lives today, so I was very lucky and blessed to have such wonderful and special people who assisted me in helping my children over the years.

I want to thank all the hard working employees who care for the disabled population and do all they can to make their lives better.  Thank you for putting a smile on their faces and going the extra mile for them when they need you.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/nurse-loses-license-stabbing-autistic-boy-needles-64998033

Autistic boy stabbed with syringes, and nurse loses license

• ByTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Aug 15, 2019, 3:41 PM ET                         

New Jersey regulators have revoked the nursing license of a woman caught on security cameras stabbing an autistic teenager with syringes when he failed to comply with her instructions, officials said Thursday.

The state attorney general's Division of Consumer Affairs announced in a news release that the New Jersey Board of Nursing had revoked the registered nursing license of Naomi Derrick because of the 2016 episode at an Atlantic City hospital's psychiatric unit. Officials said they also plan to begin proceedings to revoke Derrick's license for respiratory therapy.

A phone call to a listing for Derrick was not immediately returned Thursday.

"Intimidating and terrorizing a developmentally disabled child who is completely dependent on your care is a horror that should not be visited upon anyone," said Paul R. Rodríguez, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.

The department release said that a co-worker witnessed Derrick threaten the boy with needle-stabbing during her shift in May 2016. It also said several stabbings were captured by security cameras in the teen's room.

During a hearing over the incident, Derrick said she only showed the boy the needle as a threat. Department officials said she claimed an examination of the boy the next day showed no bruising or bleeding.

Derrick had asked the department to suspend her license instead of revoking it, arguing she had no complaints during her previous eight years as a nurse. The woman said another nurse had instructed her verbally that the threats were the best way to get the teen to comply with her.

Derrick said the boy would call her names, pull her hair, throw sheets at her and leave his room to visit other patients during sleeping hours.

She had been charged in 2017 with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, child endangerment and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Atlantic County prosecutors allowed her to enter a pretrial program in January.

In addition to losing her license, Derrick was also ordered to pay 10% of the cost of the investigation.

ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN GROUP HOMES UNCOVERED

There are more and more reports of abuse and neglect of the Disabled in Group Homes being uncovered. Some of the abuses are so extreme and sickening and went on for long periods of time. There has to be better background checks to rule out people with past drug abuse and animal cruelty charges, which in this case was implicated. People or Organizations that run these Group Homes also have to be held accountable if they hire questionable people that have obvious criminal pasts, but hire them anyway. We have to protect our innocent disabled population who are so vulnerable and defenseless.

https://www.wthr.com/article/13-investigates-uncovers-pattern-abuse-neglect-group-homes-disabled

Fake News and Articles for the Disabled

Even the Developmentally Disabled population is getting ‘fake news’.  Be careful of what you read in disability publications because they tell ½ truths and have one sided stories.

Some of these tales are controversial because there is more to what you read than meets the eye. 

Editors, like in other publications have to make for good reading and often make stories sound more enlightening than they really are.  They also state things that may not be true at all.  It just makes for good reading and chatter.

These tales can give false expectations and set unrealistic long term goals for many frustrated individuals and their families. 

Some of the stories you read can cause harm because the stories may be too good to be true.

So, take some of the stories as fiction until you personally play into the system to find out for yourself how services work in your particular situation.

Realize that no two situations are alike and not every organization works the same.  No two people are the same, although there may be similarities, everyone is different in their own way.

Be realistic in your expectations and let things play out naturally.  If you push too hard it can cause stress with goals that are not achieved.

So, never compare yourself with “story tellers” in published magazines.  You have to brush these stories off if you can not relate to them in any way.

"Woman was Fatally Impaled by a Metal Straw" from NY Times article

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/europe/metal-straws-death.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR2r5pNHkjaxzavWuDB_edS2xbh0erWgqpi0b7WkapCMMZyjSkJFOhEzldc

Fatal Accident With Metal Straw Highlights a Risk

The disturbing death of a woman in Britain renewed a debate that has followed bans on plastic straws around the world.

Please read the article....

NJCDD, ARC, and CQL SURVEY EMAIL

Be cautious with emails fro NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities.  A ‘Survey’ is offered by ARC with prospects of getting a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card geared only the disabled person to engage in the survey and done through CQL (Council of Quality and Leadership).

After starting the survey and identifying your situation, you are rejected due to limit reached on candidates applying. 

They should have let you know there was a limit to begin with instead of luring the disabled population to take the survey leading to a big disappointment.

Many of these children do not handle disappointments very well and the survey should have stated these limitations at the beginning of the survey.

If you have more than one child with disabilities in a different situation, it will not allow you continue do it either.

Shame on you NJ Council of Developmental Disabilities and ARC as the Survey is poorly presented.

FOOD QUALITY

The quality of food has become a problem over the last few years.  Recently the scares with

e. coli and other bacteria in foods has been a big concern.  But, lately there have been scares with chicken nuggets having metal, plastic, and wood in them with large scale recalls.

Today I opened a box of Store Brand Raisin Bran and it has 3 pieces of shiny wicker shreds in it.  Another brand name cereal that was new on the market called ‘chocolate flakes’ became so hard after one use that I broke my filling.

The companies blame it on quality control.  Years ago they asked for the box with the contaminant for their lab to investigate.  Now they don’t do that anymore.  It’s almost like it’s expected.  You just get a refund. 

We have to be alert to these food contamination issues where disabled people are involved who can not distinguish between food and objects that are in their food bowls and dishes.  These objects can break their teeth and cause intestinal upsets.

Cutting up foods is one way to examine the food before serving.  Another way is to be alert to preparing the food and observing what may be in it that would cause health concerns.

We also have to be alert to the dates on food packages.  I have encountered month old packaged fish on the supermarket shelves.  I brought it to the attention of the courtesy desk, but upon my next visit a week later, it was still on the shelf.  Some of these items can become toxic if old. The elderly, disabled, and very young children are most vulnerable who have weak immune systems.

Staff in the group homes have to be alert to any foods sent with the disabled clients to their programs.  I have known of cases where their food was molded or spoiled that was prepared for them in the group home and discovered at the program they attend.  Some programs have alternative food for the clients, like peanut butter and jelly, as long as there is no allergy to peanuts.

We have to protect disabled kids as much as possible from contaminants because they deal with enough from their disability and medications and do not need the added issues from poor quality foods on the market.

A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT IN THE NORTHEAST

Many children and adults with cognitive disabilities can not tell you how they feel towards the weather conditions.  They are for the most part unaware of excessive cold or excessive heat.  If they dress themselves, they may not know to dress warmly when it is freezing outside.  They depend on others to redirect them to wear warmer clothes.  Many in this population will not wear hats or gloves but with constant reinforcement, they eventually will learn to wear them over time.

Group Home staff at residential facilities may not alert the clients to dress accordingly, especially if it is a very busy home with more involved cases.  Staff has to make an extra effort to make sure these clients are kept warm and safe. 

In the northeast they expect temperatures to feel like it’s 10 to 20 below zero outside tonight.  No living being can withstand this degree of cold very long, not even pets.  If trips have to be made, it would be reassuring that clients go right into the warmed up vehicles and driven door to door without too much cold exposure. 

Many disabled children can not walk on ice or know how to react on ice and they will be very uncoordinated and will fall.  Proper shoes can just help so much because this population can not coordinate themselves to balance on patches of ice.  Much precaution has to be taken to prevent injuries.

If something looks very unusual or is not right, like seeing an obviously disabled person struggling or alone due to the extreme cold, or seeing a pet left outside in freezing temperatures, you should make the effort to see if you can help in some way or call authorities. 

We should all care about one another and try to help each other.  It would be a better planet if we do.

DISABLED AND THE COLD WEATHER

I hope no one is outside with these freezing cold temperatures.

I am praying for any disabled person who has to be out: that they are well dressed since they often do not realize the temperature, don't dress appropriately, and the staff is often not up to par in this area to help. 

I pray that anyone who has to wait for a bus, train, or medical transport has a warm place to wait and the transportation comes fast. 

Often the disabled have to wait long periods for Access Link, or a County Transport and often it is a long, cold ride. 

Our most vulnerable population has it the hardest in life, not only dealing with their disability, but doing things we take for granted on a daily basis. 

And I pray no one is forgotten about outside or left in a Vehicle with this winter blast we are having in the northeast.

Everyone, stay warm. 3/11/17

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF – THE CAREGIVER

     TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF – THE CAREGIVER

It is so important for Caregivers of the Disabled to “Take Care of Themselves”, as I have been told many times.  Unfortunately, when you care for one or more disabled persons, you lose touch with yourself and actually do not know the meaning of it.  You are so busy taking care of the other person(s), that you lose touch with yourself.  There were times I didn’t even really look in the mirror to see what I looked like being so wrapped up in the care of others.  When I did look, I saw a disarrayed person, with my frizzed hair all over the place.  I looked aged, drawn, and very tired.

Many times this happens when you are too good at your job.  Often as is the case with raising Autistic Children, you have a certain degree of OCD and Anxiety, which is normal and common, but increased by giving care to this population.  I am strong and determined.  I became a perfectionist at what I did.  All these traits come with the territory and part of Routines and Strict Schedules.

Normally, when you deal with people with Behavior Issues, there is a degree of Behavior Modification that you learn which puts you on a rigid schedule.  You learn to become orderly and restricted according to the Disabled Person’s needs.  It is very easy to over-do it as you become more and more tuned into this life-style.

Sometimes it takes a major “change of life event” to jolt you to think more about yourself.  It often is not easy to do.  But, over time, when your own health issues become prominent, as you age, and have lived at least half your life or so as a Caregiver, this is the point of change.

Stress can do a lot of damage to our overall being.  Outlets have to be created in order to relieve some of it.  All things change over time, one way or another.   Some for the good and some for the not so good.   Establishing coping mechanisms can help along the way. 

Another way I learned to deal with my life’s trauma was to look at my whole life and not just the recent half that was a living nightmare.  You have to see yourself as a whole person with a whole lifetime, not what has overtaken you from all the stress and agony life has put on you. 

I always felt I had a Guardian Angel watching over me that comes to my rescue at my darkest hour.  We have to see that there is a light at the end of the dark Tunnel.

MIRALAX WARNING.......too little too late. FDA INVESTIGATION.

I am totally devastated by the news I just found out about.  MiraLax is under FDA Investigation due to thousands of reports over many years.  Children and the Autistic population have been administered this toxic substance and it's contaminants on a daily basis for years without any proof that it is safe for long term use.

It hits home for me as my son with severe Autism and medical complications including Seizures has been given this by his Group Home Doctor for almost 4 years now.  And, over these past 4 years his behavior has progressively escalated resulting in more medications.  He was not put on MiraLax for Constipation, he was put on it for PICA as a precaution.  Right now he is off it, but God help him if he is put back on it.

MiraLax came as a recommendation from an Endocrinologist from a Hospital he was in after having Suppurative Parotitis Surgery and carried over by his Primary Physician.

I came upon the news articles by a hunch as I was wondering about the long term effects.  I was really astonished by the negative reports and the FDA Study as of January 2015.  I didn't trust the articles I read online and decided to call the FDA and spoke to a Pharmacist on staff in the Drug Division and she told me it was true about the study and she did not know why the Doctors were prescribing it for long term use when it was never approved for long term use.

Don't these kids have enough to deal with having Autism?  The freely administered MiraLax just adds fire to the inferno. 

It saddens me that Doctors give long term prescriptions of Medications, not approved by the FDA for long term use, and MiraLax is just one of the many drugs.  

https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/researchers-scrutinizing-safety-laxative-used-many-autism

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/science/scrutiny-for-a-childhood-remedy.html?mwrsm=Email&_r=1

FINDING PROGRAMS FOR THE DISABLED

Finding programs for the Developmentally Disabled in NJ is getting more difficult as programs have reached their full capacity. Some families are taking it upon themselves to gather funds, buy property, hire lawyers and do fundraising to create their own programs. Some of the more rural areas are lagging behind other more populated areas for programs. These programs are vital for these consumers aging out of school. Jobs for this population are scarce and most of these consumers need more skills and training. All that is remaining as a service is having respite workers give parents a break by taking the consumer out for recreation. This gives some socialization skills, but does not replace an appropriate program with their peers to further grow and develop and gain vocational skills.

Another issue is finding appropriate programs for different levels of functioning.  Parents have to do their homework to find what is most appropriate.  Some programs have many issues that parents should be warned against, if there was such a warning system in place. There are issues with cleanliness is some of these day programs.  Also, it may be very hard to know exactly what is going on with your adult child in these programs.  You put trust in these facilities, but things can happen, that are immoral and unethical.  It can take a long time to learn that unorthodox events have been occurring that has put your loved one at high risk.

What is happening now is that, due to the poor economy, staff is not reporting events to the proper authorities when they witness these events in fear of job loss.  The State DHS-DDD should make workers more comfortable with reporting events without the fear of losing their jobs. 

Changes in your adult child’s personality can result from the misinterpretation of what they see and hear from peers and workers.  The influence by others can have a negative impact on your disabled adult child because of how naïve and vulnerable they are. 

There are some very heart-breaking stories that have occurred from negative influences on this innocent population.  All we are left with is “hope” that things will get better over time.   We, as parents, can just do what we feel is for the best, but it doesn’t always turn out that way in the long run. 

New Jersey Budget Cuts Affect the Disabled in a Cruel Way

The New Jersey budget cuts for 2010 will negatively affect helpless, vulnerable, disabled children and adults in a cruel way. I am the mother of a son with severe Autism placed in a New Jersey group home. The Governor wants to strip these residents of all their SSI checks.

For the last 8 years, 75% of the SSI check was taken by the State, leaving only 25% for their PNA, Guardianship Fee, and a small amount remained. This small amount that remained allowed home visits with the family for extended periods, purchase of clothing for the client, grooming money, and recreation and entertainment money. This was in the best interest of the loved one.

By the State of NJ taking all the SSI check and compensating by an increased PNA allowance of $100.00, up from $40.00 is not in the clients best interest as the money would go to the placement itself with no control by the parent/guardian.

These Group Homes for these severely disabled children and adults do not efficiently meet the needs of the clients. Money is wasted, used inappropriately, and their needs are not met. I have to cut my son's hair myself. His nails brake off because they do not cut them. He often comes home in 2 different undersized socks and someone else's underwear. You have to be constantly monitoring the Group Home and provide for your child.

The most important thing for the severely disabled person is family involvement. I take my son home 2 1/2 to 3 months out of the year and they allow me. It relieves the home of some of the burden because these clients are very behaviorally involved.

Why is Governor Christie so cruel as to take from the most vulnerable of the population? New Jersey has an obligtion to my son and his family to take care of his needs because he was born here and was disabled here. I blame the toxic enviornment he was born in -- New Jersey -- that made him this way. Why strip him of his petty cash that we depend on for family support to meet his needs?

The Governor is heartless. He never tasted tradgedy. It is so painful to have a severely disabled child that you become numb to everything. But, taking a sick child's petty money that means so much to his mental and physical well being is lower than low.

Where is the Governor's sacrafice and his highly paid staff's sacrafice? They are all well fed and well suited and well taken care of with taxpayer's money. Can't he leave well enough alone for the sake of a severly disabled child with Autism?


UPDATE: After writing several politicians, all with positive results, disabled children and adults WIN !!!