From Kerfuffle to Canvas – Christine Vanlandingham – August 30, 2020
Kerfuffle seemed to be the word of the day. When pressed, the word was hard to define, but each of us on the conference call knew the feeling. Things not going according to plan; a dust-up among family, friends or colleagues; a jumble of activity that did not lead to intended outcomes; and so on. […]
Why can my doctor charge more than the Medicare-approved amount? – Sara Duris- September 18, 2020
Q: My doctor has started charging an additional fee on top of what she used to charge, and Medicare isn’t covering it. Why is this?A: It sounds as though your doctor has stopped participating with Medicare. This means that, while she still accepts patients with Medicare coverage, she no longer is accepting “assignment,” that is, […]
Changes needed in long-term supports and services system – Lynn Kellogg – August 16, 2020
A tragic twist of the pandemic opens a window to talk about how we pay for long-term supports and services (LTSS). LTSS refers to help with everyday chores life like shopping, cooking, cleaning and so on, as well as personal assistance with daily activities like dressing, bathing, eating, and walking. While LTSS can be needed […]
Reflecting on five surreal months – Pat Arter – August 9, 2020
The more things change…the more things change. I am struggling just a bit with where I find myself right now. It’s been almost five months since we all had to turn our lives on a dime and make adjustments we couldn’t have imagined. The immediate priority was to make arrangements to work from home. We […]
Tips on how to develop a successful mentoring relationship – Christine Vanlandingham – August 2, 2020
A long time ago someone advised me, “If you need a mentor, find a wing and crawl under it.” Their advice was to identify the expertise you need, a life you admire, values that match yours, and intentionally seek out people who are ahead of you in those areas. Then ask for their input and […]
Gift giving can complicate Medicaid eligibility – Sara Duris – July 26, 2020
Why is it illegal to give my grandchild some money for their graduation to help pay for college if I want to apply for Medicaid? I thought you can make a gift of $15,000 a year without any penalty? Medicaid eligibility can be complicated, especially when an individual has had adequate financial means all of […]
Ageism must go – Lynn Kellogg – July 19, 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls ageism “the most socially acceptable prejudice in the world”. Citing negative ripple effects across business, healthcare, and public policy, the harm eventually touches everyone. Countries across the world are experiencing a rapidly aging global population. The WHO leads international efforts to combat ageism, declaring the years 2020-2030 to be […]
We’re all components of community – Lynn Kellogg – July 12, 2020
I was fortunate to have long-lived parents. In their later years when physical decline had set upon them, time together was lived in the present. We focused on what they could do, not what they couldn’t. They taught, I learned. I learned about positive attitude, about strength of spirit, of the importance of slowing down […]
Embrace your interdependence – Pat Arter – July 4, 2020
Happy Independence Day! I don’t know about you, but just the word independence sends me in a lot of different directions of thought. Especially now. But first, here’s your brief history refresher regarding Independence Day. The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since […]
Those with disabilities deserve a choice on where they want to live – Christine Vanlandingham – June 28, 2020
Twenty-one years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision — which ruled that people with disabilities have the right to choose to receive care in their homes and communities instead of in an institution — Michigan’s older adults and younger persons with disabilities still do not have real choice. The Court’s Olmstead decision acknowledged […]