Hi, I’m Steve Sutter, and I have problems saying no. (Others: “Hi, Steve…”) What’s worse is that because I can’t say no, I say yes. I say yes, A LOT. It seems that the only people that I say no to are those that I love and care for the most. That’s something I know...
As you know, Medicaid is the largest funder of disability programs in the United States. So, it’s easy to fear the future when you read the new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) that discusses the funding landscape for Medicaid programs during the pandemic. After taking a few deep, cleansing breaths, we want you to know that we...
Rural-Health-Mate was developed under a grant from a division of the USDA that is focused on rural living for the purpose of improving the health and wellbeing of the elderly population in rural America. The technology bore from this project/grant was used to collect data/feedback from elderly in rural settings to bridge the communication gap and...
The benefits of remote supports have been a true game-changer for employment and residential support organizations/agencies in the Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) space. Organizations in the senior care market have also experienced similar benefits from remote supports as it offered a big advancement in the quality of care that they can offer their clients. In general, remote supports have equipped providers with virtual “eyes” inside of the homes of the people they serve without being intrusive to their lives....
Avatalk is one of CreateAbility’s most user-friendly apps in both use and implementation. It was designed as a tool to non-intrusively engage the person being served and solicit quick responses to important questions from an avatar-led platform. (To see avatalk in action, click here to view the demo.) Since avatalk’s inception, it is being creatively...
As many states consider the benefits of technology, it can be a bit scary to those in the technology adoption hot seats. I totally get it – it’s easy to become infatuated with emerging technologies, but can I make a confession? It’s exhausting to track and make sense of every sparkly, new technology even for...
DSPs and support staff members’ jobs are not just to keep their clients safe and healthy, but to also work with them on establishing goals for themselves and working to achieve them. Often times, people with IDDs also have a dual diagnosis; another behavioral challenge in addition to their intellectual developmental disability. Behavioral challenges can...
Social isolation has been defined as a lack of meaningful connections with other people. You may have noticed the use of this term more frequently when addressing Medicare and the health and wellbeing of seniors and addressing social isolation is being strongly considered now in the development of person-centric care plans. Here are some of...
I don’t know about you, but I never really liked wearing a mask on Halloween. By the time I trick-or-treated the seventh house, I was pretty much over it. Now, I carry my N95 with me everywhere. I wash my hands like I just fished my cell phone out of the toilet (again). I can...
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of hearing the phrase “the new normal”. Sure, I miss hugging my elderly parents, I miss my weekly “dine-out” night, and I’m a music junkie so the live music scene beckons me. Yet, I’ve noticed some changes in the world around me that, to be frank,...