BAC Rutland

Boston facility a leader in keeping focus on residents’ quality of life

By Jennifer Batog
Globe Correspondent / May 19, 2008

Don Olivier can read books and the scientific journals he covets, though he has no control over his body from the neck down. Dianne Connor can send friends greeting cards and play Mahjong but has little control of her hands.

Olivier and Connor are residents of the Boston Home, a facility for people with progressive neurological diseases, primarily multiple sclerosis. The home has embraced technology as a way to give its 96 residents, all of whom use wheelchairs, dignity and independence – as well as pieces of the lives they had before they were disabled. (more…)

Public health officials say a report that fueled the speculation has been widely discredited. But some parents are not convinced.

In the nation’s last major measles outbreak, which struck in 1989-91, the virus was spread largely by unvaccinated, low-income children who lacked healthcare access.
Now, scientists are worried about outbreaks being fueled by clusters of people who are not vaccinated as a matter of choice, rather than access.
Many scientists pin the start of the controversy on a since-discredited 1998 report published in the British medical journal Lancet that linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine with autism.
Despite mainstream scientific evidence showing no connection between the vaccine and autism, a vocal group of parents with autistic children remain committed to the premise. (more…)

Costs are soaring as wars’ toll rises

WASHINGTON – Increasing numbers of US troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come – even as the total population of America’s veterans shrinks.
Despite the decline in veterans – as soldiers from World War II and Korea die – the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today’s $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by the Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes that the bill could be much higher.
Veterans now have worse wounds and more disabilities. In addition, more veterans are aware of the benefits and are quicker to file for them.
Another reason for the higher costs is advanced medical care. Troops come home with severe injuries that might have killed them in earlier wars.
(more…)

City Had Sought to Put Group Home Lawsuit on Hold
A federal judge rejected yesterday a proposed agreement between the District and the Justice Department that would have established programs and deadlines intended to improve health care for the developmentally disabled in the city’s group homes…. (more…)

Disaboom.com was founded by Dr. J. Glen House, a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who is also a quadriplegic. His firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and those whose lives they touch has driven the Disaboom.com mission: to create the first comprehensive, evolving source of information, insight, and personal engagement for the disability community…. (more…)

After John Pou was paralyzed, he embarked on an arduous path of rehab

Editor’s note: Paralysis after a spinal cord injury brings wrenching decisions: Do you accept it as permanent and adapt, or do you refuse to resign yourself? John and Marci Pou took the latter course after his accident, embarking on an arduous quest for rehabilitation, recounted in a three-part serial narrative.  [The link is to Part 1.]… Read More

Having a schizophrenic parent roughly doubles risk of disorder, study finds

CHICAGO – In another sign pointing to an inherited component to autism, a study released on Monday found that having a schizophrenic parent or a mother with psychiatric problems roughly doubled a child’s risk of being autistic.

“Our research shows that mothers and fathers diagnosed with schizophrenia were about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with autism,” said Julie Daniels of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who worked on the study.

“We also saw higher rates of depression and personality disorders among mothers, but not fathers,” she said in a statement….

Read the full article here.

Customized Employment: Welcoming All to a Working Life
Killington Grand Hotel & Conference Center
Killington, VT

BAC Meeting – 8AM in the conference room on the fourth floor of the TD Banknorth building. All members and those interested in joining are welcome to attend.