Thursday, June 20, 2013
The exploding number of older adults in the United States – over 8,000 people turn 65 each day according to the U.S. Census Bureau – means Baby Boomers are staring into a terrifying abyss as a faltering economy wreaks havoc with retirement funds and the ability to pay for long-term care.
By Genevieve Bookwalter
Last fall, California listed acupuncture as an essential benefit that insurers must include in new plans when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare, takes effect Jan. 1. Like clinics and doctors offices, acupuncturists are preparing for a surge of patients taking advantage of their new benefits.
California’s most valuable company – Apple Inc. – has been taking flak lately from the halls of Congress to the capitals of Europe over reports that the consumer electronics giant manages its business to minimize the corporate income taxes it pays to the U.S. and foreign governments. But you’re not likely to hear too many complaints from California politicians about the company’s contribution to the state and local tax base – or the economy. The taxes Apple pays represent a huge chunk of the state budget, and new numbers show just how big a role it plays in the economic life of the Silicon Valley and especially the company’s home town of Cupertino. Daniel Weintraub’s weekly essay.
Denial runs deep among Californians when they think about growing old: nearly four in ten told pollsters in a recent survey that aging is something they “would rather not think about.” But for many, that better change, because most people are going to need some form of long-term care as they age, and few are prepared for it.
By Robert Fulton
The nonprofit Southside Coalition pools their resources to develop a small network of primary care integrated with specialty care for their low-income clientele.
By Chris Richard
Health activists call for a new push focusing on allergens such as black mold and cockroach waste that they hold partially to blame for high asthma rates among children in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.
By Rosa Ramirez
Being disconnected — neither working nor in school — goes beyond not having spending cash. Research shows that joblessness as youths result in lower wages for years to come due to foregone work experience and missed opportunities to develop professional skills. Urban Corps of San Diego is one program working to provide these youth with skills and job experience.
By Jessica Portner
A fun fair aims to boost the mental health of children by strengthening the bond between parents and kids.
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Veteran California journalist Daniel Weintraub follows public policy so you don’t have to. Weintraub tracks the latest on public health, land use, community development, violence and more. Read his updates here at least daily.
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Issues
The Power of Validation
By Dave SingletonThe term “validation” means a lot of things to a lot of people. For Naomi Feil, who founded and developed the Validation method in 1982 as a method for communicating with very old people who have certain forms of dementia, it has three distinct elements:
A basic, empathetic attitude
Principles that guide our actions and words
Nonverbal techniques that we use to communicate
In simple terms, it’s a way to move beyond initial conversations so you defuse confused interactions and get to the heart of the matter.
Recently I contacted Feil and her daughter, Validation master teacher Vicki de Klerk, who’s worked with her mother for almost 30 years, to learn more.
Fair Pay in Best Interests of Home Care Consumers
By Dorie Seavey and Eileen BorisCalifornia home care workers and consumers won a major victory when an agreement was reached to limit proposed cuts to service hours in the In-Home Supportive Services program for fiscal year 2014. Yet home care workers in California – and across the nation – still await another critical decision that will affect their paychecks and their dignity: whether a federal labor law will continue to exclude home care workers from minimum wage and overtime protections.
A chronic disease that targets women
By Barbara KasoffImagine being unable to do the things you love to do, like playing sports, writing, or holding hands with someone you love. For most of us, that seems unimaginable, but for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) it’s a painful reality. That’s because RA systematically attacks the body joint by joint causing inflammation so bad, it’s often tough to even walk.
Futures At Risk: Preventing Children’s Exposure to Violence
By Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and Esta SolerPicture yourself walking through a forest. Now, imagine that you’ve come face to face with a large bear. Instantly, your emergency response system kicks into gear, flooding your body with stress hormones. Your pupils dilate, your heart starts beating fast, and your skin becomes cold and clammy. The executive, cognitive portion of your brain shuts off so you can focus only on two options-fight or flight.
Your body’s emergency response system could save your life-if a bear in the forest really is confronting you. But, what happens if that big bear is waiting for you when you get home every day? Or follows you as you walk down the street to the local store? Or threatens you in the schoolyard? In the face of such extreme and repeated danger, your emergency response can go from saving your life to damaging your health and well-being.
Around the country, this scenario is similar to the reality faced by millions of children who experience violence and trauma at home, in their schools, and in their communities. According to a report by the U.S. Attorney General’s Defending Childhood task force, our children are experiencing and witnessing violence on an alarming scale. The numbers are staggering. Approximately two out of every three children in the U.S. are exposed to violence.