Long Wait Lists Leave Gaping Hole In Safety Net For Disabled Americans As Caregivers Age
Many Americans with developmental disabilities can wait years to get the proper services they need, and as their caregivers get older they run the risk of ending up in an institution.
Stateline:
What Happens To Developmentally Disabled As Parents Age, Die?
As the number of older caregivers grows, and their need for help becomes more dire, a few states have passed laws to give older caregivers a chance to help decide where, and how, the person they care for will live. Tennessee passed a law in 2015 to ensure that anyone with an intellectual disability and a caregiver over 80 got the services they needed, and this year the state expanded the law to those with caretakers over 75. (Fifield, 8/10)
Meanwhile, PBS NewsHour launches its series on people living with autism and other spectrum disorders —
PBS NewsHour:
Giving Adults With Autism The Skills To Build Independent Lives
Before Josh, 36, arrived at First Place Transition Academy, he had never taken public transportation on his own, much less held down a paying job. But a new pilot program is empowering adults with autism to overcome hurdles to independence. (Donovan, 8/9)
