The Neighborhood Network of New York (NNNY) is set to develop an innovative, community based service network for adults with autism, thanks to a grant from the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The program will provide individualized services to clients, including remote support technology and community activities.

NNNY will launch a prototype of the…

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The Neighborhood Network of New York (NNNY) is set to develop an innovative, community based service network for adults with autism, thanks to a grant from the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The program will provide individualized services to clients, including remote support technology and community activities.

NNNY will launch a prototype of the program to serve Medicaid beneficiaries in Westchester County. In time, the organization will develop protocols to launch similar networks throughout the state.

The NNNY program is intended to provide greater independence and empowerment for adults with autism through supports within the community, including remote support in private apartments. The program will be more affordable than traditional models, while also providing services which are appropriate to the individual’s needs and more fully integrated into the larger community.

With a record 1 in 68 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, as of 2010, services like these will be essential in serving an unprecedented number of children with autism reaching adulthood. This transition often represents a challenge for people with autism and their families, as they leave the support of parents and the school system and struggle to identify appropriate supports within the adult service system. Traditional full service options, like group homes and day services, are expensive, and for many individuals with autism who do not need such a high level of staffing, unnecessarily restrictive. These traditional, segregated models may represent a stark contrast to the integration into the school community that the individual with autism previously experienced in school, where they were mandated by law to be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment, together with students without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate.

The NNNY program will take a three-pronged approach. Individualized Living Services for All Levels of Need allows clients to live alone or with a roommate in apartment complexes where both clients and non-clients reside. Clients who need more support may live with a professional family. All NNNY homes will include Proprietary Remote Support Technology that can be used to monitor residents’ safety and provide real-time coaching. Finally, the Communiversity will provide lifelong learning, teaching job skills and life skills along with community and recreational activities.

Learn more about our services by visiting www.specialneedsnewyork.com.

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Our guest blogger this week is Lou Giampa is the President of Right at Home (Westchester). Lou is a New York State Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) who volunteers in hospitals and nursing homes throughout Westchester County.  He also volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Association, Meals on Wheels, and the Aging in Place community.

Mom and Dad are knocking out their bucket list – wine country trip, tandem skydiving, harbor dinner cruise – you can’t keep up with them. Grandma loves to cook, but standing in the kitchen causes knee pain. Grandpa must watch his TV programs, but he cranks the volume too high. Uncle Galen enjoys golf and gardening, but his hands lose their grip. Aunt Marianne relishes sitting down to chat over gourmet coffee and chocolates. For active and less active adults like these, how can you find them just-right gifts for the holidays

“The types and price ranges of holiday gifts for seniors expands every year and you can feel overwhelmed with choices,” said Lou Giampa, President of Right at Home of Westchester.  “In our work with the elderly and their families, I recommend that gifts mean something significant to the senior loved one and involve time spent together. Older adults don’t just want a handsomely wrapped gift. They want to enjoy memorable experiences with you.”

Giampa suggests the following variety of holiday gifts for seniors, depending on budget and the loved one’s activity level and personal interests:

Personal Gifts – Bionic StableGrip gloves for golf, gardening, fitness, driving and everyday tasks were developed by an orthopedic surgeon for a smooth, ergonomic grip and less hand pain (under $50).

• For Him – Magnetic money clip; passport wallet; novelty neckties; National Football League (NFL) cuff links; Major League Baseball (MLB) team tie bar; carrier fleece blanket; personalized grilling apron; vintage golf club covers (under $50)

• For Her – Massaging slippers; spa gift set; makeup travel toolkit; gardening tote with tools; skin beauty moisturizing set; full-service picnic basket; smart pedometer; acupressure mat (under $50)

Kitchen and Food – Pasta pot for two; “Wine of the Month” clubs; portable wine and cheese cooler; beer-tasting set; no-melt ice cubes; seasonings and finishing salts; gourmet olive oils; specialty foods gift basket; coffee bean and tea leaf sets; premium steaks ($20 – $100)

GelPro^® floor mats offer soft shock-absorbing gel core therapeutic comfort for anyone suffering from foot, back, hip or knee pain, or osteoporosis, arthritis or plantar fasciitis. It is ideal for standing at the kitchen sink or garage workbench ($50 – $120).

Technology – The Crosley Cruiser portable turntable celebrates the sounds of vinyl records in a briefcase-styled record player that’s light enough to carry anywhere. About the size of a cellphone, the Bellman & Symfon^® personal amplifier filters out background noise to give the gift of better hearing ($80 – $150).

Travel – Food and wine tours; brewery tours; American history tours; art and history museums; national parks; urban exploring on a guided Segway (free – full travel expenses)

Experiential Action and Adventure Gifts – Hot air ballooning; white-water rafting; surf lessons; stock car passenger or driver; boat dinner cruise; scenic helicopter tour; tandem skydiving; flying lessons; mountain biking; rock climbing; hang gliding; big game hunting; fly-fishing; snorkeling ($100 – $1,000)

Time – One of the most meaningful gifts any time of year is to carve out regular visits and outings with your seniors. Plan weekend handyman projects or go out for dinner and a movie. Check in regularly with phone calls and social media, but best of all, sit down together to talk, laugh and reminisce (priceless).

Gifts.com is one of most comprehensive online stores that searches all over the Web for the best gift ideas for senior men and women and even matches products to personality types (e.g., super grandma, health and fitness nut, intellectual). If you are unable to travel for the holidays to be with your older loved ones, Giampa notes that elder care providers like Right at Home offer companion care and transportation for holiday shopping and excursions. Home caregivers also can help your seniors buy the ingredients and make great-grandma’s traditional fruitcake. Or, skip the fruitcake and go for the chocolate-drizzled pretzel sticks.

About Right at Home

Founded in 1995, Right at Home of provides in-home care and assistance to seniors and the disabled.  We help care for seniors who require some assistance in order to maintain their independence, improving their quality of life, and enabling them to remain in their homes.  Our caregivers help with all the activities of daily living, as well as cooking, light housekeeping, safety supervision, medication reminders, and transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping, social activities, etc. Our caregivers are thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client’s home.

For more information, please contact Right at Home (Westchester) at 914.468.1944 or visit us at www.westchesterseniorcare.com or click here to Follow their Facebook page.

Learn more about our services at Littman Krooks by clicking here.

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The term “aging in place” is being heard more frequently these days. Simply put, “aging in place” means remaining in your own home and maintaining your independence as you grow older. Some Americans hope to accomplish this entirely on their own; others assume they will have the aid of nearby family members. But there is another option. By joining a local aging-in-place organization older adults are now finding they can have the best of both worlds – the privacy and autonomy they value plus peace of mind from belonging to a community of people who are willing to step in to lend a hand when needed.

To date there are 145 such organizations (frequently referred to as “Villages”) already operating around the country. These nonprofit groups have proved so popular that 125 more are in development. There are ten “Village” in New York State, with seven more on the way.

One such group in Westchester County is At Home on the Sound. Serving Larchmont and Mamaroneck, At Home on the Sound is currently comprised of 150 members (ranging in age from 62 to 100), plus approximately 80 community volunteers of all ages. Many of At Home’s members are also volunteers. Besides providing enriching programs and activities, At Home on the Sound matches the volunteers with members who need local transportation or other assistance. In any given week At Home on the Sound provides 25 to 30 rides to doctor appointments, errands – even the nail salon!

At Home on the Sound volunteers are also available to handle simple household maintenance tasks like changing a hard to reach light bulb or fixing a leaky faucet. Several times throughout the year local high school students offer technology workshops providing one-on-one assistance to At Home members with cell phones and iPads. Staying up-to-date with technology not only has wonderful social benefits but can be a matter of safety as well.  An occupational therapist offers free home safety assessments, while a volunteer Medicare expert conducts annual seminars to keep members up-to-date on laws and deadlines. Trained volunteer patient advocates are even available to accompany members to medical appointments.

At Home on the Sound schedules at least a dozen social and cultural programs each month for members. A gentle yoga class is offered every week. Lectures are held on a vast array of topics from Acupuncture to the Constitutional Convention. Bus trips are organized for outings to museums, Broadway shows, and concerts. Activities such as Scrabble, Bridge, foreign language conversation, and current events discussions bring together like-minded members for fun and intellectual stimulation. All the programs are designed to ward off the sense of isolation that can sometimes come with age.

Not only do aging-in-place organizations improve the lives of members, these nonprofits can also be a godsend for family members who live far away and may not have regular contact with their older loved ones. With a quick local phone call, the older adult who belongs to an aging-in-place group can easily access a ride or other assistance when needed.

Aging-in-Place organizations around the country offer similar services to enhance and improve the quality of life for older adults – and their families. To see if an aging-in-place organization is currently serving your area visit the Village to Village network for a searchable map of the US.

Learn more about At Home on the Sound by clicking here.

Was this article of interest to you? If so, please LIKE our Facebook Page by clicking here. Visit www.elderlawnewyork.com to learn more about helping seniors and their families plan for the future.

The Care Circles of Westchester is a new program that provides family caregivers with assistance from volunteers.

A care circle is a group of volunteers who are willing to help a person who needs care — such as an elderly person — with the tasks of daily living, including laundry, dog-walking, and rides to doctor’s appointments.

The Care Circles is part of Westchester’s Livable Communities Initiative. One of its goals is to help seniors age in their homes and communities, rather than in facilities. A ready community of volunteers who help with daily living tasks can advance that goal.

To learn more about the program, contact Colette Phipps at cap2@westchestergov.com or (914) 813-6441.

Or contact White Plains estate planning attorney, Bernard A. Krooks at (914) 684-2100.

A care circle is a group of volunteers who are willing to help a person who needs care – such as an elderly person – with the tasks of daily living, such as doing laundry, walking the dog, or giving the senior a ride to a doctor’s appointment.

The Care Circles are part of Westchester’s Livable Communities Initiative, one of the goals of which is to help seniors age in place, in their homes and communities, rather than in a facility. Having a community of volunteers to help with daily living tasks can advance that goal.

To learn more about the program, contact Colette Phipps at cap2@westchestergov.com or 914-813-6441.

Families of kids with autism need to find the right way for their kids to join in the fun. Instead of an elaborate costume, a funny hat or Halloween t-shirt may be appropriate. Instead of going out trick-or-treating, your kids may want to stay home and help give out the treats. That way a child with autism can observe the tradition from a comfortable place. If a child is able to handle going from house-to-house, you can make the experience less overwhelming by limiting the time and going while it is still light out.

If you live in Westchester County, then you are also invited to the Miracle League of Westchester’s fourth annual Halloween event, at the Field of Screams, which features an afternoon of trick-or-treating and fun for special needs children. The event takes place at Ridge Road Park in Hartsdale, New York, Sunday, October 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please pre-register by sending the names and ages of children who will be participating to mlwny@mlwny.org. Children participating will wear a wristband to receive treats.

Westchester County has introduced a new initiative to train volunteers to become caregiver coaches. This is a unique way to volunteer your time to help local families and contribute to an innovative community project.

Few people are prepared to become caregivers to a disabled or elderly loved one, and people who are thrust into the role of caregiver often feel overwhelmed. A caregiver coach is someone who is trained by professionals to give individual support to family caregivers. This support can be essential to helping caregivers understand their responsibilities and make informed decisions.

The Livable Communities Caregiver Coaching (L3C) Program is an initiative of Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services. The program aims to form a corps of volunteers who have been trained in caregiver coaching skills and can provide services to family caregivers. The initiative is part of an overall goal of supporting seniors in living with dignity and independence in their own homes.

Westchester’s caregiver coaching program is the most comprehensive in the nation, which is appropriate for the county with the fastest-growing population of seniors in the country. Today one in five Westchester residents is age 60 or older, and the majority of these seniors have a disability of some kind. It is estimated by the Westchester planning department that by 2030, people over the age of 60 will represent 25 percent of the county’s population.

Anyone may volunteer to be a caregiver coach. Experience as a caregiver is helpful but not necessary. The ideal caregiver coach is an empathetic, nonjudgmental person who wishes to help others. Volunteers will receive approximately 12 hours of training spread over three weekly sessions. A one-year commitment is required. Coaches will also participate in a monthly conversation where challenges and information will be shared about caregiver coaching experiences. Coaches will learn about the aging process and the responsibilities that caregivers face, as well as how to convey factual information clearly. As caregiver coaches, volunteers will share information and listen to caregivers’ concerns, while refraining from offering legal or medical advice.

If you are interested in volunteering to become a caregiver coach, contact the Department of Senior Programs and Services at 914-813-6441.

On a typical day at work, electrical workers do what is necessary to fix outages across the city. They are often seen working with traffic lights, either newly installed or those that need repairs.

In this Westchester County, NY accident, a Verde Electric worker in a bucket truck was working on a new set of lights. He saw a tractor trailer unit approaching, but did not realize at the time that the truck would clip the bottom of his bucket. The sharp jolt to the bucket ejected the worker and left him dangling in the air in his safety harness, hooked to the traffic light. The rigging gave way and he fell onto the top of the tractor trailer unit, rolled off the truck and landed face-first on the roadway.

First responders managed to get the man to the nearest medical facility, where he was treated for a number of broken ribs, a broken nose and broken elbow, which required surgery. The future for him includes losing work for a number of weeks, facing rehabilitation therapy, numerous follow up doctor’s appointments and many weeks of pain medication.

The trucker was not charged in this incident, as the police stated that there were no mechanical problems involving the truck and the trucking company was able to provide them with the required paperwork relating to the driver and the vehicle itself.

Nonetheless, the electrical worker may want to discuss negligent driving and driving while distracted with a personal injury lawyer. He faces enormous medical bills and a long recovery. How does he pay for his medical expenses and other costs, such as a mortgage or car payments, when he is unable to work and loses substantial pay due to being off work?

The ideal solution for this plaintiff would be to apply online for litigation funding. It’s easy to do and may be accomplished by calling a lawsuit loan company. Pre-settlement funding is a good fit for most plaintiffs, and allows them to pay all their medical bills and usual expenses, while they are waiting for their case to be settled or taken to court.

All the plaintiff needs to do is hire a lawyer to handle the case, contact a litigation funding representative, outline the case details and have the case assessed. Once the case has been approved, the lawsuit cash advance is sent within 48 hours to the plaintiff’s bank account. Litigation funding offers cash poor plaintiffs a number of outstanding benefits.

Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit http://www.litigationfundingcorp.com/.