tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post6831576497535925294..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: Choices for People with a Disabilitywilliam Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-62995712663709273462009-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:002009-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00William: I think this does show the difference bet...William: I think this does show the difference between having a disability act and not; I live in the capital city and there IS no wheelchair elevator anywhere that I am aware of; there are however stairs into 7 out of 8 public resturants; most historic attractions, half or more of the local attractions. Even the British Columibia Museum, one of the top 10 rated Museum's in North America has two entire floors only accessible by stairs (out of five). And I don't have a problem with the blue parking spots as....there aren't any. There is no regulation for any so in a disability and senior rich area like James bay, the 150 parking spaces may hold up to 10-15 blue badges but there is only 1 spot, which is unusual, as often there is none, including ironically the hospital which has, out of 700 spaces, two for blue badges, which the last three times have been blocked by delivery trucks (since there is no Disability act in the city, province or country, there is no real ticketing or enforcement). I am not saying you are not correct; I am just pointing out that a generation of even a weak disability act makes people assume some things, like there will BE a disabled toilet, or parking spot, or elevator. However I completely agree when it comes to spending real money or providing genuine long term solutions for independance, both systems seem to suck.Elizabeth McClunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03627373214555333537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-24607946587147444062009-03-11T04:59:00.000-07:002009-03-11T04:59:00.000-07:00Lyn, I understand your worries about your daughter...Lyn, I understand your worries about your daughter. I hope you have an extended family as it seems that is how you can insure she will always be cared for in a loving home. No other group of people are as needlessly stigmatized as those with a cognitive disability. <BR/><BR/>Elizabeth, I am not as familiar with the cultural nuance of disability in Canada as I should be. I have heard of Rick Hansen and your comments remind me that some people joke that those with spinal cord injuries are the "chrome police". Many organizations exist that support SCI people and the press loves to highlight terrible stories that involve "overcoming" disability. <BR/><BR/>Your comments about the ADA highlight why the law has had such mixed results. To me, the law and society pays lip service to disability. When it comes down to spending money and providing essential services that is when the system breaks down. Those blue wheelchair symbols mean nothing as the reality of access is never easy. Like me, I bet you come across broken elevators and wheelchair lifts all the time. This highlights that people with a disability are assumed to be dependent and as you point out our abilities are never considered. What comes first and foremost is what we cannot do. I for one think walking is over rated!william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-39470019605438826682009-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:002009-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:00Thank you for your thoughts, observations, words. ...Thank you for your thoughts, observations, words. <BR/><BR/>My 10 year old daughter has a different type of disability than your conjured young man.... she has cognitive and neurological issues as well as chronic complex care requirements. I dread the day I am not here to take care of her. The reality of our institution-based "care" system is deplorable.<BR/>i agree that it is all about valuing each person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-64361634910900824362009-03-10T14:30:00.000-07:002009-03-10T14:30:00.000-07:00I am not in opposition to pretty much any act, org...I am not in opposition to pretty much any act, organization or initiative which advocates for those with disabilities. Oddly, due to Rick Hansen, people with SCI's get free apartments, cars, job help and the rest, while anyone else is sort of left hanging (Wheels in motion got more from the BC premier last year than the government of Canada gave for people with disability for recreation and integration - and Wheels in Motion isn't a government organization) - but if it is that or a nursing home; I guess at least someone is escaping the pit. As a person whose case manager has tried multiple times to get me into a nursing home; I find it a ludicrious solution. The criminal aspect of our society is that while we supposedly are a meritocricy, the socity hypocritically, ADA, or other disability acts aside, only tend to look at the body for what a person can do. How DID Stephen Hawkings get a job instead of end up in an institution? Do people even check what degrees or skills a person might have before slotting them off for bed sores? No, indeed, dumbing oneself down is more likely to get a job than showing that you are far more qualified than your social worker (and how did they get this job anyway, and who the hell is reviewing them - since no one ever asks ME how they are doing in their job).<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the thought provoking post. Currently my grandmother is healthy, but in the hospital because there is no one to dress her. She was independant living. Now she needs, due to loss of memory, a more secure environment, so she is dumped in the one place where I have twice been told I would be admitted from ER except there are no beds; because she can walk with her walker, she can dress with minimum assistance but she doesn't know what year it is and never will (at age 93). So she waits for a nursing home...in the hospital, along with many others. <BR/><BR/>I have been in a 'nursing respite' and I did not get rest or a meal the entire time I was there - there is good reason to fear a nursing home, particularly if you are young and female and the weekend workers, are single, male and can easily overpower you and it is thier 'job' to take off your clothes or panties.Elizabeth McClunghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03627373214555333537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-88800139715250188192009-03-10T09:47:00.000-07:002009-03-10T09:47:00.000-07:00Frida, Opposition to community based care is hard ...Frida, Opposition to community based care is hard to understand. Many think conservatives are heavily influenced by nursing home lobbyists. I am sure this is true to an extent. I think the root cause is that people with a disability and the elderly are simply not wanted--they are not thought to be productive members of society. Given the devalued perception, they are not entitled to any special consideration, i.e. home or community care.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-8005055931077987222009-03-10T09:26:00.000-07:002009-03-10T09:26:00.000-07:00And yes, they should be making more than $18,000 a...And yes, they should be making more than $18,000 a year. They could be paid twice that or more at still-significant savings since many people can get by with half-time help.FridaWriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03321658097813377806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-35653288043204938062009-03-10T09:22:00.000-07:002009-03-10T09:22:00.000-07:00One of my friends has been affected by this proble...One of my friends has been affected by this problem and also by the Medicare/Medicaid gaps (can't qualify for home health care if husband has employment, can't afford living expenses and other healthcare expenses if he doesn't). Friends and family have donated a lot of money for per-hour nursing care. Avg. nursing home care per year=$70,000. A full time nursing assistant=$18,000 a year, and most people don't need full-time care. Even for someone requiring RN assistance through an agency, it's still cheaper. It also keeps families together. I don't understand why Republicans in particular are so opposed to ADAPT--saves money and family oriented. Really, there can be no logical objection to it.<BR/><BR/>I have advocated for MiCassa and Money Follows the Person Act (now renamed) for a number of years. While my state representative favors it and wrote a detailed letter back, the state senators do not and gave a boilerplate letter about the need to save money, missing the point.FridaWriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03321658097813377806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-57831409616177830632009-03-10T07:52:00.000-07:002009-03-10T07:52:00.000-07:00Dani, The difference between independence and depe...Dani, The difference between independence and dependence is razor thin and often dependent upon education, family support, and health insurance. I was prompted to write my most recent entry because I just bought a brand new Roho cushion. They cost hundreds of dollars, last about a year, and the one I got broke the day it arrived. Customer service at Roho is terrible and it has gotten to the point I now set aside money every month in anticipation for the day the cushion will break. I am lucky in that I can afford to do this but what about others that cannot? Our health care system is inherently flawed and the people hurt the most are the most vulnerable. Thus your point about about economic units is apt--I am not a paralyzed human to Roho I am a customer held hostage by the lack of any other seating choices. I am also sure some engineer has figured out a cost benefit analysis that maximizes profit with no consideration to the people that use the products manufactured.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-55074127195018761712009-03-10T07:14:00.000-07:002009-03-10T07:14:00.000-07:00Thank you for this post.I've been thinking for som...Thank you for this post.<BR/><BR/>I've been thinking for some time about this problem on a different level, especially since your 25-year-old could easily be me. I was relatively healthy until the age of 24, when a last-ditch attempt at "conservative" measures to manage my monthly bouts of chronic pain resulted in just enough pituitary failure to make me permanently partially disabled.<BR/><BR/>It's not quadriplegia by any means, but it has put me on a tightrope. With proper healthcare, I can function just enough to hold down a job that offers a high-priced, low-benefits health care plan that doesn't really offer the health care I need. Without any health care at all, though, I'd be unable to work (or play or keep my house clean or enjoy my family or anything else).<BR/><BR/>Not surprisingly, this has bothered me a great deal over the past five years. Under the current system, I'm "entitled" to sufficient health care to be a functioning member of society only if I work slightly harder than my health allows, risking burnout sooner rather than later. Once I burn out, I'm tossed.<BR/><BR/>With proper health care and social support, I could be functional and reasonably happy for the rest of my natural life, instead of struggling and living in constant anxiety. So could a LOT of people, including your 25-year-old. We have to start seeing people as people, not economic units.Dani Alexishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05320126446776981308noreply@blogger.com