Independant living advocate with Endeavor Freedom Inc. Chairman of the board for Multiple Choices -Athens Center for Independant Living. Author of three books; Look Somewhere Different, When the Evening Dies, A Different Way of Being. Columnist with Disabled Dealer Magazine- Keeping You Connected and regular contributor to the Populist Party of America. We can not just give anyone a waiver and expect them to step into an atmosphere where they can intend choices. The waiver must evolve individuals in stages, out of the mindset of institutions and back into the Independent Living Philosophy where they direct all actions and unfolding. We must aim to create an atmosphere where the individual can follow the interests of soul, seeking out the things which will bring
deliverance, sparking a renewed sense in life.
A successful goal oriented program cannot work without some thought being put into empowering the individuals to a point where they can use the services being offered. Support structure such as families and friends that have demonstrated responsible care for the person with a disability, could also be utilized in helping with consumer directed models which allow individuals the aspects of managing, hiring, firing interviewing of personal assistants. Developing a support structure outside of staff or caregivers is important for true quality of life and inclusion. In the beginning with the help of close friends, family members, agency provider or CIL, consumers could get help in managing their interests until the time when they could for themselves manage all affairs with consistency and wise choice.
As a recipient of the ICWP for about 5 years now, the State has spent some 15+
thousand dollars a year paying an agency only to do the paperwork involved in my case. I have in that time run everything myself with the agency being only responsible for paying my staff. Never once have they had to send any one out to cover my care. There is no reason beyond Medicaid guidelines why I could not myself either open my own provider agency or handle my own affairs. I would not even need to charge Medicaid the 15 thousand dollars a year that my agency does just to handle my paperwork.
In my opinion I would have a lot less hassle in my life doing things myself because I have had continuous run-ins with agencies that are just seeking profit at the cost of myself and workers. I find that I have to keep up with the payment process anywys just to make sure my people are paid right month to month. Also I have had agencies try to fire employees that I have had in my employment for 5 years since I got the waiver just to try to fill their slot with an employee who would get paid less and whom I had not even approved.
Future Long Term Care must also seek to educate and inspire individuals to skill which might allow them to get ahead, propel themselves into the job market and start giving back to the programs which sustained them/us for so long. Long Term Care should not be maintenance but growth, evolution, change, inclusion. We must shoot to serve disabled individuals with good service to create the environment for education to foster the ability for employment. With jobs being created to service the Long Term Care dilemma and the onset of the internet and computer technology, even individuals with low mobility skills have the capacity to create and do work in a profound manner everyday. There is no reason why persons with disabilities cannot be trained to assist others coming into the Long Term Care industry, being intimate with it already. With the aspect of the Independent Living Philosophy and consumer directed care, Long Term Care becomes empowerment to greatness, to employment, to hopes, and dreams. And that is what people with disabilities need that and choice.
We must aim to create and empower consumer directed personal assistance programs in GA so that we insure individuals with disabilities are being taught the Independent Living Philosophy which will insure them their greatest chance of surviving inclusively in society. We must involve individuals with the responisbilities associated to independent living at the earliest age possible to insure that later life be self directed will.
In self managed care individuals would be encouraged to control the process of interviewing, hiring, firing, setting the work schedule, etc. In this way a potential employee sees that the control of the payment process is in the hands of the individual with disability. This empowerment would alleviate a lot of the disrespect, tardiness, ignoring of requests, etc. that many individuals have faced since injury. I understand that many won't or can not take on this kind of responsibility, but for those of us who can or choose to, there should be some pilot program which allows us self-managed care especially if it saves the State thousands and thousands of dollars.
Even if agencies or CIL groups assist as fiscal intermediaries with the payment of the employees, the deciding factor of what happens, when, lies in the choice of those individuals able to take charge of self directed care. If for instance an individual just doesn't click with someone appointed by the agency, then the individual should be allowed to seek replacement to smooth out the problem, no questions asked. I believe it would be easier to open, manage, and control my own personal care service provider than it is dealing with the agencies who are seeking to profit from my account.
Especially for younger persons with high level disabilities whose lives will soon become absolved with requests for assistance, we as a state must empower them early in their disability as to not allow neglect to become associated to disability. If individuals are taught the Independent Living Philosophy early in disability they will never lack confidence in standing up for basic civil rights. Not only will consumer self directed personal assistance programs be cost-effective to the State, it would be empowering to the individuals themselves so that they learn in life as we all must learn that we're responsible or all our actions and for all of the outcomes of those actions. If it is that an individual is able to manage and write the checks that pays the employees providing in home services at cost reduction to the government, then utilization of this sort seems wise as a way of getting more bang for the buck so to speak.
We can not just give anyone a waiver and expect them to step into an atmosphere where they can intend choices. The waiver must evolve individuals in stages, out of the mindset of institutions and back into the Independent Living Philosophy where they direct all actions and unfolding. We must aim to create an atmosphere where the individual can follow the interests of soul, seeking out the things which will bring
deliverance, sparking a renewed sense in life.
A successful goal oriented program cannot work without some thought being put into empowering the individuals to a point where they can use the services being offered. Support structure such as families and friends that have demonstrated responsible care for the person with a disability, could also be utilized in helping with consumer directed models which allow individuals the aspects of managing, hiring, firing interviewing of personal assistants. Developing a support structure outside of staff or caregivers is important for true quality of life and inclusion. In the beginning with the help of close friends, family members, agency provider or CIL, consumers could get help in managing their interests until the time when they could for themselves manage all affairs with consistency and wise choice.
As a recipient of the ICWP for about 5 years now, the State has spent some 15+
thousand dollars a year paying an agency only to do the paperwork involved in my case. I have in that time run everything myself with the agency being only responsible for paying my staff. Never once have they had to send any one out to cover my care. There is no reason beyond Medicaid guidelines why I could not myself either open my own provider agency or handle my own affairs. I would not even need to charge Medicaid the 15 thousand dollars a year that my agency does just to handle my paperwork.
In my opinion I would have a lot less hassle in my life doing things myself because I have had continuous run-ins with agencies that are just seeking profit at the cost of myself and workers. I find that I have to keep up with the payment process anywys just to make sure my people are paid right month to month. Also I have had agencies try to fire employees that I have had in my employment for 5 years since I got the waiver just to try to fill their slot with an employee who would get paid less and whom I had not even approved.
Future Long Term Care must also seek to educate and inspire individuals to skill which might allow them to get ahead, propel themselves into the job market and start giving back to the programs which sustained them/us for so long. Long Term Care should not be maintenance but growth, evolution, change, inclusion. We must shoot to serve disabled individuals with good service to create the environment for education to foster the ability for employment. With jobs being created to service the Long Term Care dilemma and the onset of the internet and computer technology, even individuals with low mobility skills have the capacity to create and do work in a profound manner everyday. There is no reason why persons with disabilities cannot be trained to assist others coming into the Long Term Care industry, being intimate with it already. With the aspect of the Independent Living Philosophy and consumer directed care, Long Term Care becomes empowerment to greatness, to employment, to hopes, and dreams. And that is what people with disabilities need that and choice.
We must aim to create and empower consumer directed personal assistance programs in GA so that we insure individuals with disabilities are being taught the Independent Living Philosophy which will insure them their greatest chance of surviving inclusively in society. We must involve individuals with the responisbilities associated to independent living at the earliest age possible to insure that later life be self directed will.
In self managed care individuals would be encouraged to control the process of interviewing, hiring, firing, setting the work schedule, etc. In this way a potential employee sees that the control of the payment process is in the hands of the individual with disability. This empowerment would alleviate a lot of the disrespect, tardiness, ignoring of requests, etc. that many individuals have faced since injury. I understand that many won't or can not take on this kind of responsibility, but for those of us who can or choose to, there should be some pilot program which allows us self-managed care especially if it saves the State thousands and thousands of dollars.
Even if agencies or CIL groups assist as fiscal intermediaries with the payment of the employees, the deciding factor of what happens, when, lies in the choice of those individuals able to take charge of self directed care. If for instance an individual just doesn't click with someone appointed by the agency, then the individual should be allowed to seek replacement to smooth out the problem, no questions asked. I believe it would be easier to open, manage, and control my own personal care service provider than it is dealing with the agencies who are seeking to profit from my account.
Especially for younger persons with high level disabilities whose lives will soon become absolved with requests for assistance, we as a state must empower them early in their disability as to not allow neglect to become associated to disability. If individuals are taught the Independent Living Philosophy early in disability they will never lack confidence in standing up for basic civil rights. Not only will consumer self directed personal assistance programs be cost-effective to the State, it would be empowering to the individuals themselves so that they learn in life as we all must learn that we're responsible or all our actions and for all of the outcomes of those actions. If it is that an individual is able to manage and write the checks that pays the employees providing in home services at cost reduction to the government, then utilization of this sort seems wise as a way of getting more bang for the buck so to speak.