It's a bird, it's a plane, it's: Supermama!
Plus: What Trump's next presidency could mean; Maryland families fight DD services changes; and a new study shows parents of disabled kids need emotional support
The Disability Defender strikes again but a Supermama’s work is never done! Good thing the Disability Defender has a good partner, staying home with the kiddo, while she is off on her missions for truth and justice for all!
On the second Sunday of every month, we feature Where is the Manual for This?!, an editorial cartoon about the medical mom life from Lenore Eklund.
Next Sunday, Nov. 16, is one of my two Sundays a year that I take off from the newsletter. When I return, I expect to have a gift guide for the holidays. Please feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts or suggestions of what gift ideas would be helpful to you! Until then…
Medical Motherhood’s news round up
Snippets of news and opinion from outlets around the world. Click the links for the full story.
• From Disability Scoop: “What Trump’s Win Could Mean For Medicaid, Disability Programs”
With former President Donald Trump returning to the White House, advocates say they are bracing for his administration to push major changes to Medicaid and other programs that people with disabilities rely on.
Trump reclaimed the presidency this week after defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. While the campaign largely steered clear of disability issues, advocates say that Trump’s record during his first term offers reason for worry.
[…]Before this week’s election, the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities, a coalition of national disability organizations, was raising alarm bells about Project 2025. The group called out proposals to restructure Medicaid and impose lifetime eligibility limits on the government health program as well as sweeping changes to the way that special education is funded, a plan to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and measures that they say would weaken civil rights protections for people with disabilities.
[…]During the campaign, Trump faced backlash from disability advocates and members of both political parties for referring to Harris as “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.” In addition, Trump’s nephew, Fred C. Trump III, alleged that the former president told him that people like his son, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, “should just die.”
Nonetheless, Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, said she’s optimistic that it will be possible to find common ground.
“Regardless of who won, many disabled people have long felt that Social Security and Medicaid’s current levels of function have left a lot to be desired. It’s possible that Trump will be open to some of the changes the community has hoped for in those programs,” she said. “We hope we are all able to move forward and turn a new leaf to create the most positive working environment possible.”
• From University of Mississipi: “Coping and Resilience Aid Parents of Disabled Children, Study Says”
For parents of children with disabilities, finding time to focus on themselves may be difficult. However, a new study finds that the right coping strategies and resilience can significantly help manage the challenges of raising children with special needs.
That is the key finding from research published in the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities that studied families with neurodevelopmentally disabled children in Ghana to see what helps parents cultivate healthy, happy lives for themselves and their children.
"Our main interest was looking at how psychological distress and coping with stress impact these parents, their resilience and also their quality of life or well-being," said Francis Boateng, University of Mississippi associate professor of criminal justice and legal studies.
[…]Despite the study being conducted overseas, the findings apply to all parents of neurodevelopmentally disabled children, Boateng said.
[…]Regardless of the severity of the child's condition, any neurodevelopmental disability increases distress in the parent.
[…]The researchers found that emotion-focused coping increases resilience in these parents. Emotion-focused coping is a strategy for managing stress by regulating a person's emotional response as opposed to looking for ways to solve the problem directly. Having a child with a neurodevelopmental disability is out of the parent's control, but the parent's emotions surrounding that subject are not.
[…T]he researchers hope to foster social supports such as family, friends or the community. Group therapy sessions allow parents to connect with others like them and feel less alone, the researchers said.
"Parents are rising up above their problems, and they are bouncing back from the stresses they are going through," Oti-Boadi said. "They're creating awareness and hoping something good will come out of this for their families.
"Every one of us – whether you are in the West or in a developing country – we should all work together to help these families and build their resilience. When we are strong together, we can take on these problems."
• From WMAR (Maryland): “Parents push for pause of new policy affecting care for disabled children”
Parents of children with disabilities are calling on the governor to pause a policy being implemented at the Maryland Department of Health.
They say it makes it tougher for parents to care for their children with disabilities.
[…Dad Adam] Wyndham says since he is [his daughter’s] caretaker, he gets money from the state but that's set to change.
Now, if a family member is on the staff of caretakers they can't also be the designated representative for the person.
The designated representative handles the person's budget and makes decisions.
"So then who are we left choosing to be the designated representative," said Wyndham.
He says there are also issues with the program to get funding for essential goods and services.
[…]"We need to stop trying to find ways to add more red tape and accuse parents of wasting money when quite frankly I'm saving the state money," said Ashley Johnson.
[…]We reached out to the Maryland Department of Health who said, […] "Changes will not only help reduce processing delays, but ensure that taxpayer-funded services are delivered in accordance with state and federal regulations."
As for family members being able to be decision makers and employed caretakers, the department says that policy has always been that way.[…]
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