Category: Everyday Life

December 11, 2019

Keep Active this Holiday Season

Holiday season is a time of year for lights, decorations, parties, and indulgence.   It’s the festive time of year when we plan meals, bake cookies, make and eat candy, and have eggnog as well as other goodies.  However, it is the time of year when Americans put on the most weight.  It is easy to understand how the over indulgence...

Categories Everyday Life/General

November 20, 2019

Thanks and No Thanks: Approaching the Holidays

As I decided on the topic for this blog, I am reminded of the many years of holiday seasons that have come and gone where we have reviewed how to be sensitive to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the holiday seasons. Messages are conveyed to be mindful of the losses that so many have suffered around the holidays....

Categories Community/Everyday Life/General

November 13, 2019

Older Adults and Medication Management

Our hair may become gray, our laugh lines more apparent and we may not have the energy we once did but aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity, adventures, and strength.    Did you know…sometimes what we think is normal aging could be the effects or side effects of medications? Many improvements in the health and...

Categories Everyday Life/General

October 23, 2019

LEGO®: A Brand for Every Ability

LEGO®…doesn’t the mere mention of that name bring back fond childhood memories?  How many of you can remember playing for endless hours with LEGO® sets?  I do.  In fact, I still enjoy putting a LEGO® set together with my children or using our imaginations to come up with our own creations. The LEGO® group was founded in Denmark in 1932,...

Categories Community/Everyday Life/General

October 2, 2019

Music: The Body and Mind Connection

Reach over and flip on the radio….BOOM…it’s a song you remember from your childhood, a song where you played it and then played it 20 more times, a song that takes you to a specific moment in time shared by you and someone special to you.  In an instant you are transported back to that place. Not only does music...

Categories Everyday Life/General/Resources

September 25, 2019

Healthcare Challenges with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Recently, I have seen first-hand the challenges faced by providers to get the much needed care for the ladies and gentlemen they support.  It can be very frustrating for the providers and the individuals receiving care. Sometimes it takes several visits to healthcare providers and many tests to rule out underlying conditions. The challenges can include improving the health and...

Categories Everyday Life/General

July 31, 2019

Adaptive Gym and Swim

Summer is my favorite time of year!  Why?  Because that means it’s time to hit the pool.  As a child growing up, one of my favorite things to do in the summer was swim.  Even now as an adult, I still enjoy my time in the pool. I was lucky enough to have a pool in the back yard so...

Categories Community/Everyday Life/General

June 26, 2019

Americans with Disabilities Got Talent!

In two consecutive weeks, Americans with Disabilities have come out as frontrunners on the popular NBC television show America’s Got Talent. In the season opener, strong contender Kodi Lee blew the judges away and earned the first golden buzzer of the young season, going straight to the live performance portion of the show. In week two, comedian Ryan Niemiller cracked...

Categories Community/Everyday Life/General

June 19, 2019

Independence: Trac Fab Maneuvering

Can you put a price on your mobility? What if you were unable to enjoy the beach, or make your way down your favorite nature path, hunt in the woods, or fish right from the banks of the river? For folks with physical disabilities that may rely on alternative methods for mobility, such as wheelchairs, some of these activities can...

Categories Community/Everyday Life/General

June 5, 2019

Less is More:

Preventing Polypharmacy in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Individuals with intellectual disabilities, like the general population, will likely experience a variety of illnesses or conditions during their lives, including chronic conditions. Those with multiple conditions often take multiple medications, and as the number of medications increases, they have an increased risk for drug interactions, side effects, and non-adherence to their treatment...

Categories Everyday Life/General