Category: General

November 15, 2023

Diabetes in America: Facing the ID/DD Population

Where do people with ID/DD fit in with treatment and care? Diabetes in America affects over 37 million people. (1)  Prediabetes affects 96 million people. (1)  With the number of people in the millions, it is a disease that cannot be ignored.  Concerning statistics it is difficult to find the exact number of people with ID/DD alone.  However, the CDC...

Categories General

November 13, 2023

FACT: People with Intellectual Disabilities & Autism Can Be Outstanding Employees

In a world where there’s a Help Wanted sign in the window of every other business, it should be easy for a job seeker with an intellectual disability (ID) or Autism to find work. But business owners and hiring managers are often reluctant to even grant an interview. At Milestone HCQU West, we wanted to lend our support to all...

Categories Community/Employment/Everyday Life/General

November 8, 2023

Clearing the Confusion Between Insulin Injection and GLP-1 Agonist

Pharmaceutical intervention in the treatment of diabetes is truly a lifesaver. Fourteen different drug classes are available for treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Some of these medications are given orally, while some are given via injection. One form of insulin is given nasally. Insulin use in type 1 diabetes is a must, due to the fact that the...

Categories General

November 1, 2023

Holiday Shopping Guide is Here!

Do you ever consider that the world is made up of a lot of little communities? Maybe you like to stroll by the shops and pizza parlor of your local, small town. It’s long been said that small businesses are the heartbeat of America. Do you ever support those businesses? Do you ever look at the faces behind that brand...

Categories General

October 25, 2023

Is It a Stroke?

Did you know…. every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke. Every year, more than 795,000 individuals in the United States experience a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. Stroke risk increases with age, but strokes can—and do—occur at any age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of strokes...

Categories General

October 20, 2023

Hi, I’m here about the job…

Having a job is a basic human right. Aside from the ability to earn a paycheck, being employed keeps us busy, challenges us, and adds value and structure to our lives. It gives us a sense of pride, purpose, and personal achievement. In the United States, if you’re willing and able, society expects you to work and earn a living...

Categories Community/Employment/Everyday Life/General

October 18, 2023

Consider Long Covid in the Workforce

This flyer from the Department of Labor highlights what employers may need to do to support employees who have been diagnosed with Long Covid related to their specific symptoms. Click to access Working_with Long COVID.pdf Medical Concerns of Long Covid include: In a person with an intellectual disability or Autism these medical concerns may appear different or like a “behavior”.  They...

Categories Community/General/Resources

October 11, 2023

Wait Till You Taste Maddie’s Ausome Cre8ions. Dreams really can be delicious.

Meet Maddie, the owner of Maddie’s Ausome Cre8ions. Maddie has always loved art and baking. She was accepted into Edinboro for Art Animation but sadly it was 2020 and Covid stopped that. Doing half of her senior year in quarantine like everyone else, she slipped backwards in socializing. Edinboro would require she stay on campus. That was not doable for...

Categories General

October 4, 2023

What’s the Connection?

Do you have any guesses what might be the number one medical diagnosis for people with intellectual disabilities in our region?  If you guessed constipation, you are correct!  The people we support are more frequently diagnosed with constipation than anything else.  Take a moment to think about how many people you work with are on ducolax, miralax, or any other...

Categories General

September 20, 2023

Words Hit Like A Fist

In the past year, our HCQU team has been working with a young person with an intellectual disability that has experienced physical, verbal, and emotional abuse.  All of it has been documented and all of the right people have been informed to get this person help.  I just celebrated my twenty first year at the HCQU and twenty seventh year...

Categories General/Resources