Milestone HCQU West Blog

October 16, 2019

Could the Person You Support Benefit from Physical or Occupational Therapy? It’s Not a Far Stretch.

As HCQU staff, we are often times asked to come in and provide insight as to how best to support an individual and their team that may be struggling with medical, behavioral, emotional, and physical complications. These are called Intensive Technical Assists or ITAs. As we try to sleuth our way through medical and psychiatric records along with input from...

General/Resources

October 9, 2019

Clarion County Fair

What a great day at the Clarion County Fair. I had the opportunity to go to the Clarion County Fair on Disability Awareness Day this past July. I didn’t know what to expect but I can certainly say that the day was amazing! It was presented by Valley Advantages and it was open to all people with disabilities and their...

Community/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...

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...

Everyday Life/General

September 18, 2019

To Ride is to Breathe

The sunshine, beauty, adventure, freedom…these are a few of the things my best friend told me were grand about riding horses. I have yet to try it out but it got me thinking and wondering how many people out there have had the pleasure of riding a horse? How many people have not attempted because they didn’t know it was...

Community/General

September 11, 2019

Social Skills and Autism Resources

This past summer the family of 20 year old Graham Sierota, the drummer for the band Echosmith, released a statement to people magazine about his diagnosis of Autism and general lack of understanding of social cues. It was discovered that Mr. Sierota had been messaging the 13 year old daughter of Travis Barker, the drummer for Blink-132, since she was...

Community/General/Resources

September 4, 2019

September: National Suicide Prevention Month

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Recently, I was at a meeting and overheard people talking about the increased rate of suicide in people on the autism spectrum. It was not a statistic I was aware of and it peaked my interest. As a system we know that those we support have a higher rate of psychiatric disorders than the...

General

August 28, 2019

Raise Your Vibration

This past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to go to the Great Rhythm Revival in Sherman, NY. At this event, for four glorious days over two hundred people joined hands and hearts in rhythmic bliss. We danced, we drummed, we hummed, and we opened up to the health healing that took place all around us and within us. Led...

Community/General/Resources

August 14, 2019

Are Your Ready for Electronic Visit Verification?

So, what is EVV? An acronym for Electronic Visit Verification, EVV is a technology that verifies the location and time that service for a client begins and ends. It provides electronic proof of each caregiver visit, as well as a breadcrumb trail that is the basis for billing. Why do we have to use EVV? The need for EVV arose...

General/Resources/Technology

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...

Community/Everyday Life/General

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