Consumer-Directed Services: Are You Ready to Hire Your Own Caregivers?

Disclaimer: The following is based on consumer-directed-services rules for the State of Texas and is not intended to: (1) provide specifics on rules elsewhere; (2) guarantee up-to-date information on every law/regulation anywhere; (3) provide instructions on qualifying for Medicaid or…
older adult holding smartphone with younger adult sitting next to her on couch looking on

Overcoming Social Isolation for Older Adults

More than one-third of 50–80-year-old Americans report feeling lonely and/or “socially isolated.” There are many reasons, but the most common factors are: Other contributing factors include: How We Can Help For many, the answer is “getting together” virtually, with the…
parents with adult teen daughter looking at laptop screen together

Where Is the ACP Going? What to Do, How to Prepare

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) participants are facing an uncertain future with the possible end of ACP funding. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will stop accepting new applications after February 7, and BridgingApps has already paused Digital Navigator assistance filling out…

How Digitally Literate Are You? Desktop Computers, Laptops, and Online Access

Even if you’ve used a smartphone for years, there are “digital literacy” differences between personal devices, laptop computers, and desktop computers. The World of Desktops and Laptops While few deny the advantages of carrying internet access in your pocket (or…

When You’re Born with It: Managing Lifelong Disabilities

The term “birth defect” is falling out of favor, as people rightly resent implications of being “defective.” This writer personally prefers “congenital disabilities”; the World Health Organization speaks of “congenital anomalies”; but for the present, “birth defects” remains the official…