This group of five organizations, dedicated to the advocacy, care and
protection of the elderly, are of special importance. These are the
groups who not only help individuals, but also maintain a voice for the
elderly that reaches all the way to Capitol Hill. Take a look at them –
they could save you a lot of time in the present, and possibly, protect
and defend you in the future...
AARP www.aarp.org
- AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) is at the
top of my list. Based in Washington D.C., AARP provides benefits,
services and special products for people over age 50, from supplemental
medical and long-term care insurance to discounts on prescription drugs,
and a whole lot in between. They are one of the most powerful lobbying
voices on behalf of elderly people in the United States and currently
have almost 40,000,000 members...
The Consumer Voice http://theconsumervoice.org - If
you want to know what your rights are as a long-term care consumer,
you'll want to know about The Consumer Voice (formerly NCCNHR), one of
the most important sources for long-term care advocacy, education and
policy in the United States. Nearly 40 years old, they are a watchdog
in the fight against inadequate nursing home staffing, and they
constantly advocate for the rights of residents and their families...
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) http://www.ncoa.org/ I didn't know until recently that NCOA
is actually the first charitable organization (founded in 1950) that
provided a voice for older Americans. A nonprofit service and advocacy
organization headquartered in Washington, DC., NCOA works as a kind of
umbrella organization, bringing together thousands of community
organizations, business, and other nonprofits in order to help seniors
citizens improve their benefits, maintain good health, and remain
active. They are particularly concerned with the vulnerable and the
disadvantaged...
FATE (Foundation Aiding The Elderly) http://www.4fate.org/
4Fate is a privately supported organization, founded by Carole Herman,
whose objective is to serve as an advocate for elderly patients and
nursing home residents, as well as a voice for reform and regulation of
the laws governing the nursing home industry. I personally witnessed
how poorly many elderly residents were treated by their nursing homes
and how easy it was for them to get lost in the shuffle. Even though
FATE is privately funded, there is no charge for their services...
Audient http://www.audientalliance.org/
Audiology is the poor stepchild of elder care who often has to take a
backseat to the omnipresent life and death issues of the elderly. But
from my point of view, life without quality of life is a living
death, and those who can't hear are effectively cut off from a good
piece of what's going on in society. Audient is a national nonprofit
hearing care alliance of hearing health care professionals, suppliers,
and others whose aim is to bring quality hearing aids and related care
to low-income, hearing impaired, people. My father was
hearing-impaired, and I cannot express how much that issue affected his
entire life, particularly at the end when his hearing was almost gone
and the hearing aids he needed were too expensive for me to afford...
Check
out my website at http://www.jamielegon.com to see an excerpt from my
book FEET FIRST-Riding the Elder Care Rollercoaster with My Father,
engage in my conversation on aging as well as other topics, or to
contact me directly...
No comments:
Post a Comment