Podcasts about community living

In this conversation, Nick Duggan shares his journey into farming and real estate, emphasizing the importance of local produce and sustainable agriculture. He discusses the farm-to-table movement, the challenges faced by local farmers, and the health benefits of consuming locally sourced food. Nick also explores the concept of tenant farming and community living, highlighting the need for a modern approach to agriculture. He concludes with a call to action for supporting local farms and the benefits of buying local produce. Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true ‘white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a “mini-mastermind” with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming “Retreat”, either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas “Big H Ranch”? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

John brings us another message through 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, where Paul teaches that whether single or married, we are called to live with undivided devotion to God, making choices that prioritize His eternal kingdom over temporary distractions

In this conversation, Dylan Silver interviews Mudassar Malik, a data scientist and AI philosopher, about his innovative project, One Lake Drive, which aims to create a self-sufficient, multi-generational community in Delaware. Mudassar shares his personal journey into real estate, the philosophical underpinnings of his project, and the importance of community and environment in promoting well-being. He discusses the integration of AI philosophy into societal structures and the holistic approach to living that he advocates through his work.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true ‘white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a “mini-mastermind” with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming “Retreat”, either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas “Big H Ranch”? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

The OSJ Radio Hour as in The Rise & Thrive OSJ Radio Hour … Has a “back by popular demand” OSJ radio hour… in studio is originally aired 12/14/24 and due to emails, a phone calls and texts… we knew we had to bring this show back to our listening audience! It is a world  of information (especially after the holidays) where adult children, friends and those concerned with the well being of their parents or loved one. Most of what you will hear is FREE or very low cost!Interactive Companion Pet – Realistic & Lifelike… What is this ? We will answer that and more on tools for families or professional caregivers. This show is dedicated to those the care for others. Either you will be a caregiver or you will be cared for. Pictured left to right in the above photo is Loyd Lightfoot, Shelley Gladden, and Donnie Lewis.These are experts in their field and their expertise is your reward! These are helping hands that can make difficult situations better for you or your loved one.Donnie Lewis, Program Manager III at Oklahoma Human Services Community Living, Aging and Protective (CAP) Services since 2024, manages the US Department of Health and Human Services Lifespan Respite Grants that partners with agencies across Oklahoma to support for caregivers.Community Engagement & Coalitions | Community Living, Aging and Protective Services (CAP) Loyd Lightfoot is an LRG Specialist with Oklahoma Human Services. A skilled professional with diverse experience in healthcare, tribal water/wastewater management, youth leadership, and community partnerships. Proven ability to organize conferences, recognize industry excellence, and collaborate with tribal housing authorities. Experienced in working with the Lifespan Respite Grant and Caregiving Resources. Community Living, Aging and Protective Services (CAP) | Oklahoma Human Servicesp. 405-521-2281 | c. 918-948-0810 |Apply for benefits SNAP, child care, TANF or other benefits.Need help applying? Call (405) 522-5050.https://oklahoma.gov/okdhs/services/cap.htmlShelley Gladden, Assistant Director at Oklahoma ABLE Tech since 2012, oversees the core programs of the AT Act, and plays a role in securing financial support at the state and federal level to better serve Oklahomans. An advocate for people with disabilities and a person with hearing loss, she serves on several state organizations and is passionate about serving Oklahomans.Shelley is Assistant Director – Assistive Technology Programs Oklahoma ABLE Tech, Oklahoma State University • Dept. of Wellness.

Cerise Turner is a dedicated public servant, community advocate and champion for peace whose lifelong commitment to service was recognized with the 2024 President Biden's Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service. This national honor reflects her extraordinary contribution of more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service devoted to improving the lives of seniors, youth and families across Washington, D.C.As Ms. Senior D.C. 2023 and a Senior Ambassador for the Department of Aging and Community Living, Cerise advocates for more than 120,000 older adults across all eight wards. Her leadership and outreach span hundreds of events from senior wellness centers to policy forums, parades, cultural celebrations and citywide resource fairs. She has given testimonies before the D.C. Council Committees and remains a trusted voice for equity, respect and quality of life for seniors.She describes her metamorphosis when she became Ms. Senior D.C. She re-made herself by pushing herself to step outside of her typical behind the scenes type of lifestyle. She recommends volunteering as a way to get outside of oneself and meet others. She continues to challenge herself and live her best life at age 67.In 2025, Cerise was named a United Nations Global Peace Ambassador (Appointed through an UN-affiliated NGO), a global recognition of her tireless efforts to promote unity, service, and community unity. She has also taken part in public awareness campaigns protecting seniors from fraud, served as a speaker on financial empowerment for women, and volunteered with countless interfaith and intergenerational initiatives.Cerise's professional background includes a successful career in the private legal sector in which she provided high-level litigation and legal support in leading law firms. Her work was marked by precision, discretion and a strong commitment to excellence, qualities that also define her volunteer leadership and advocacy.Her passion for service has guided her through roles such as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Educational Surrogate Parent for OSSE and Parent Watch Advocate where she supported children and families navigating complex educational and legal systems with empathy and determination.Her community contributions have earned her multiple certificates of appreciation and excellence from the Department of Aging and Community Living, recognition from senior wellness centers, and acknowledgments from local organizations for her steadfast commitment to outreach and engagement. Cerise continues to serve with grace, purpose and compassion believing that lasting change begins with kindness, courage and the willingness to show up for others.Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram:https://www.linkedin.com/in/cerise-elaine-turner-90901241/https://www.facebook.com/cerise.turner.1https://www.instagram.com/cerise.turner.1/

When it comes to making the move to a senior living community, few stories are as engaging and instructive as that of Dick Stohr. Recently interviewed by Steve Gurney of the Positive Aging Community, Dick shared his candid experiences—from his distinguished military and professional career to his eventual decision, alongside his wife Beverly, to embrace life in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) at Westminster at Lake Ridge in Northern Virginia.A Life of Service and ReinventionDick's journey began in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was born, educated, and married. His early career saw him serve as a naval flight officer, flying P-3 aircraft and participating in historic missions, including Apollo astronaut recoveries. After a decade in the Navy, Dick transitioned to a career as a Department of Defense contractor, rising through the ranks to become a company president.But Dick's story is also one of creative reinvention. Inspired by a Parade Magazine article, he rekindled his childhood love of yo-yos, eventually launching a 19-year career teaching “Yo-Yo Fun and the Science of Spin” in schools and libraries. When educational enrichment programs waned, Dick found a new passion in woodturning, later expanding into knife and scissor sharpening with his brother—the “Snippy Bros.”The Decision to Move: Planning with PurposeLike many, Dick and Beverly postponed the decision to move to a senior living community, revisiting the idea every few years. However, in their mid-seventies, they resolved not to leave the burden of difficult decisions to their sons, as their own parents had. “We wanted to make the move when we could choose, not when the family had to drag us out,” Dick explained.Their search was thorough, spanning communities from Fredericksburg to Winchester and Arlington. The Stohrs prioritized a CCRC model that would provide seamless transitions between independent living, assisted living, nursing, and memory care—avoiding the disruption of moving between separate organizations as needs changed. Ultimately, the not-for-profit model and familial atmosphere at Westminster Lake Ridge stood out. “This community acts like a family,” Dick noted, highlighting the supportive environment and integrated care.Downsizing: The Emotional ChallengeAfter 35 years in their family home, the move was daunting. Dick emphasized the importance of “taking emotion out of the process,” coining the acronym “STUFF” for “Superfluous Things Underfoot Forever.” The couple used professional services to declutter, donate, and store items—though Dick admits some yo-yos and papers still linger in storage.Life at Westminster at Lake Ridge: Ten Years OnNow celebrating a decade at Westminster at Lake Ridge, Dick describes a vibrant life enriched by community and purpose. He found a woodworking shop and a tribe of fellow enthusiasts, continuing his passion for woodworking and helping others. The Stohrs value the support system, social connections, and peace of mind that come with living in a community that feels like home.Dick's story is a testament to the power of preparation, adaptability, and embracing new chapters with intention. For those considering a similar move, his advice is clear: plan ahead, involve your family, and focus on what truly matters—community, purpose, and peace of mind.Watch the recording https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/videos/making-the-move-real-life-insights-into-life-plan-community-living

Simon Tierney has been meeting with the Russian community in Ireland and how they have dealt with the isolation of their country and the stigma of being a Russian living abroad since the invasion of Ukraine. Simon spoke to two Russians and a Ukrainian.in order to try and understand their predicament.

In this episode, Carl sits down with Mark Gaskin, COO of LEOS Development, to explore the new standard of development entering Dubai's real estate market. Mark shares what sets LEOS apart with their UK-led approach to quality and designs and why Dubai was the natural next step for them. From strategic locations to climate-adaptive communities and standout amenities, we dive into their current projects and what's next for LEOS in the region. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:17 Background of Leo's Development00:58 Entering the Dubai Market02:15 First Development: Hadley Heights04:02 Quality and Differentiation in Development06:48 Client Demographics and Sales Strategy11:09 Design Philosophy and Future Projects13:06 Broker Relationships and Market Feedback15:20 Innovative Payment Plans17:20 Climate Adaptive Community19:18 Designing for Practicality and Comfort20:46 Football and Community Spaces21:01 Designing Functional and Social Spaces22:06 Modern Amenities in Developments22:55 Community Living and Lifestyle24:52 Property Sizes and Market Trends25:56 Personal Experiences in Dubai27:21 Dubai's Real Estate Market Outlook33:10 Upcoming Project Launches37:02 Concluding Remarks and Future Plans Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sthiramanas giving a talk on the LBC's Community Living Day about the vision and principles of living in a residential Buddhist community. 

Romans 15:15-32

A young man is cycling across the country to raise awareness and funds for Community Living Centres across Canada. Lucas De Sousa, Community Living volunteer cycling across Canada, joins Evan to chat about the journey so far and what the organization means to him.

A FACT CHECK at the White House website proclaims “President Trump will always a protect Social Security and Medicare.” It goes on to quote Elon Musk saying “The waste and fraud in entitlement spending — which is most of the federal spending is entitlements — so, that's, like, the big one to eliminate. That's the, sort of half-trillion, maybe $6-700 billion a year.” After a list of “facts” about fraud, improper payments to deceased individuals and improper payments to both SSA and Medicare and Medicaid services, the page goes on to ask “What kind of a person doesn't support eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending that ultimately costs taxpayers more?”Link to the Whitehouse web site:https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/fact-check-president-trump-will-always-protect-social-security-medicare/Am I missing something? First, Social Security and Medicare are not entitlements, they are services for which older Americans have paid for by deductions from THEIR salaries. And , second, where is, in this so-called Fact Sheet, plans for how President Trump is going to preserve Social Security and Medicare except for a statement that reads “The Trump Administration will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. President Trump himself has said it (over and over and over again).”Conversely, President's Trump's budget seeks to reduce or eliminate the Older Americans Act, to dissolve the Administration for Community Living, and cut funding to critical services that help older adults to live independently.In order to be able to understand more completely what's going on, we called on Nathan Boucher, to explain the effect of Trump's real budget proposals on senior care. Nathan is Associate Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy and Duke University faculty at Sanford School of Public Policy, the Medical School, and the Nursing School. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Duke Center for the Study of Aging & Human Development as well as Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy Core Faculty. Nathan and I talked about the Older Americans Act and the Administration for Community Living which provide services like Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Care, Falls and Elder Abuse Prevention and Respite care as well as services for younger people with disabilities. We discussed that despite reassurances that Medicare and Medicaid will not be touched, plans are in the works for reducing Medicaid and adding a work requirement and more difficult paperwork which would affect at least 7.6 million people.

Speaker: Jeremy Vorce

On today's show CEO of Peel CAS, Mary Beth Moellenkamp has devoted her career to children in care in the Child Welfare system. She's here to share with us her story, experience, and the realities of working in this field. The Luminato Festival is back this June, and offering many inclusive performances in theatre, music, and dance, as well as unique Audio Described tours around the city. Christine Malec is here with the details, and the associated LuminoCity podcast. Plus, a recent report published by Community Living Ontario is shedding light on the exclusion, seclusion, and restraint of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. Shawn Pegg, Director of Social Policy & Strategic Initiatives with Community Living Ontario, has the update.  Find Kelly & Company on YouTube!About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca

We are delighted to welcome Swan Dao back for the second of his two-part episode on the ⁠Mangu.tv⁠ podcast series. Giancarlo and Swan pick up from where they left off in part one. They have a heartfelt conversation covering communal living, personal growth, creativity, sexuality, BDSM and spirituality. Swan shares his insights on communal living and the value of sustained effort and open communication for growth. They speak about the healing potential of tantra and BDSM, and Swan offers his perspective on the value of power dynamics involved with BDSM, which is often stigmatised. He speaks about his disenchantment with the hetronormativity in the sacred sexuality world, and the value of expressing desires and boundaries in an intimate setting, as well as deconstructing societal norms, and the empowerment of social liberation.  Giancarlo and Swan speak about inspirations and passions. Swan shares his love for medicinal, edible plants and polyphonic singing. He speaks about upcoming retreats, including a singing tour in Georgia. Swan highlights the importance of experiential approaches to understanding consciousness and spirituality, focusing on experiences and practices. Finally, Giancarlo and Swan discuss collective growth as opposed to personal growth and the value of recognising the interconnectedness of all beings.

We spoke with Executive Director Gloria Carlson about helping people with developmental disabilities participate in community life.Jewish Association for Community Living is involved in the Travelers Championship Birdies for Charity program. Thanks to the support of Webster Bank, organizations have the opportunity to receive a 15% bonus on every donation through the program with no credit card or administration fees...so please donate!

A new report by Community Living Ontario details the disturbing treatment of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. The report, titled “Crisis in the Classroom,” provides an analysis of the Ontario School Inclusion Survey. The report's author Shawn Pegg breaks down some of the findings with host Grant Hardy. Check out the Pulse on YouTube!About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca

Non-Profit 4-26-25 P3 Yolanda Robano-Gross - Options For Community Living by JVC Broadcasting

Today, we're diving into the journey of Sister Monica Clare - a woman who went from working in advertising and doing stand-up comedy to becoming a nun. Her story is a powerful testament to finding who you truly are and discovering a deeper connection with God. We'll explore her path of discernment, her experiences in religious community, and how she's now using TikTok to break down misconceptions about religious life. Sister Monica Clare will share insights on prayer, community, and finding your true calling - revealing that spiritual life isn't about perfection, but about genuine human connection and love. We explore a lot in her story, so join us. Sister Monica Clare is the Sister Superior at the Community of St. John Baptist, an Episcopal convent based in New Jersey, and a spiritual counselor specializing in religious trauma, mental illness, and addiction. Before becoming a nun in 2012, she worked as a photo editor in L.A. and performed in an acoustic rock duo and an improv comedy troupe.Sister Monica's Book:A Change of HabitSister Monica's Recommendation:God Didn't Make Us to Hates UsSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Ashley T Lee PodcastAshley T. Lee Podcast will cover many life issues such as overcoming stress, anxiety...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Support the show

In this powerful episode of IDD Health Matters, Dr. Craig Escudé sits down with longtime civil rights attorney, disability advocate, and former Acting Administrator of the Administration for Community Living, Alison Barkoff. Now serving as the Hirsch Health Law and Policy Professor at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, Alison shares her personal journey rooted in her experiences as a sibling of a person with an intellectual disability—and how that shaped her life's mission to advance health equity, civil rights, and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Together, they explore: The historic update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act—modernizing anti-discrimination protections in healthcare for the first time in nearly 50 years. The hard truths about ableism, medical bias, and discriminatory crisis standards of care exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The urgent need to incorporate clinical care curricula into medical and health professional training to eliminate health disparities for people with IDD. The challenges of navigating a fragmented service system—and why it's still worth the fight. Alison also shares her top three calls to action for improving the lives of people with IDD: building personal connections, embracing inclusive healthcare reform, and confronting the systemic complexity with commitment and compassion. If you're a healthcare professional, policymaker, or advocate looking to better understand the intersection of disability rights, healthcare, and public policy—this is an episode you don't want to miss.

In this powerful episode of IDD Health Matters, Dr. Craig Escudé sits down with longtime civil rights attorney, disability advocate, and former Acting Administrator of the Administration for Community Living, Alison Barkoff. Now serving as the Hirsch Health Law and Policy Professor at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, Alison shares her personal journey rooted in her experiences as a sibling of a person with an intellectual disability—and how that shaped her life's mission to advance health equity, civil rights, and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Together, they explore: The historic update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act—modernizing anti-discrimination protections in healthcare for the first time in nearly 50 years. The hard truths about ableism, medical bias, and discriminatory crisis standards of care exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The urgent need to incorporate clinical care curricula into medical and health professional training to eliminate health disparities for people with IDD. The challenges of navigating a fragmented service system—and why it's still worth the fight. Alison also shares her top three calls to action for improving the lives of people with IDD: building personal connections, embracing inclusive healthcare reform, and confronting the systemic complexity with commitment and compassion. If you're a healthcare professional, policymaker, or advocate looking to better understand the intersection of disability rights, healthcare, and public policy—this is an episode you don't want to miss.

Is the source of yearning for connection on a human level the same as longing for God on a spiritual level? The urge for connection is pre-thought, pre-psychological. It begins at birth when we first experience separateness. Practice is about patterning the nervous system to let go. When we can sit in the center of the storm of our feelings, we can be with suffering and with "what is" in a way that does not seek fulfillment. To come to acceptance doesn't always happen gracefully. To go fully into yearning—a process that happens over and over—leads to shattering, which is a doorway to reassembling without the same identification. We may yearn for love and project that we'll be satisfied on a human level and find that we long for love on a much deeper level. Acceptance of every part of us, and of the masculine and feminine, brings us to the next level. Suffering doesn't end when we accept suffering, but something shifts. Longing and suffering co-exist. It feels different when we are able to ride the waves of heartbreak. The ability to hold personal and universal suffering is needed in the world. Hate is projection of suffering onto others; realizing this helps us to be compassionate. Clinging is part of life and never disappears, but our work with it can be incorporated into practice. We need a strong matrix to hold longing. In each incarnation we may have one destiny to fulfill, which involves use of the body. We don't read a book to experience the wine; we empty our cup and drink the wine. Longing is satisfied in the longing itself. Letting go of expectations opens us to a commitment to love. We can work with desire and identity, letting go again and again. To honor longing is not a casual choice. Debbie Hogeland-Celebucki is an advocate for the wisdom of community and conscious parenting and the author of Widening the Circle: Inspiration and Guidance for Community Living.

What happens when critical aging services are put on the chopping block? The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is facing major restructuring, potentially dismantling key programs that support older adults and individuals with disabilities. In this episode, Howard Gleckman and Alison Bankoff explain why this decision matters—not just for seniors, but for families, caregivers, and communities nationwide. We'll break down the potential consequences, discuss how advocacy groups are responding, and highlight what you can do to ensure these vital services remain intact.

The Future of Independent Living for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Join hosts Jake and Gino in this eye-opening episode of the Jake and Gino Podcast as they sit down with affordable housing advocate and mobile home developer Franco Perez. Franco shares his inspiring journey from growing up in California as an immigrant, struggling to afford housing, to becoming a pioneer in the affordable housing sector through innovative mobile home developments.Discover how Franco is transforming communities by debunking common myths about mobile homes, optimizing construction processes, and advocating for affordable, sustainable housing solutions. If you've ever wondered about the untapped potential of mobile home investments, this is an episode you can't miss!Key Highlights:Franco's journey from struggling immigrant to mobile home developerThe financial realities of mobile home ownership in high-cost areasThe stigma around mobile homes and how to overcome itHow mobile home parks are reshaping affordable housing solutionsInvestment opportunities in the mobile home sectorInnovative construction processes and faster build timelinesResources & Links:Franco's YouTube Channel: Franco Mobile HomesInstagram: @francosiliconvalleyConnect with Franco: www.franco.tvSubscribe for more insights on real estate, entrepreneurship, and creating long-term wealth! Chapters:00:00 - Introduction  00:50 - Franco's Backstory: From Immigrant to Affordable Housing Advocate  04:35 - Discovering the Potential of Mobile Homes  07:42 - The True Cost of Homeownership vs Renting  12:48 - Building Community and Value  15:57 - Community Amenities in Modern Mobile Home Parks  26:25 - How Mobile Home Investments Create Wealth  35:11 - Gino Wraps it Up  We're here to help create multifamily entrepreneurs... Here's how: Brand New? Start Here: https://jakeandgino.mykajabi.com/free-wheelbarrowprofits Want To Get Into Multifamily Real Estate Or Scale Your Current Portfolio Faster? Apply to join our PREMIER MULTIFAMILY INVESTING COMMUNITY & MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. (*Note: Our community is not for beginner investors)

As adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities strive to live more freely and fully than ever before, many of America's doctors, hospitals and insurers are getting in the way. We get an inside look at one doctor's quest to improve health care for people with conditions like Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism.Guests:Alison Barkoff, JD, Administration for Community Living, HHSKevin CarlsonClarissa Kripke, MD, Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Director of the Office of Developmental Primary Care; University of California, San FranciscoMarjorie Ongpauco, BSN, RN, Nursing ConsultantHarold Pollack, PhD, Professor of Social Work, Policy and Practice; University of ChicagoDonna Valencia, BSN, RN, MSN, Administrator, Group Home AdministratorLeslie Walker, Senior Producer/Reporter, TradeoffsLearn more and read a full transcript on our website.Want more Tradeoffs? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter featuring the latest health policy research and news.Support this type of journalism today, with a gift. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could beehives be the next big amenity in multifamily communities? It might sound surprising, but rooftop hives are making their way from office buildings into residential spaces—offering sustainability, local honey production, and even allergy benefits!Today, we're drawing attention to an insightful conversation from the JLL Trends and Insights Podcast, exploring how beehives are enhancing urban environments. Plus, I share my personal routine with local honey and how it helps with seasonal allergies.Also, a big shoutout to Suzanne Hopson on her new podcast, Multifamily Elevated! If you haven't subscribed yet, now's the time. Her latest episode with Donald Davidoff is a must-watch!What do you think—would you welcome a beehive in your multifamily community? Let's talk in the comments!Like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more insights on Multifamily, Leadership, and PropTech!

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act has been a cornerstone of disability rights for over 50 years—so why is it under attack now? In this special mini-sode, we are joined by Alison Barkoff, former head of HHS' Administration for Community Living and a lifelong disability advocate, to unpack the legal battle, the misinformation fueling it, and the action we need to take right now. This isn't a policy debate, it's a fight for our rights, our healthcare, and our futures. PDF Transcript Web Transcript Show Notes: DREDF Protect 504: An informative overview of the lawsuit which could result in Section 504 being overturned and clear direction on what you can do to protect it DREDF Protect 504 Plain Language: A plain language PDF version of the DREDF Protect 504 page HHS Section 504: The official rule for Section 504 including the 2024 update Texas v. Becerra: The official court document for the Texas v. Becerra case

John Jason and Tom Maughan, residents of a Castlebar halting site; Niall Collins, Minister of State at the Department of Justice; Claire Kerrane, Sinn Féin TD for Roscommon–Galway; Peadar Tóibín, Aontú leader; Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

As caregivers for our loved ones with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, we often face the challenging question: "Is it time to change my care receiver's living situation?" We are Nancy Treaster and Sue Ryan, and through our experiences, we've developed five essential tips to help you navigate this complex decision-making process. Connect with us and share your tips: Website: https://www.thecaregiversjourney.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaregiversjourney/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCaregiversJourneys/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suearmstrongryan/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancytreaster/Email: sue@thecaregiversjourney.com, nancy@thecaregiversjourney.com Full Show Notes https://thecaregiversjourney.com/time-for-a-change-home-and-community-living-options-five-essential-tips-alzheimers-and-other-dementias/ Takeaways 1. Understand Your Financial Resources This foundational step requires a thorough assessment of both current and future financial resources. Professional Resources to Consult: - Financial advisors (especially those specializing in senior care) - Elder care attorneys - Government program specialists Income Sources to Consider: - Care receiver's savings - Pensions - Long-term care insurance - Public health insurance (Medicaid in the US) - Social Security disability benefits - Family contributions Expenses to Evaluate: - Home modifications - Safety adjustments - In-home caregiving costs - Day program fees - Potential lost income if reducing work hours - Care community costs 2. Research Care Options There are three main categories of care options to evaluate: Non-Residential Options: - Respite programs - Memory cafes - Day programs In-Home Options: - Professional caregiving services - Government programs (VA benefits, Medicare services) - Family caregiver arrangements Care Communities: - Memory care specific facilities - Communities with memory care units - Different care models and staffing levels - Waiting list considerations 3. Assess Home Safety This evaluation should include multiple perspectives: Medical Assessment: - Get an updated medical evaluation - Discuss current and future safety risks - Request occupational therapy assessment Key Safety Considerations: - Wandering risk - Cabinet and door safety - Mobility challenges - Fall prevention - Depth perception issues - Stairs and accessibility - Emergency services access 4. Evaluate Medical Needs Current and Future Medical Considerations: - Impact of multiple diagnoses - Care complexity - Required medical procedures - Medication management - Physical care requirements 5. Prioritize Wellbeing for Both Care Receiver and Caregiver This final tip focuses on quality of life considerations for everyone involved. Socialization Needs: - Care receiver's social preferences - Community engagement opportunities - Caregiver isolation prevention - Balance of stimulation and comfort Safety and Emotional Considerations: - Physical safety for both parties - Emotional wellbeing - Caregiver burnout prevention - Managing aggressive behaviors - Personal boundaries Making the Final Decision: - Consider all evaluation points - Involve family members - Maintain awareness of available options - Stay connected with potential care communities - Be prepared to act when needed

We were visiting the George Herbert Walker Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas with David and Sallie Burnett in April of 2022. David took the seat behind the Resolute Desk and said these prophetic words- “It is up to us to give back to society. It is what makes us great.” Not all giants stand tall. Some walk among us quietly, leaving footprints not in sand but in the hearts of those they meet. Such was David Burnett. Lafayette, Colorado, is like many small towns—a place where neighbors know each other's names, where the rhythm of life hums along at a steady, familiar pace. But every so often, a soul comes along who doesn't just live in a town, across a cul-de-sac, but weaves himself into its very fabric. David Burnett was that kind of man.He was more than just a neighbor—he was a force for good. A board member on countless nonprofit organizations, he didn't just believe in making a difference; he did it, over and over again. And not by standing on soapboxes, not with grand speeches, but with something far more powerful: a giving heart, a generous spirit, and the courage to ask others to join him. Consider this: David served on the board of the Association for Community Living in Boulder County, advocating for those with developmental disabilities. He sat on the finance committee, ensuring funds were wisely allocated to provide services and opportunities for those who needed them most. At EPIC, he was a trusted advisor, working to expand employer-sponsored childcare. He understood that when working parents had reliable childcare, families and businesses thrived.And so, he worked. Not for accolades. Not for recognition. But because it was the right thing to do. He lent his expertise and heart to the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation Board, knowing that quality healthcare should never be a privilege—it should be a promise. And the YMCA of Northern Colorado? David's fingerprints are there, too. The recent opening of the Inspire Preschool and Infant Care was a testament to his unwavering belief that all children—regardless of background—deserved a strong start. His dream was free universal preschool, a vision he pursued with the same fire that fueled his every endeavor. Some people shy away from asking for help. Not David. He knew the secret—people want to give; they just need someone to show them how. And he was that someone. A phone call, a handshake, a moment of eye contact—David had a way of making you believe that yes, you could do more, you should do more. And because he believed it, you believed it too. He and his wife, Sallie, raised their daughter, Brittany, with the same values. She watched, she learned, she followed in his footsteps. Devoting her life to nonprofits wasn't just a career choice; it was a calling, a legacy. Her father's legacy. And that legacy lives on. Recently, the David Burnett Childcare Center opened at the YMCA of Northern Colorado. Brittany said, “Dad worked so incredibly hard for this project and for free universal preschool for children of all ages across Colorado. His vision was to open access for early childhood education to give them a chance to succeed at an early age. I am proud of his legacy and heart for others.” As for David's career? He was a bank executive with Wells Fargo who happened to see beyond the money and into the currency of life itself. But even the strongest among us are not invincible. Colon cancer came for David at 55. Too soon. Far too soon. And yet, some legacies are not measured in years but in lives touched. In lessons taught. In communities made stronger, charities made richer, hearts made fuller. David Burnett was better than a friend. Better than a brother. More than next of kin. He was a resolute role model.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

Please join Attorney Kim Lisa Taylor and co-Host Krisha Young as they interview Devana Came and Reid Stadelman. Our guests will tell us how they have created sober living facilities that provide both a community benefit and rental income. This is part of our Beyond Multi-family series, where we introduce our audience to alternative asset classes that they can turn into profitable business models (or you can just invest with our guests).Introduction to Sober Living Housing and Personal Motivations (00:00:02)Krisha Young introduced the podcast and guests Devana Came and Reed Stadelman. Devana shared her personal connection to addiction through family experiences and her motivation to create better sober living environments after seeing inadequate facilities.Operational Structure and Community Living (00:04:13)Devana explained how sober living houses function as mutually supportive environments, with residents typically coming directly from rehab facilities. She described management practices, including meeting attendance requirements and house cleaning responsibilities.Neighborhood Relations and Legal Considerations (00:09:32)The guests discussed their experiences with neighborhood relations, including dealing with pushback from neighbors and legal protections under the Federal Fair Housing Disabilities Act. They emphasized the importance of being good neighbors and maintaining property standards.Financial Aspects and Investment Considerations (00:38:07)Devana and Reed discussed the financial aspects of operating sober living facilities, including potential income levels ranging from $850 to $3,500 per bed depending on location. They emphasized the importance of maintaining quality while achieving profitability.Future Plans and Expansion (01:01:38)The guests shared their current operations of four houses with 71 beds, soon expanding to 76 beds. They also discussed plans to add residential assisted living to their portfolio to help with elderly care. 

In this episode of "Next Steps 4 Seniors: Conversations on Aging," host Wendy Jones and Erica Ancel, director of operations at Next Steps 4 Seniors, discuss the critical issue of elder abuse. Elder abuse is a hidden crisis affecting millions of seniors, often going unnoticed and unreported. In this eye-opening episode, we dive into the harsh realities of financial exploitation, physical abuse, emotional manipulation, and neglect. Erica shares powerful real-life stories, including a heartbreaking case of an elderly woman scammed online and a granddaughter misusing her power of attorney. You’ll learn: • How cunning scammers target seniors, leading to an estimated $28 billion in financial losses annually. • The subtle red flags of abuse—unexplained injuries, social withdrawal, and sudden financial changes. • Practical tips to protect your loved ones, from screening calls to securing their home environment. Don’t miss this critical conversation that could help you recognize, prevent, and respond to elder abuse in your community. Resources for Help If you suspect elder abuse, there’s a national hotline (1-800-677-1116) provided by the Administration for Community Living to report cases and connect victims with help. Every senior deserves to live with dignity, respect, and safety. By staying informed and vigilant, we can make a significant difference in the lives of older adults. Tune in to our latest episode to learn more and join us in the fight against elder abuse. Have questions or suggestions? Call 248-651-5010 or email hello@nextsteps4seniors.com. For podcast topics or sponsorship opportunities, contact marketing@nextsteps4seniors.com. Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, and share on your favorite podcast platform. Visit NextSteps4Seniors.com to learn more and explore additional resources. Let’s take the next steps together! This episode is proudly sponsored by Aeroflow Urology, a leader in incontinence care solutions. You may be eligible to receive your incontinence supplies at no cost through your insurance, delivered discreetly and directly to your door. *Some exclusions apply Visit aeroflowurology.com/ns4s to learn more and see if you're eligible.Support our mission: https://nextsteps4seniors.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Great Line up for Tangazo -----   We begin with St.Louis 6th Ward Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, discussing her bill to change St.Louis's form of government,to a City Manager type,such as used by Kansas City and various other cities of similar size,throughout the country. ----- Tangazo commentator, social justice activist, Attorney Etefia Umana and former two term Kansas City Councilman Jermaine Reed, join Tangazo Host/producer Hank Thompson, for this important discussion. ------- Fairmount City Attorney, Marleen Menendez Suarez, will discuss how President Trump's, new immigration executive orders, impacts immigrants in the metro area. ------ Ferguson Mayor Ella M. Jones, joins us at 1:30pm to discuss a proposed occupancy permit bill, that is being considered by the Ferguson City Council. ------

Caring for Boomer Generation: Building Upon History To Plan The FutureAs the baby boomer generation ages, America's current long-term service and support system (LTSS) faces mounting pressure. With the volume of seniors requiring care increasing, it's becoming clear that our existing infrastructure has opportunities to build person-centered systems to meet the needs and desires of this growing population. In this episode, we dive into how we can learn from our past to understand the critical need for expanding Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), allowing more seniors to age in place while ensuring institutional services remain available for those who need them most. Join us as we explore what this shift means for families, healthcare providers, and policymakers and how it could reshape the future of aging in America.Objectives: Discuss societal history impacting the evolution of caring for the aging population. Describe characteristics of populations impacting the care of the aging population.Explain future considerations in the care of the aging population. Guests: Ashley l Ebert, MSN, ARNP, FNP-CWith over a decade of experience as a nurse practitioner, Ashley has spent 8 years mastering acute care across diverse settings and just over 2 years specializing in geriatric care.  In both roles, she has led initiatives to enhance quality care, advocated for better access to healthcare, and focused on the unique needs of rural communities.  Her passion lies in people leadership and fostering the growth and development of clinicians to ensure long-term success in the field of healthcare.She is honored to have been selected as her company's Senior Living representative for a national Townhall, sitting alongside senior leaders, bringing collaboration and a focus on improved care transitions to the forefront.  Additionally, Ashley was selected as a co-chair for a company-wide NP group, which boasts a vibrant community of nearly 5000 members, where she helps create a space for connection, professional growth, and networking.Casey Fowler, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, GS-C, FAANPCasey Fowler is a family nurse practitioner sub-specialized in geriatrics. He has been working with older adults in institutional and community-based settings for more than fifteen years. The last eight years, he has been leading other nursing professionals caring for this population, and he has been advancing his knowledge in leadership. Casey earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice from Gonzaga University in 2015, studying the use of nonpharmacologic interventions for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia using the middle-range nursing theory of Person-Centred Care as described by McCormack and McCance. Casey has gone on to apply these principles to his leadership style, in what he calls person-centered leadership. Casey has been a speaker at many local, regional, and national events on a variety of topics, and this year, he was inducted into the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners for his work building the first postgraduate fellowship for nurse practitioners to gain specialty training in geriatrics and complex adults as well as his work developing other leaders in his field. Casey's current focus is on leveraging our nation's resources to best care for our aging population in a way that meets the needs of both rural and urban populations.References: Administration for Community Living. (2-24, February 27). Retrieved from Administration for Community Living: https://acl.gov/news-and-events/announcements/acls-dcw-strategies-center-launches-multi-pronged-effort-strengthenAlzheimer's Association. (2011). Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers. Retrieved from Alzheimer's Association

On this week's Talk Local to Me, Heather Alto from the Central Virginia Business Coalition chats about everything happening around the holidays in Central Virginia. She kicks things off with talk about Amazon's Black Friday deals and Gallagher's insurance services, then dives into Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday, and upcoming Christmas parades—all while highlighting why supporting local businesses matters. Vicky Craig from the Central Virginia Alliance for Community Living shares info about services for older adults and the heartwarming “Elves for Elders” program. Kristen Breedlove from Minnie's Travel Boutique joins in with tips on Disney travel, perfect for creating unforgettable holiday memories. It's all about making the most of the season and adding a little magic to your holidays!

Father James Martin and our host, Elizabeth Oldfield discuss his journey to becoming a Catholic priest and the Jesuit motto of finding God in everything. We spoke about the difficulty of living a life of chastity, becoming a vocal advocate for LGBTQ inclusion within the Catholic Church and navigating backlash as a public figure. If you enjoy episodes of The Sacred don't forget to hit subscribe to be notified whenever we release an episode!

Welcome to Seniors and the People Who Love Them, the podcast where we dive into the issues that matter most to seniors and those who care for them. In today's episode, we're exploring a powerful force in American politics—the senior vote. With millions of seniors across the country heading to the polls, their voices have the potential to shape elections, influence policies, and advocate for the issues that directly impact their lives. Join the ladies today as we discuss the importance of the senior vote, how to get reliable information in this age of AI and social media and what to do to ensure your vote counts. Don't let November 5th go bye without having your vote counted!Here are some additional resources about voting:AARP:https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/How to Vote in Maryland's 2024 Elections: https://states.aarp.org/maryland/election-voting-guideAmerican Bar Association: Making it Easier for Seniors to Register and Vote: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/senior_lawyers/resources/voice-of-experience/2024-february/making-it-easier-for-seniors-to-register-and-vote/Administration for Community Living puts out a great resource called Voting Resources for Older Adults and People with Disabilities. This resource covers all of the very important bills both Federal and by State that pertain to Seniors and people with Disabilities. https://acl.gov/news-and-events/announcements/voting-resources-older-americans-and-people-disabilities

He's joined us before, and we're glad to have him back again. Tom Miazga just won another title! Tom found his passion for sport in the pool. Miazga was introduced to the Paralympic Organization his freshman year of high school. He quickly gained international experience as a member of the 2007 Para Pan-Am Team in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He's such an inspiration, we're so glad to call him a friend. Then Lynn McLaughlin & Karen Iverson-Riggers are in-studio to talk about Community Living Room. The Community Living Room is a non-clinical, person-centered environment for people seeking social connection and emotional support and is focused on present-moment connection and support.   Maino and the Mayor is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 6-9 am on WGBW in Green Bay and on WISS in Appleton/Oshkosh. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with Maino and the Mayor!

City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail. Special Episode. The vibrant city of Miami found itself in the grip of fear. A serial attacker, later dubbed the Shenandoah Rapist, stalked the streets, leaving a trail of trauma and panic in his wake. This is the story of a community under siege, the relentless pursuit of justice, and the shocking twists that kept a city on edge. The interview with Detective Cox is available as a free podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website or most major podcast platforms. A Community Living in Fear From 2002 to 2003, Miami's Little Havana and Shenandoah neighborhoods became hunting grounds for a predator. The serial rapist targeted females indiscriminately, with victims ranging from children as young as 11 to elderly women in their late 70s. As attacks mounted, so did the fear. Residents locked their doors, watched their children closely, and eyed strangers with suspicion. Be sure to check out the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and most all social media platforms. The Miami-Dade Police Department found itself under immense pressure. Detective Wayne Cox, one of the lead investigators, shouldered the burden of tracking down this elusive criminal and restoring peace to the terrorized communities. The Elusive Predator, City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, the Shenandoah Rapist remained a shadow. Described as an immigrant with a Central American accent, he blended seamlessly into the diverse Miami landscape. Each attack added to the growing frustration and criticism faced by the police department. As weeks turned into months, authorities increased the reward for information to $25,000, hoping to break the case. The community was on edge, desperate for any lead that might bring the nightmare to an end. Keep informed by following the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, MeWe, Pinterest, Newsbreak, Medium and other social media platforms. A Breakthrough and a Setback. City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail. Special Episode. The case nearly cracked open when a brave Miami resident confronted the suspect during an attempted assault on his sister-in-law. In the ensuing struggle, the attacker managed to escape, but not before leaving behind crucial evidence - his DNA from biting his pursuer. The real breakthrough came on September 19, 2003. A sharp-eyed Miami police officer, acting on instinct, pulled over a vehicle matching the description of the suspect's car. The driver provided a DNA sample that would prove to be the key to unlocking the case. As the DNA results came back positive, Miami breathed a collective sigh of relief. The police department celebrated the arrest, believing the reign of terror was finally over. But the story was far from finished. Listen to this interview as a free podcast on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most major podcast platforms. Escape from Justice. City in Panic From Serial Attacks.  In a shocking turn of events that seemed ripped from the pages of a thriller, the accused serial rapist orchestrated a daring escape from jail on December 20, 2003. Along with another inmate, he climbed through a vent in the ceiling of his cell, made his way to the sixth-floor roof, and used bed sheets as a makeshift rope to rappel down the building. The escape sent shockwaves through the community, reigniting the panic that had gripped Miami for months. Law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, leaving no stone unturned in their search for the fugitive. Neighborhoods were combed, airports and train stations were monitored, and ports were placed on high alert. The Final Capture. City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail.  For nearly a week, Miami held its breath. Then, a tip led detectives to a video store in southwest Miami. On a Monday night, Detective Cox and his partner closed in on their target. Despite the suspect's attempts to mislead officers by claiming to be a homeless man from Nicaragua, his true identity was quickly confirmed. Follow the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, MeWe and other social media platforms.  Articles about this are on Newsbreak and Medium. The recapture brought a wave of relief to the city, but the ordeal had left its mark. The community, while grateful for the resolution, was forever changed by the experience. Justice and Healing. City in Panic From Serial Attacks.  The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of closure to the victims and the community. In a powerful courtroom moment, one of the survivors - who was just 11 years old at the time of her assault - confronted her attacker. Now 14, she bravely read a statement, calling him an "evil person" while also expressing her determination not to let hatred consume her. The judge's sentence was swift and severe: five consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. The prosecutor didn't mince words, emphasizing the brutality of the crimes and describing the attacker as "a sexual predator of the worst type" who had "forever stripped her of her childhood." The case of the Shenandoah Rapist serves as a stark reminder of the impact that violent criminals can have on a community. It highlights the importance of vigilance, both from law enforcement and citizens alike. The successful resolution of the case was a testament to the persistence of detectives like Wayne Cox, whose efforts are chronicled in his book "Miami Panic: The Story of Wayne Cox and The Shenandoah Rapist." As Miami moved forward from this dark chapter, the focus shifted to healing and prevention. The case prompted crucial discussions about improving jail security, enhancing communication between law enforcement and communities, and providing better support for survivors of sexual assault. Listen to the interview with Detective Cox which is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website and most major podcast Platforms. The Power of Community and Technology. City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail. Special Episode. This case underscores the crucial role that community involvement plays in solving crimes. The tip that led to the rapist's recapture after his escape came from an alert citizen. Similarly, the initial break in the case came from a combination of community vigilance and good police work. Advancements in DNA technology proved instrumental in linking the suspect to the crime scenes, highlighting the importance of forensic science in modern criminal investigations. As law enforcement continues to evolve, the integration of technology and traditional police work remains a powerful combination in the fight against crime. A City Forever Changed. City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail.  The story of the Shenandoah Rapist is more than just a true crime tale. It's a narrative about a city's resilience in the face of terror, the tireless efforts of law enforcement, and the strength of survivors. While the events of 2002-2003 left an indelible mark on Miami, they also served as a catalyst for change and a reminder of the importance of community solidarity in the face of adversity. Check out the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, MeWe and other social media platforms. Articles about this are on Newsbreak and Medium. As we reflect on this case, it's crucial to remember the victims and their ongoing journey of healing. Their courage in confronting their attacker and reclaiming their lives serves as an inspiration to us all. Through continued vigilance, support for survivors, and advancements in law enforcement techniques, we can work towards creating safer communities for everyone. The Shenandoah Rapist case remains a powerful reminder that even in our darkest hours, the combined efforts of a determined community and dedicated law enforcement can overcome evil and bring justice to light. This interview is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website and most major podcast Platforms. Breakfast With Champions in the Clubhouse Social Audio App a solution for Loneliness? It has helped countless people and might help you too. Best of all Breackfast With Champions and the Clubhouse Social Audio app are both free. Loneliness has become a significant public health concern in the United States, affecting millions across all age groups. The sense of isolation and disconnection can have serious consequences for both physical and mental well-being. Connect and make new friends from around the world daily in the Breakfast With Champions Rooms in the Clubhouse App, get more details on their website, www.TheBWCInfo.com Listen to this for free in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website or most major podcast platforms. Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page, look for the one with the bright green logo. Be sure to check out our website. Get your daily dose of Motivation, Education and Inspiration in the Breakfast With Champions Rooms In The Clubhouse app, both are free. Be sure to follow us on MeWe, X, Instagram, Facebook,Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. Get the latest news articles, without all the bias and spin, from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on the Newsbreak app, which is free. City in Panic From Serial Attacks. He Escaped Jail. Special Episode. Attributions Miami New Times Gainesville Sun Fox News KLTV  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Use fact-finding and open communication to learn your clients' budget and coverage needs. We've got statistics, tips, and strategies for agents to help clients navigate today's financial environment.    Read the text version    Contact the Agent Survival Guide Podcast! Email us ASGPodcast@Ritterim.com or call 1-717-562-7211 and leave a voicemail.   Resources: Does Your Medicare Sales Approach Satisfy Different Budgets? https://ritterim.com/blog/does-your-medicare-sales-approach-satisfy-different-budgets/ How to Check Medicare Extra Help Eligibility for Your Client: https://ritterim.com/blog/how-to-check-medicare-extra-help-eligibility-for-your-client/  How to Keep Clients Safe From Insurance Fraud: https://ritterim.com/blog/how-to-keep-clients-safe-from-insurance-fraud/ Knight School Training: Cross-Selling Long-Term Care Insurance: https://ritterim.com/knight-school/expand-dominate/cross-sell/7/ Knight School Training: D-SNP Eligibility: https://ritterim.com/knight-school/solid-foundation/understanding-special-needs-plans/3/ Knight School Training: Understand What's Important to Your Client: https://ritterim.com/knight-school/learning-to-sell/assessing-needs/7/ Ritter Fact Finder PDF: https://ritterim.com/documents/ritter-fact-finder.pdf Why Trust Is an Insurance Agent's Most Important Non-Renewable Resource: https://ritterim.com/blog/why-trust-is-an-insurance-agents-most-important-non-renewable-resource/    References: Lee, Anne Marie. “Americans Are Spending the Biggest Share of Their Income on Food in 3 Decades.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 26 Feb. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/inflation-consumer-spending-food-and-restaurants-disposable-income-2024/. “Cost of Long Term Care by State: Cost of Care Report.” Genworth, Genworth Financial, Inc, https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024. “Federal Poverty Level (FPL) - Glossary.” HealthCare.Gov, https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/federal-poverty-level-fpl/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024. “Food Prices and Spending.” USDA ERS - Food Prices and Spending, USDA, 27 June 2024, www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-prices-and-spending/?topicId=2b168260-a717-4708-a264-cb354e815c67. Committee of the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, et al. “Health Status and Health Care Service Utilization.” Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, National Academic Press (US), Washington D.C., 2008, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215400/. Accessed 1 Aug. 2024. Jayashankar, Aparna, and Anthony Murphy. “High Inflation Disproportionately Hurts Low-Income Households.” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 10 Jan. 2023, www.dallasfed.org/research/economics/2023/0110. “How Much Care Will You Need?” ACL Administration for Community Living, 18 Feb. 2020, https://www.acl.gov/ltc/basic-needs/how-much-care-will-you-need. Pollitz, Karen, et al. “KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance.” KFF, KFF, 19 Dec. 2023, www.kff.org/private-insurance/poll-finding/kff-survey-of-consumer-experiences-with-health-insurance/. Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski. “Income and Assets of Medicare Beneficiaries in 2023.” KFF, KFF, 9 Feb. 2024, www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/income-and-assets-of-medicare-beneficiaries-in-2023/. Klein, Michael. “Inflation and Prices.” Econofact, Econofact, 12 Feb. 2024, econofact.org/inflation-and-prices. Glasmeier, Amy K. “New Data Posted: 2023 Living Wage Calculator.” Living Wage Calculator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1 Feb. 2023, https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/103-new-data-posted-2023-living-wage-calculator. Taaka, Brian. “The Power of Reading the Room: A Vital Skill for Success in Life and Business.” LinkedIn, LinkedIn, 13 July 2023, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-reading-room-vital-skill-success-life-business-brian-taaka. Klien, Michael. “U.S. Inflation Trends and Outlook in 2024.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/forrester/2024/02/02/us-inflation-trends-and-outlook-in-2024/. Miglani, Jitender. “US Inflation Trends and Outlook, 2024.” Forrester, Forrester, 28 Jan. 2024, www.forrester.com/blogs/us-inflation-trends-and-outlook-2024/.   Follow Us on Social!  Ritter on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/RitterIM Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/ritter.insurance.marketing/ LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/ritter-insurance-marketing TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@ritterim X, https://twitter.com/RitterIM and Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/user/RitterInsurance       Sarah on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjrueppel/ Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thesarahjrueppel/ and Threads, https://www.threads.net/@thesarahjrueppel    Tina on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-lamoreux-6384b7199/

Imagine a world where our deepest wounds are not just healed but transformed into our greatest gifts—a world where the boundaries between the human and the divine dissolve in the dance of everyday life.Today, I'm thrilled to take you on a journey with Gaia Ma, a visionary leader in personal and spiritual transformation.Gaia Ma is the founder of The Tantric Way Process, an innovative approach that blends tantra, trauma healing, breathwork, and conscious community living to guide individuals toward greater freedom and authenticity.As the co-founder of InanItah, an earth-based spiritual community on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, Gaia has created a living and learning center dedicated to regenerative living and the evolution of human potential.In this episode, we'll delve into the depths of sacred sexuality, explore the transformative power of breathwork, and learn how intentional communities like InanItah are redefining what it means to live in harmony with ourselves and the planet.Whether you're a seeker, a skeptic, or somewhere in between, get ready to dive deep into a conversation that promises to challenge, inspire, and awaken.So grab your headphones, take a deep breath, and let's step into the transformative world of Gaia Ma.In my conversation with Gaia Ma, you'll discover:02:26 Gaia Ma's Early Life and Personal Journey06:21 Struggles with Addiction and the Path to Recovery08:36 Rediscovering Spirituality Through Yoga10:27 Embracing Nature and Founding a Community12:43 The Power of Boundaries and Gender Dynamics21:18 Understanding Tantra Beyond Sexuality39:01 Exploring Pagan Tantra and Feminist Revolution39:22 The Power and Responsibility of Manifestation40:14 Reflecting on Historical Consequences45:06 The Inanita Community: A New Paradigm Lifestyle50:05 Living Authentically Without Masks59:19 The Masculine and Feminine Balance01:06:58 Gaia's Offerings and Final ThoughtsResources mentioned:Gaia Ma websiteInanItahGuest's social handles:InstagramFacebookYouTubeP.S. If you enjoy this episode and feel it helps to elevate your life, please give us a rating or review. And if you feel others may benefit from this podcast as well, spread the word, share and help grow our tribe of Superhumans. When we help heal One, we help heal All. Much gratitude and love.Yours,Ariane

Get ready to dive deep into the future of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) with Dr. Joe Ashley and Dr. Bob Schmidt in our latest episode! Joe, the dynamic Project Director of the VR-ROI initiative at George Washington University, teams up with Bob, one of the leading economists and the Project Research Coordinator, to bring you insider knowledge on revamping return on investment models for VR programs. They're on a mission to streamline and elevate how VR agencies operate, helping them become more efficient, effective, and impactful. Their discussion is packed with actionable insights that will empower your agency to sharpen its data collection strategies, ensuring the true value of your services shines through. Plus, learn how to better communicate the VR success story to policymakers and stakeholders! Tune in to discover how you can maximize your VR impact with the latest advancements from the VR-ROI project. Don't miss out!   Listen Here   Full Transcript:   {Music} Joe: We're trying to make sure we have information that the director can use with policymakers, and something for clients and counselors to use to say, yes, this is the kind of services we're looking for.   Bob: The model we develop is based on readily available administrative data.   Joe: It's built on the individual customers and how well they do and what their outcomes are.   Bob: The human capital development, that's what it's all about a lot. Some things just aren't measurable. So when you mentioned financial return on investment, that's what we're talking about.   Joe: If you can't capture it, you're not able to tell the story.   Carol: Yep, if it isn't documented, it didn't happen.   Bob: That's right.   Joe: Yeah.   Intro Voice: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the manager minute. Joining me in the studio today are Dr. Joe Ashley, the project director for the VR Return on Investment project based at the George Washington University, and Dr. Bob Schmidt, one of the five economists working on the project and the project research coordinator. So, Joe, how are things going for you today?   Joe:  Today they are doing really well. Thanks for asking, Carol.   Carol: Nice to hear it, Joe. and Bob, how are you doing?   Bob: I'm doing well as well, at least, as well as Joe is doing.   Carol: That's awesome. Alright, glad to have it guys. Okay, so for our listeners, Joe is my colleague and we got him out of retirement to serve as the project director for this important initiative. And this project is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, also known as NIDILRR. Now, this is the federal government's primary disability research organization and is part of the Administration for Community Living. Now, NIDILRR's mission is to generate new knowledge and to promote its effective use to improve the abilities of individuals with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community and to expand society's capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities. NIDILRR achieves this mission by funding research, demonstration, training, technical assistance, and related activities to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities of all ages. They also promote the transfer of, and use and adoption of rehab technology for individuals with disabilities in a timely manner, and also ensure the widespread distribution and usable formats of practical, scientific and technological information. And they do address a wide range of disabilities and impairments across populations of all ages. Now, Joe, I know you have a little disclaimer you wanted to make.   Joe: Yeah, I just want to be sure that people understand that what Bob and I are going to talk about today is our opinion of what return on investment should be, and is not necessarily reflect what NIDILRR is looking at.   Carol: Excellent. Well thanks Joe. Let's dig in. So, Joe, why don't you kick us off and tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey in vocational rehabilitation?   Joe: Carol, I've been in rehabilitation for quite a while. I worked with the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, the general agency in Virginia, for over 25-27 years, most of the time as an assistant commissioner in a variety of roles. I have a master's in rehabilitation counseling from the University of South Carolina. That sort of got me focused on vocational rehabilitation. And then later I had a Doctorate in rehabilitation from SIU at Carbondale that took me on a path of looking at program evaluation and program development. When I got to Virginia, I was working out of the Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center, now called Wilson Rehabilitation Center, and was working in a program that was collaborative across, it was one of the early transition grants, 1985,and it looked at vocational evaluation as a part of a process to help kids learn what they needed to do. And we were working with students from special education and vocational education in the schools, and vocational rehabilitation, and getting these systems to collaborate to help kids find out what they want to do and to be successful in employment and in life. And I got to where I really enjoyed that kind of collaborative work, and I ended up as an assistant commissioner in the agency, looking at developing innovative new programs as a part of my responsibilities and looking at a lot of the ancillary support services like rehabilitation, engineering and other kinds of things. Through a series of circumstances, I ended up as the director of the field services for four years, where I began to get a good sense of what disabilities needed to be in terms of supports to be successful in employment and being able to live successfully in their communities. In addition to that, what counselors and other staff needed to be able to provide those services to them. And then I got into the job that was my favorite, which was something called grants and special programs, where I did a lot of the Social Security stuff, cost reimbursement, work, incentives specialist advocates. We created a new system there to do fee for service for the work incentive services. We did a lot of work with the workforce agencies. I did all the agreements with that, and then I got to do grants and any of the grants that helped people with disabilities be able to live and work and thrive in their communities were things that we were willing to support. And I got to work with a lot of different funding systems and across a lot of different systems, you know, Special Ed workforce systems, behavioral health, a lot of different groups to help people with disabilities have opportunities. So that's what I really enjoyed. And that's where I came across the late doctor David Dean and then Bob Schmidt as a part of that package with Dean. And it was about telling the VR story. And I got real passionate about how do you tell this story in a way that is going to get people like GAO to pay attention, as well as help directors with policymakers and individuals and counselors help make decisions about what's a good choice for them. So that's really how I got to where we are today with this new grant.   Carol: Very cool Joe. I know we all look to your program in Virginia for kind of the cutting edge stuff that was happening, because you all seem to always have just something cooking.   Joe: Yes.   Carol: It didn't matter what. And especially like the disability work incentive stuff that you were talking about and all of that. Oh gosh. I just think you've done a lot of stellar things there.   Joe: Well thank you. It was fun.   Carol: It's awesome. So, Bob, tell us a little bit about yourself.   Bob: Sure. Happy to. Joe mentioned Doctor David Dean. He was a colleague of mine in the Department of Economics at the University of Richmond. He worked on what he called economics of disability, and he started working on that in graduate school at Rutgers with a faculty member there. And he worked on that. So that was in the 1980s. He came to the University of Richmond, and he got me interested in it because he was an outgoing, gregarious, very bright guy and made friends easily. So he got me involved in this probably early 1990s, and we started working with DARS and several other things at the time with Joe, but also Kirsten Roe. I don't know how many people remember her, but she was instrumental in all the work we did. So this is actually our third grant with NIDILRR. The first one was a demonstration grant. So it's a kind of a proof of concept. Second was implementing it. Now this one is refining it and taking it to the next step. That's what we're trying to do with that. So David got me excited about it. Joe keeps me excited and he keeps me honest.   Carol: That is awesome. Well, I know just being around the director ranks for years and folks talking about return on initiative, it's been a, you know, a hot topic. People chat about it, but I don't know that everybody always really understands it. And I think sometimes people think maybe it's something that it isn't and they aren't very good at explaining it, but everybody wants to do it. So you guys are going to unpack all this for us. Joe, why don't you tell us a little bit about the project and what you're trying to accomplish?   Joe: Well, with this current iteration. It's what NIDILRR calls a field initiated project on their development side, and it's got a ridiculously long title. So I'm just going to say it is about updating and simplifying our return on investment model. That's its main purpose, and it's about helping our agencies understand what they can do to be more efficient and more effective, and take a look at the mix of services that they provide, to be sure that they are getting the most out of the resources they have to help people with disabilities obtain, you know, that probability of employment and upon employment, their earnings. And we're trying to make sure we have information that the director can use with policy makers, that agencies can take a look inside their own services to say, maybe I need more of a particular type of service because I'm getting good outcomes, or maybe I need to tweak a service because it's not getting what I want it to do, and then something for clients and counselors to use to say, yes, this is the kind of services we're looking for. We got four goals, and the first one is just really to update the model. Our previous model was prior to WIOA implementation, so what we hope to be able to do is take a look at the data systems and take a look at the performance indicators that WIOA requires. And we can do a correlation, perhaps with the long term employment to see how well they're correlated. Also take a look at Covid impact. The second goal is about intensity. Our other model is you either got a service or you didn't. And if you got the service then how did it affect employment and earnings? Well, the next logical step according to The Economist and we have five on the project as you mentioned earlier, was what is the intensity of the service. Does that make a difference. So that intensity measure could be hours of work. It could be what it costs to do something. It could be units of service. And taking a look at if that is related to the propensity for employment. The other piece that goes with that is how about internals provided services, what we had before in the system, nobody had good measures of the services their own staff provided. So we're hoping with what we're seeing now and we're working with the two agencies in North Carolina, and they've been extremely helpful and collaborative with us on this process is take a look at the internally provided services and see what impact they have on the employment and earnings side of things. And then we've been told many times our third goal is simplify the model. Right now it takes economists to run it. Well that's not always a good idea for some people. So what we're trying to do is see what econometric models could we put in place to simplify this process so that it's more available to rehab agencies. But you want to make sure it's still rigorous enough to give you a reliable estimate of return on investment. So one of the things we're having with that is many of the folks on the who are listening to the podcast may be aware that we did a data analysis and management capacity survey that CSVRA sent out. Our advisory committee supported, and with that, we got 54 agencies to provide us information on what their data capacity is and what this capacity of their staff is. And then what kind of training they might be interested in. We're still looking at the data from that and we'll have some information on that later. But what we find in this may make a big difference on how simplified the model can be, or whether we need to take a different track to help people be able to implement a new model. And then finally, it's about knowledge translation. And part of that is coming to us like we did a consumer and stakeholder forum with the North Carolina State Rehab councils and some other stakeholders to get input on what they'd like to see, what kinds of information and would this information be helpful to them. And then we're going to have another consumer and stakeholder forum probably next spring to say, here's the model as we have it so far. Does this make sense to you and would this be valuable to you? So those are the big overriding goals that we have for the project.   Carol: I really like that you guys are digging into the capacity that agencies have, you know, with that data analysis, because I'm just thinking definitely, as I've been out across the country that you've got to have and the have nots. I mean, there for sure. are folks, I think of our friends in Texas and they have a lovely team there. Just they have like an amazing...   Joe: Oh yeah, they do.   Carol: ...resource team. And then you've got other folks trying to scrape together kind of a half of a position that can maybe do a little smidge of a little something around the 911.   Joe: they may have a resource like a data system, but they don't have anybody that can run it, or they may have staff with the capacity to do the data system, but they don't have the system. I mean, it's a lot of different variables there.   Bob: I'd like to jump in here just on one thing, which was on the simplified VR model. So the model we've developed, thank God it was by economists, is we're trying to address the question here. The goal of the program is to get people into competitive employment or keep them in competitive employment. If they already came into the program with it, maybe build on that. So there are a lot of things that are correlated with how well you do in the labor market, gender, race, Age, education level. All things are correlated, right? And maybe service provision in the VR program. But we'd like to take it from well, it's correlated, but we don't know exactly how or why. In the same way you can say, well, provision of this specific type of service leads to improvement in the labor market, leads to a greater likelihood of obtaining competitive employment. Now that's a different issue. Now the way you normally do that, the gold standard is a randomized clinical trial, right? Where you take people and you randomly select them and it's double blind. So neither the researcher nor the individual involved in the experiment know who's receiving the treatment, or  who isn't. Well, that's clearly impossible in VR. First of all, it's illegal to deny service to someone who is eligible and for whom you have the money. But secondly, it's impossible. So what you have to do is you have to impose statistical controls somehow. You have to do it through some sort of statistical model. And we've developed one which is state of the science. What state of the science inherently means that not everybody can implement it. So even at some universities, they aren't able to implement this particular model. And so we wanted to ask the question, could we come up with a simplified version of this model, a simpler model that can be used possibly in a VR agency or possibly at a local community college or university, something like that. And they could get similar results. So we wanted to see how could we do it? Is that a possible goal? What do you lose when you do it? Does it do a good enough job, or what kind of qualifiers do you have on it?   Joe: Where are the tradeoffs?   Bob: Yeah, what are the tradeoffs? That's a simpler model we're trying to do.   Carol: Should we talk about the model you developed now? Do you want to talk about it?   Bob: That'd be fine. Sure.   Carol: Let's do it.   Bob: Okay. One of the things is that the model we developed is based on readily available administrative data. What that means is you don't have to run a survey. You don't have to go out and do a very expensive sort of research project to find out what's going on. Instead, we use data from agency's own data system, which they collect to report to the Rehabilitation Services Administration, (RSA). they have really, really very good data. The RSA forces them to collect very good data. In fact, for some of our economists, their eyes just lit up when David told them the kind of data that he was able to access it. Whoa. That's great. So there are two levels. One is you get data from the agency itself, and then they will provide data to us that they provide through the quarterly RSA and nine over 11 report to the RSA. And more than that. So we get much greater detail than that if we know how to use it. If we can identify and know how to learn how to use it. And then secondly, all the agencies have given us access, been able to give us access to unemployment insurance sort of data. So quarterly data on that and what the RSA collects upon closure. They're mandated to follow employment and earnings for four quarters after closure, but we don't think that's long enough, especially since WIOA was passed Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act and changed the mandate to work on transition age, transitioning students with disabilities or providing those sorts of services. Well, if you're going to start working with young people who are just entering the workforce, or you're providing college level education or skilled training services to any age. You can't just follow them for four quarters. I mean, if you're just entering the workforce, you're not going to enter it at the highest levels of the workforce, right? So if you want to know what the real impact is, you have to follow them longer. So with the unemployment insurance agencies, we've been able to get quarterly employment and earnings data from 2 to 3 years before they even applied to the program. That's kind of a baseline. But what are the services do to you? How do things change? Well, that's your baseline three years before application. Then we try to follow them for at least five years after application at least. Now the current one starts in 2018. So the earliest applicants we have from 2018, and then we collect all applicants between 2018 and 2021. So already it's a stretch to get five years of data. But we had to start that recent because we all wasn't fully implemented effectively until 2017, 1819. In fact, the fellow North County says preferably 19 or 2021. But then you don't have, you know, this thing ends in 2025 and you don't have enough data, enough tracking. So that's the first thing, is readily administrative tracking earnings over a long period of time, as long as possible. Another thing is generally the way these things are done or have been looked at is you look at the VR program as a whole. You don't look at by discipline, you look at the agency. These are people who apply for services, and these are people who got to the point where they got a plan or plan for employment services. And then how do they do? We look a little differently. We look at by disability type. First of all, we look at for broad based disabilities folks with a cognitive impairment. And that could be an intellectual disability or a learning disability. Folks with a mental illness. And then also we try to find out how severe that mental illness is. Folks who have a physical impairment and folks who are blind or visually impaired or otherwise visually impaired. So we look at and we estimate those all separately because we think services are assigned differently by disability type on average. And also the disability type affects how you will do in the marketplace, for example. What we found out was for folks with physical impairment, unlike folks who have a cognitive impairment, cognitive impairment might be with you since birth, perhaps. And so therefore you kind of have a steady level of earnings at a certain level. But if you have a physical impairment that often comes on very quickly, very acutely, very quickly. So all of a sudden you see their preapplication Application for earnings pretty good. And then boom there's a big plummet, right? And so then you have to do something different with the track that the pre-application earnings. So that's the second thing. The third thing is that this idea that these folks, we look at the folks who received,, who had a plan and therefore received services, we compare those people who didn't have a plan and didn't receive services. So he received service, he didn't. Or, in economics or the social sciences, you call it a treatment group and a comparison or a control group. Well, we thought you could do a little bit better than that. What we look at is we look at anywhere from 7 to 9 to 10 to 11 different types of services things like diagnosis, medical treatments, college education, training, all those sorts of things. We say, first of all, how is the decision made that you're going to receive this type of service? And then secondly, what impact does it have? So what factors influence the decision to We see what type of services and what impact does that service have in the labor market on gaining and keeping competitive employment. So we look at that. So we look at different types of service. So you can see already it's a much richer type of analysis therefore much more complicated types of analysis. And then the last part is that we built sort of a state of the science model. And that's what makes it complicated for many people to try to implement. And by that we mean that this correlation versus causation. So instead of doing a randomized clinical trial you have to take the data as you receive it. So therefore you kind of build control by saying how do you control for different things that might affect this that you don't observe. Now one of these might be motivation, right? So if you have someone who's particularly highly motivated that will might lead them to both apply to a VR program and a plan, follow through and move on, successfully complete the program, and might also quite separately, whether or not they receive services. It helps them in the labor market, right? Because they're motivated to succeed. So how do you distinguish those things? That's tough. You do randomized clinical trial. You can't because both types people end up in both parts motivated and unmotivated. So we have to impose this controls. And that gets a little complicated. So that's basically the model is then once you're done. So then we get impacts by type of service. We also collect cost of providing those services. Cost of the program. We have those impacts. We let them spit out and say what would happen if they kept getting this benefit level for the next five to 10 to 15 years? And then you have to do some what's called discounting in technical and finance and econ. So you do that and then you say, okay, this is the total gain from that service or actually from all the services combined. And this was the cost. And the difference to that is kind of cost versus benefits, right? Hopefully the benefits exceed the costs, right? And that's how much they've gained because of the service per versus both the. That's essentially what you do. And the other thing about that is we can calculate that for each individual in the sample. So we have individual level returns on investment individual level benefits or effectiveness. And you can then aggregate that up and say okay agency wide. This is what it looks like. The agency's return on investment for a particular disability. That's what their return on investment look for males their females. Any group you want to do you can just do it because we have the individual impacts of it. So that's the model. And we want to see whether a simplified model can get us similar sort of information.   Joe: One of the things, Carol, that I find compelling about the model in particular is something Bob just pointed out, and that is it's built on the individual customers and how well they do in this process and what their outcomes are, and it builds up. So it starts at that individual client level. The other thing, when the economists were developing the model and they were looking at the data of people who went through the system, they observed that there's a lot of variability in the types of services that are provided. So they built the model around that variability of services. So that individual service model, that is VR is what makes the variability work for this model. So it's very much tied to the core tenets of the VR program, that individual services model. And that's where the variability comes from. And that's why it can give us some causation. So I think it's really important to note that it is consistent with how we do services and how we provide what we do. The other thing I will say about The Economist is they have been dedicated to understanding how VR works. They often in the early days when we were going out, they would sit down with the agencies and say, does this make sense to you? And then they would look at the model to see what would make it make more sense in terms of telling how VR works or the outcomes of VR. So they've spent a lot of time trying to understand the system and get knowledgeable about how VR works and what the opportunities are, what the process is, so that what they're modeling is consistent with how we do business. So I think that's a key component.   Carol: I think that's really cool that you said that, Joe, about taking it back to the individualized nature of the program because VR, you know, you think about it in an aggregate, we get this big $4 billion in a lump. And, boy, each person's experience within that is so individualized. It is, you know, whether you're getting this or that, you know, are you getting educational sorts of services and access to training and post-secondary and all kinds of different things? Or are you a person on a different trajectory, and maybe you needed some medical rehabilitation type of stuff going on? You needed something completely different. Like, people have so many ways to mix and match and use the things they specifically need to get where they need to go. You probably can't do it unless you get down to that level. So that is very interesting. Now, Joe, I know we've talked about this in our team a little bit even. And I know you said you wrestled with your group, but this whole notion of return on investment or taxpayer return on investment has been a really interesting topic and is fraught with some issues itself. And I remember coming into Minnesota and the general agency director like taxpayer return on investment, and I was brand new in the program. I'm like, I don't even know what you're talking about right now, but a lot of times you tend to hear it discussed that way. But I know, Joe, you've said there's a lot of issues around this. So what are some of those issues?   Joe: It's an interesting little issue. The very first meeting we had, it was at Carver, and we had a number of people from different agencies and state rehab councils come into a meeting, and we were laying out the first model. And one of the directors at that point said, well, are you doing a taxpayer return on investment? And by that he meant returning Taxes, increase in taxes, receipts going back to the Treasury. And that was his definition of it. That was the first one. And then when we were in North Carolina at the consumer forum that we did the stakeholder and consumer forum, we got the question from some advocates and said it doesn't seem to go away. We always get that question, but the issue is what is the appropriate way to determine the return on investment for a particular type of program. And it was interesting. We got this question so often, even from some of our workforce friends that are the economists said about writing a paper to describe why taxpayer return on investment is not appropriate for a VR type of program. And they submitted it to, I think it was three, maybe four different econ journals, and some of them didn't even send it out for review. They said, this is already settled. It's not appropriate for this kind of program. So the issue is another workforce programs or human capital development. And the purpose of a human capital development type of program is to in our case, find people employment and look at that probability of employment. And then conditional on that earnings, if you've got people in your system and they're entry level, a lot of them are not going to be at the level where they pay any kind of taxes at all for several years. So you really don't have a lot to show when you do taxpayer return on investment in terms of that. Also, one of the things that we noticed when one of the studies that was done is that in some cases, and this is with a particular type of one of the particular disabilities, is the only one they looked at this with when we had some Social Security earnings available data available to us for a short while. Not only do we get people off of Social Security benefits, but we also find people that go on to Social Security benefits from being involved with VR, and that often makes them more stable. So then they can then participate in a VR type of program and be successful. But it's a long, long term process to do that. So in the short term, you're not going to show anything but about as many come on as go off. So you're really not showing that. But if you're doing what the authorizing legislation says you're supposed to do, which is get people employed, let's just take it down to a simple level and then the question becomes, are you efficient and effective in that process? And that's what this particular return on investment model is about. And that is what the economists would say is the appropriate way to look at this. Now they would call this a social welfare type of program is the category they put it in. And then human capital development. But there's other kinds of benefits that accrue to the individual. Because this model, this type of approach looks at it benefits to the individual and to the society in general, which is the individual being employed. And in this case, there are other benefits that we can't observe. Self-confidence would be a good example. Quality of life would be a good example. So in our case, what we're able to observe is how they're interacting in the workplace. And that's really the piece that we can measure. And that's where we're going with this. And the others might be important, but very few places have really figured out how to measure that.   Carol: Well, Joe, I actually I was telling Bob before we hopped on, I said, you know, I threw something in ChatGPT because I was like, all right, VR return on investment. Explain it to me. And ChatGPT it spit out. It talked about financial return on investment, you know, with employment earnings, cost savings. But it was talking about social return on investment, improve quality of life, community contributions. You know people experiencing that enhanced self-esteem, independence, all those things. And then personal return on investment with skill development, career advancement, those kind of things. It was just kind of fun to run it through and go, hey, yeah, because I know you guys have wrestled with like, what are you going to call the thing? Did you come up with like the name, The Thing??   Joe: Yes, it's interesting. I think what we came down with is that we think the vocational rehabilitation return on investment is the name we're going to stick with. And then say, you know, what we have is a human capital development project, and that's how we're measuring it or return on investment. But what we're going to have to do this is so ingrained in the culture of VR that you've got to return taxpayer dollars. Well, that's really not what VR says it's supposed to do. And so how do you get people to understand that that's not the appropriate way to look at the VR program. So we're going to have to do some education. I think about what return on investment is. And I may use your ChatGPT story...   Carol: Yeah.   Joe: To ...tell it.   Carol: Bob, I see you have something you want to jump in with.   Bob: Yes, and I think well, I have several things. One is I think the reason it's so ingrained, I think I might be wrong. Joe can correct me is because agency directors have to testify before the state legislature to get the money they want from the state legislature, right? And say the legislature, at least for a while. I don't know if they're still doing it. They're saying, yeah, but what's the return to the taxpayer on this? Why are we funding this if it's a money losing proposition Well, that's the thought process. But the problem with that is the state legislatures are kind of going against the odds. The federal authorizing legislation, you know, VR dates back to again, Joe can correct me. After World War One, when veterans came back from war and they had some severe physical injuries, and the federal government said, well, let's try to get them services to help them vocationally help them get back to work, get a job, and keep it so that they're effective in the workplace. Well, that thing was incredibly successful. So over time they said, well, this works so well. Can we expand it to other disabilities? Maybe states want to get involved in this as well. So what's happened over time is every one of the 50 states has this kind of co-funded arrangement with the federal government. And the Rehabilitation Services Administration oversees it, where they jointly sponsor these things, and it now covers many disabilities. Some states have more than one agency, one for the blind and visually impaired and one for the general. Other disabilities. So it goes back that far. And the authorizing legislation says is specifically provide services to help the individual gain and maintain competitive employment. And we're back down to the individual with that. It doesn't say to pay for itself to the fed, to repay the state or federal government for those services. So that's one thing. It's not what the metric to do it by. A second thing is, I mean, I never did like the social welfare. I'm an economist who would never call this a social welfare program. First of all, welfare has a negative connotation, even if its denotation is not negative. It's social improvement or anything. But it's really less a social more. As I said, the human capital development, that's what it's all about. And he also mentioned the issue that a lot of some things just aren't measurable. So when you mentioned financial return on investment, that's what we're talking about. Is the agency doing its job of getting people back to competitive employment and leading a better life, and maybe freeing up some of their family work to do other things. There might also be a multiplier effect in the sense that they earn more money, they spend the money. Other people, as a result, earn more money. And economists call that a multiplier effect. So that dollar has more on it. But it wouldn't get measured in this taxpayer return on investment at all.   Carol: Okay, cool. So I know you guys have made some interesting observations in reviewing the data and looking at some of the longitudinal data. What kind of things are you guys seeing?   Joe: My observation is that it concerns me that some people we've  learned recently that some of the states aren't capturing data after the fourth quarter after exit in terms of UI data. I know one state that is capturing going for that after the fourth quarter for their Social Security cases, because it helps them obtain more resources through cost reimbursement. But I think that we're underselling the value of VR when you only do the fourth quarter up to four quarters after exit. And I realize that's a lot more than we used to do. But on the other hand, it's probably not the best way to tell the VR story, because you just don't capture everything. And younger population exacerbates this. You just don't capture it with all the impact of VR can be for an individual over time. So I think that's one of the things I have seen. We had a study we did from a long time ago, from the first since I did with David, Dean and Bob, where we had a program, that transition program, and the students that participated in it were focused on post-secondary opportunities, and they were measured against the counterpart group that went in the VR system of youth. And the other kids typically went to work faster than the participants in this program. But at year six, after application, the perk students took off in terms of their employment, and the other kids just they were still employed and they were doing well. But the perk kids took off with this post-secondary approach, which is what we're being asked to do now. And you really wouldn't have told the story if you only went for five years after application. So those are the kinds of things that I'm concerned about with the longitudinal data.   Carol: Joe, so what about this to with it. You know, like especially blind agencies tend to provide a lot of the services themselves. What kind of problems are there with that and not sort of capturing the data?   Joe: We have seen that as an issue with the 2007 data set. We have in the 2012 data set, we had and our colleagues in the blind agencies were very clear that there were services that they were providing that were critical to successful employment and adjustment, but we didn't have any way to capture it. And so you're, again, you're undervaluing the impact of those agency provided services by not capturing them. And I think that's going to be critical. I think there's some requirements now that they have to be reporting some of this information, but it's a question of whether it's getting into that case management system and it becomes readily available administrative data that can be used to help tell the story of the impact of the great work that these counselors and other kinds of specialists are providing to help people become employed and adjust into their settings. Bob, you want to talk a little bit about what you're seeing in the data?   Bob: Well, yes. And now with the new data set, RSA 911, that quarterly report that all agencies have to provide and again for four quarters after closure that thing now they've made some changes and it's now required whereby types by 32 different service types they report. Did you provide purchase services during the quarter. If so how much did you provide it in-house or was it provided through a comparable benefit, some other external agency and that might have a dollar value attached to it? So we're going to use that data and see what we have. Now of course with any data set. Now I'll tell you purchase service data that's pretty reliable because they need to get their money back, right? They need to get reimbursed. They need to pay the bills. And so they track that through their accounting system very well. But the other things are and had entered often by counselors who are harried and busy and have a lot of other things to do, rather than this bureaucratic kind of form filling out, so it's only as good as the data that are put into it, and we won't know how good that is, but we'll see how much we learn. this way, hopefully we'll learn some things we didn't know.   Joe: What we have been told is that the data is not there for us to capture, and that it undervalues the kind of work that's being done. So we're hoping we can find a way to tell that story, because it sounds pretty important. And then from my personal experience in managing some of these services, I know how hard these folks work and how valuable these services are. But if you can't capture it, you're not able to tell the story.   Carol: Yep. If it isn't documented, it didn't happen.   Joe: Yeah.   Bob: That's right.   Carol: So what are the next steps on the grant and how can we get folks involved? Are you needing people to help with anything, any states or anything we've got?   Joe: North Carolina is, we're working very closely with them and they've been really good to work with. We will be once we get the prototype, I don't know what to call it. The economists are putting together the data system information so that they can begin to apply the new model and that'll be happening hopefully within a couple of months. And then once we've run the model a couple of times, we'll be asking some other people to come in sort of a national audience to take a look and hear what the model is, what it offers to get their feedback on. Yes, that would be useful or that doesn't seem to work for me much. Could you do this other thing? And then we'll also be asking them about. We'll be showing them what we've come up with for the simplified model to see if that version is going to work or if we need to be developing maybe a template RFP for them to use with a local institution that they work with, then they would be able to get the data set. So we're going to be looking at that. We may be asking folks to work with us a little bit on the capacity survey, where it talks about the training that states might be wanting to say, who can provide this kind of service, and would this be valuable to do to increase people's ability capacity? Because there's a lot of data needs out there. And I think if it would help our project, it would probably help a lot of other projects as well.   Carol: So, Joe, are you thinking about that for fall, possibly at CSAVR or something?   Joe: That's November. That should be a time when we would have an opportunity to gather some information. Yeah, because we might be ready for it by then. Of course, that might put a little pressure on the economists, but I don't mind doing that.   Carol: Yeah. Bob's looking like, oh well okay.   Bob: You love doing that, Joe. I mean, one of the things my major professor in graduate school always said, I love working on a research project where I learn something and what Joe said is exactly right. So we would take and vet our results to various agents. We may make a trip to the agency before Covid. We go and we sit down. We go through everything, explain what we're trying to do when we sell. And then they would say, that looks a little wonky or something, or did you do this? And you say, no, we didn't do that. Yeah, we could do that. Let's do it. And then we would revise the model or no, unfortunately we don't have enough information to do it. Could you collect it? You know, that kind of thing. So yeah, we keep learning things and that's what these groups are intended. That's what they're for. For our selfish purposes. That's what we like about them.   Carol: That's excellent, you guys.   Joe: So November would be good, Bob.   Bob: So you say.   Carol: Well, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what comes out of all of this. And you were saying that the end of the grant then is in 2025.   Joe: August 31st of 25.   Bob: Right.   Carol: All right. That's coming up quick you guys, really quick.   Joe: Oh it is.   Carol: Well, awesome I appreciate you both being on today. I cannot wait to hear more as this unfolds. So thanks for joining me.   Joe: We really appreciate the opportunity.   Bob: Yes we do.   {Music}   Outro Voice: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!

I have always had a passion for wellness and living well. I want to help this community live well too. For those of you who want to fill your home with clean ingredient items, but don't know where to start! I want us as a community to be able to source local clean ingredient products for our homes right here in our community! I want us to help our neighbors and support their businesses. We tried to reinvent the wheel and as we can see...it just isn't working!    ALL THAT & Hello GorJess:  In case you didn't know, I started out my personal brand as a blogger! Be sure to check out my blog @https://hellogorjessblog.com/ and tell me your favorite blog podcast in the comments!    Follow Me On Social Media and say HI!!  Instagram: Follow HERE Facebook: Follow HERE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes Older Americans Month to empower older adults (ages 65 and older) to age without injury while still enjoying the hobbies and activities they love.  Still Going Strong is a national campaign from CDC raising awareness about common yet preventable injuries as we age. The campaign provides simple steps older adults and caregivers can do to improve social connectedness and prevent common injuries. This year's theme, Powered by Connection, organized by the Administration for Community Living, emphasizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being.  According to CDC, maintaining strong social connections with family and friends plays a vital role in supporting independence and overall aging. Research shows that social connectedness can lead to longer life, better health, and improved well-being.The Still Going Strong campaign equips older adults with tools to reduce social isolation and loneliness.  It also helps them to avoid the leading causes of unintentional injuries among older adults such as falls, motor vehicle crashes, and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Older adults experiencing social isolation and loneliness have an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and suicidal ideation.  There are steps older adults and their caregivers can take to improve social connectedness that helps to maintain their quality of life and stay independent longer. During interviews, a wellness expert and/or a CDC official would discus Dr. Gwen Bergen serves as the team lead for the Safety Promotion Team in the Applied Sciences Branch of the Division of Injury Prevention at CDC's Injury Center. The Safety Promotion Team's primary focuses are the prevention of drownings and older adult falls. Prior to becoming team lead, she was a behavioral scientist on the team working on older adult fall prevention for seven years. Her emphasis was on implementing and evaluating clinical fall prevention strategies and understanding older adult injury prevention attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and designing evidence-based tools to encourage them to adopt behaviors to reduce their injury risk.Her previous CDC experience includes five years on the Transportation Safety Team with a focus on alcohol-impaired driving, older adult mobility, and data linkage, and two years as a fellow at the National Center for Health Statistics working on injury data. She received her Master of Public Health degree from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and her doctoral degree, both in social and behavioral science with an emphasis in injury prevention, from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health.Dr. Bergen joins Mark Alyn on this edition of Late ight Health.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/late-night-health-radio--2804369/support.

he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes Older Americans Month to empower older adults (ages 65 and older) to age without injury while still enjoying the hobbies and activities they love.  Still Going Strong is a national campaign from CDC raising awareness about common yet preventable injuries as we age. The campaign provides simple steps older adults and caregivers can do to improve social connectedness and prevent common injuries. This year's theme, Powered by Connection, organized by the Administration for Community Living, emphasizes the profound impact that meaningful relationships and social connections have on our health and well-being.  According to CDC, maintaining strong social connections with family and friends plays a vital role in supporting independence and overall aging. Research shows that social connectedness can lead to longer life, better health, and improved well-being.The Still Going Strong campaign equips older adults with tools to reduce social isolation and loneliness.  It also helps them to avoid the leading causes of unintentional injuries among older adults such as falls, motor vehicle crashes, and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Older adults experiencing social isolation and loneliness have an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and suicidal ideation.  There are steps older adults and their caregivers can take to improve social connectedness that helps to maintain their quality of life and stay independent longer. During interviews, a wellness expert and/or a CDC official would discuss:Five ways to improve social connectedness, and why that can improve overall health/longevity.The fact that unintentional injuries resulting from falls, accidents, or TBI are the 8th leading cause of death among older adults 65+.How every second, an older adult falls in the U.S., and every year there are 9 million fall injuries that result in 3 million emergency dept. visits, 1 million hospitalizations, and 41,000 deaths. A 35% increase in fall death rates over the last decade.Tips for being aware of and avoiding what can lead to falls and preventable injuries.Dr. Gwen Bergen visits with Mark.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/late-night-health-radio--2804369/support.

265: Prioritizing Mental Wellness as a Nonprofit Leader (Yolanda Robano-Gross)SUMMARYHow do you support your team when they (and you) are feeling the effects of a high-stress environment? In episode 265 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Yolanda Robano-Gross shares invaluable insights and experiences on building a supportive workplace culture. She discusses the importance of prioritizing staff well-being and creating a space where individuals feel valued and heard. From implementing strategic planning initiatives to engaging in innovative fundraising approaches, Yolanda emphasizes the significance of adaptability and empathy in navigating the challenges of nonprofit leadership. She offers practical advice on building and retaining an effective board of directors, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusion. Through her candid reflections and commitment to kindness, Yolanda inspires fellow nonprofit leaders to embrace empathy, cultivate meaningful connections, and drive positive change within their organizations and communities.ABOUT YOLANDAYolanda Robano-Gross joined Options for Community Living as Chief Executive Officer in 2014 with over twenty years of prior executive-level experience in the health care industry. She handles oversight of all agency affairs and reports to the Board of Directors. Responsibilities include fiscal management of an annual budget of over $24 million, personnel management, program development, and fundraising. She earned her Master's in Health Care Administration from Hofstra University, Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University, and her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Marist College. She holds a certificate in Executive Education, Non-Profit Leadership from The Fordham Center for Non-Profit Leaders.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Learn more about Yolanda hereReady for a Mastermind?  Learn more here!Have you read Patton's book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector – Now available in AudibleCheck out our new website, PMAnonprofit.com