Writer Lives in Fear He'll Wake Up and Aides Won't Be There
from The Chicago Sun Times
 Michael Ervin is waiting to find out if he will be able to get out of bed Wednesday morning. That's what this state budget crisis means to him and thousands of other residents in Illinois. Ervin is a Chicago playwright, free-lance writer and community activist. He also happens to be physically handicapped. Without the help of a home service aide, paid for by the state's Department of Human Services, he can't get out of bed. More
Elderly, Disabled Deserve Options on Long-term Care
from Crain's Chicago Business
Nursing home advocates are correct in claiming that some people are so disabled that they have no place else to go ("Nursing homes in cross hairs," ChicagoBusiness.com, June 22.) Other patients or residents, however, given good community supports and affordable housing, can continue to live in the community or be returned to the community. Subscription required
Aurora Domestic Violence Shelter Reopens with Emergency Funds
from The Chicago Tribune
Less than two weeks after state budget cuts forced it to shut its doors, Mutual Ground domestic violence shelter in Aurora reopened Monday with funding from a local philanthropy group and the United Way. Mutual Ground, the only shelter for battered women in Kendall and southern Kane Counties, turned away 24 women and 32 children seeking emergency housing in the last two weeks, said Executive Director Linda Healy. More
More U.S. Children Face Poverty, Study Finds
from The Washington Post via The Chicago Tribune
A growing number of American children are living in poverty and with unemployed parents and are facing the threat of hunger, according to a federal report. According to "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being," 18 percent of all children 17 and younger were living in poverty in 2007, up from 17 percent in 2006. The percentage of children who had at least one parent working full time was 77 percent in 2007, down from 78 percent in 2006. More
Kids Get Help Dealing with Cancer in the Family
fromThe Chicago Tribune
The realities of growing up came fast for 12-year-old Brendan Burgess, who learned in January that his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Brendan and 15 other children recently participated in a weeklong summer camp, Camp Hope, for children ages 5 to 12 who have a parent or close family member with cancer. The camp, which is free, is sponsored by the Edward Cancer Center in Naperville, Ill. Social workers from the cancer center facilitate a variety of programs including therapeutic breakout sessions, arts and crafts, music therapy, scrapbooking, martial arts, group discussion and children's yoga. More
When Eating Disorders Strike in Midlife
from The New York Times
Margie Hodgin, a nurse in Kernersville, N.C., had struggled to lose weight since she was a teenager. But it wasn’t until she turned 40 that she finally took off the extra pounds, and then some. “It was a real sense of empowerment, that I can do this all on my own and no one is helping me, and I’m achieving what I want and fitting into my clothes better,” she said of her initial delight in shedding the excess weight. More
|
|
