National Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2021

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2021

Every year since the 1980s, October has been National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. In the 1960’s and earlier, children with Down Syndrome would be “warehoused” in large, state-run institutions to live out their lives. October was designated as National Down Syndrome Awareness Month around the same time that Down Syndrome stopped being called “Mongolism.” At this point, the attitude and beliefs about Down Syndrome began to change as well. Although the treatment of children and adults with Down Syndrome has drastically changed today, many myths and misconceptions about this genetic condition remain.

Spreading understanding about what Down Syndrome can help stop misconceptions. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition in which a child is born with an extra copy of the 21^st chromosome in their DNA. Down Syndrome is the most common type of intellectual disability with around 6,000 Americans born annually with this condition. Currently, there are about 400,000 Americans living with Down Syndrome. There are three types of Down Syndrome with the most common being Trisomy 21 (having the extra 21^st chromosome), accounting for around 95% of all Down Syndrome cases. The other two types are Translocation and Mosaicism which together account for the remaining 5%.

The life expectancy of an individual with Down Syndrome can be as high as 60 years old, but often it is shorter. There are common physical and intellectual symptoms associated with this condition, including a flattened facial profile, a shorter neck, a smaller head and facial features, decreased muscle tone (which can cause the often-recognized symptom of protrusion of the tongue), a shorter attention spam, poor judgment, impulsive behavior, slower learning, mild to moderate cognitive delay, and delayed language and speech development. Individuals with Down Syndrome are also at an increased risk for acquiring other medical conditions, these include but are not limited to:

Alzheimer’s,
heart defects,
respiratory issues,
leukemia,
thyroid disorders,
hearing problems (due to increased risk of ear wax impactions),
Hirschsprung's disease,
gastroesophageal reflux disease,
gingivitis and increased tooth decay,
and extremely low fertility rates.

Contrary to some myths about Down Syndrome, parents’ actions are not the cause of the condition. It appears equally in both sexes, and across all races and socioeconomic classes. The risk of a fetus developing Down Syndrome does correlate with a higher age of a mother during pregnancy, but even then, around 80% of all children born with Down Syndrome occur with the mother’s age being under 35 years old.

The goal of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month is to bring awareness about the condition and celebrate the lives, abilities, and accomplishments of individuals with Down Syndrome. Individuals with Down Syndrome and many organizations established to advocate for individuals with the condition make October about showing that people with Down Syndrome are just like everyone else. Most children and adults with Down Syndrome live full and fulfilling lives in which they are contributing members of society. The most important aspect of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month is inclusion. Inclusion is an education-based philosophy with the belief that every person has an inherent right to fully participate in society.

The most important part of advocating for individuals with Down Syndrome is ensuring that schools, educational programs, and vocational programs have proper curriculums and tools to ensure that individuals get the proper development they need. Ensuring proper education and development of individuals with Down Syndrome directly links to leading a fulfilling life and to being successful in a career. Ensuring employment opportunities for individuals with Down Syndrome is a concern as well. Currently, only 57% of all individuals with Down Syndrome who have the capacity to work are at a paid job. Donating to or joining an organization that helps focus on these issues (such as National Association for Down Syndrome, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, and National Down Syndrome Society) can be an important step in helping individuals with Down Syndrome.

REFERENCES:

https://www.specialolympics.org/stories/news/down-syndrome-awareness-month
https://nationaltoday.com/down-syndrome-awareness-month/
https://www.pediatricsoffranklin.com/practice-news/twelve-facts-for-down-syndrome-awareness-month/
https://cadsa.org/ds-awareness-month/october-facts.html
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/developmental-disabilities/Pages/Children-with-Down-Syndrome-Health-Care-Information-for-Families.aspx

Healthy Aging Month

Healthy Aging Month

September is Healthy Aging Month which is meant to draw focus on all the positive aspects of growing older. At the same time this is used to help provide inspiration to adults and older adults to take up healthy habits and ensure that aging can be a healthy process. As the number of individuals who are older than 45 grow every year it is more important than ever to highlight the importance of maintaining one’s health and positive outlook on life. Continuing to maintain a healthy mind and body should be considered just as important at an older age, as it so commonly is at a younger age. Studies have shown that older individuals have negative thoughts and perceptions about aging. The impact of these myths ends up influencing older adults to “act their age” instead of “act how they feel.” Not only is older adults’ physical health impacted by this, but so is their mental health. Some important ways to practice Healthy Aging focus on maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind. The following are some ways to help maintain a healthy body:

Exercise,
eat a healthy diet,
attend regular physical check-ups, and
and maintain a healthy sleep schedule.

The importance of exercise cannot be overstated as it can increase bone density and help retain the ability to remain functional in many day-to-day activities. Maintaining one’s mental health and cognitive function is the other aspect of healthy aging, and it is just as important as physical health. The best ways to help maintain mental health while aging include staying social, such as staying in contact and regularly speaking to or visiting friends; maintaining a positive outlook on life and aging can help combat depression and encourage living life to the fullest; being creative and trying new activities are ways to make life interesting at an older age; and challenging the mind. This can be done by playing brain games that involve memory and strategy or by learning something new, such as a skill or foreign language.

References:

National Immunizations Awareness Month

National Immunizations Awareness Month

August is National Immunizations Awareness Month which brings attention to the importance of receiving proper vaccinations as a child, along with continuing to receive appropriate boosters and vaccinations as an adult. As the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC studies show that routine check-ups for adults and children have been disrupted, which is leading to a lack of acquiring proper vaccinations. Therefore, this year, National Immunization Awareness Month is especially important in bringing attention to this issue. This can be done through education about vaccinations and ensuring both yours and your loved ones’ immunizations are up to date. Major health institutions and organizations believe that receiving proper immunizations are considered the most cost-effective and safest way of preventing disability, disease, and death. These same institutions, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, continually call for all children and adolescents to receive routine immunization. This is due to the fact that studies have continually shown that being properly vaccinated reduces the risk of serious disease and provides society with a better and healthier quality of life. A recent CDC study estimated that for children born in the U.S. from 1994 to 2013, receiving immunizations will prevent an estimated 732,000 deaths, 322 million illnesses, and 21 million hospitalizations over the course of their lifetimes. Regardless of an individual’s age, getting proper immunizations can help prevent many formerly common diseases. Some of these include:

Polio,
Rubella,
Diphtheria,
Haemophilus Influenza,
Measles,
Pertussis,
HPV,
Tetanus,
Meningococcal Meningitis,
Shingles,
Chicken Pox,
Hepatitis
and annual flu variants.

Even with an abundance of knowledge available on vaccine safety and the near eradication of some diseases thanks to vaccines, many CDC studies show that there are still not enough individuals receiving recommended vaccines. Multiple studies from the CDC show that less than 25% of adults between the ages of 19-64 have the recommended vaccines for shingles, Tdap, Streptococcus pneumonia, and the flu. The CDC has multiple educational resources and tools which can help individuals receive and stay up to date on immunizations. The CDC also has many studies that look at the safety and efficacy on childhood/adolescent vaccination, maternal vaccination, and adult vaccination. Please visit their website to see the materials and learn more about National Immunizations Awareness Month and how you can get involved.

Resources:

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month 2021

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month 2021

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month which brings attention to the nearly 300,000 children who have been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Many children who develop this autoimmune disease are misdiagnosed or receive a delayed diagnosis due to the misconception that children are unable to get arthritis, as well as the sporadic symptoms or occasional periods of time without and symptoms. Children under 18 do not have fully formed immune systems so any delay in receiving a diagnosis and treatment can be especially harmful, especially in the case of juvenile arthritis. There are multiple types of juvenile arthritis including systematic onset JIA (Still’s Disease), oligoarticular JIA (which affects less than 5 joints), polyarticular JIA (which affects more than 5 joints), juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis, and juvenile psoriatic arthritis. Juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis accounts for 15% of all children diagnosed and symptoms include swelling of the ligaments and connective tissue. Juvenile psoriatic arthritis is less common with a diagnosis rate around 1% of all children who are diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis includes symptoms that are common in psoriasis which include a severe rash being present on multiple areas of the body. All types of juvenile arthritis can begin to present in children as young as 6 months. The common symptoms that are present in the disease can include:

stiffness in joints,
swelling of joints,
joint pain,
hot or warm skin around joints,
fever,
inflammation of the eyes,
lack of appetite,
and fatigue.

Other symptoms that are less common include irritation, swelling, and damage of the lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. Many children also suffer psychologically from this disease with feelings such as loneliness, exclusion, and depression being common due to children not being able to participate in usual school or social activities. Currently, there is no cure for any type of juvenile arthritis and the only treatments available focusing on the increasing and maintaining mobility, pain management, and the prevention of further joint damage. Treatments are overseen by a rheumatologist and include proper medication management, physical and occupational therapy, and maintaining proper nutrition. Although there is no cure, there are many foundations and organizations that focus their research on juvenile arthritis. These foundations include the Arthritis National Research Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation, and the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization. Donating to these organizations can help further bring awareness and eventually a cure to this disease. References: https://curearthritis.org/juvenile-arthritis/ http://blog.arthritis.org/juvenile-arthritis/july-is-juvenile-arthritis-awareness-month/ http://blog.arthritis.org/juvenile-arthritis/july-ja-awareness-month-2019/ https://publichealthmaps.org/calendar/2018/7/1/juvenile-arthritis-awareness-month https://www.healthline.com/health/psoriatic-arthritis/juvenile-psoriatic-arthritis#symptoms https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/Article?contentid=13&language=English

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month 2021

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month 2021

The month of June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease and is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60% – 80% of all cases. There are 47 million Americans over the age of 65 who have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia; estimates predict that by 2030, that number will reach 76 million. Alzheimer’s is currently the 6^th leading cause of death in the United States. The history of Alzheimer’s goes back to 1906 when a medical professional named Alois Alzheimer diagnosed the first case of Alzheimer’s in a woman. Research shows that Alzheimer’s disease begins in the brain approximately 20 years before symptoms start to develop; these symptoms develop when nerve cells die. This causes the overall brain to shrink, and overtime become deformed, leading to symptoms. The initial set of symptoms are considered potential warning signs of Alzheimer’s; these include issues with talking and writing, confusion, increased vision problems, decreased decision making skills, difficulty concentrating, withdrawal from hobbies, activities, slight personality changes, and misplacing items. Once the disease has progressed, the more recognized symptoms of Alzheimer’s begin to develop, these include, but are not limited to:

a worsening of all previous symptoms,
loss of short-term and long-term memory,
an inability to learn new information/tasks,
loss of attention span,
an increased likelihood to wonder and get lost due to restlessness,
mood and behavioral changes,
hallucinations and paranoia,
an increased time spent sleeping, and
an inability to walk, speak, and swallow.

The most important part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month is learning about the steps that can be taken to help prevent the disease and to understand how researchers track and attempt to work on a cure for it. Currently, some of the ways researchers believe can reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer’s include regular cardiovascular activity, continued education at all stages of life, not smoking, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep at night, managing stress and mental health, avoiding head injuries, completing mentally challenging activities, and engaging in regular social activity. There are studies being conducted that examine the potential hereditary aspects of the disease and some the various brain functions that could contribute to the disease. Some ways to help support this cause is to wear purple in the month of June as well as donate to various Alzheimer’s research and support organizations. To learn more about how you can help, visit www.alz.org. References:

BMO Harris Tests Portal for Special Needs Clients

BMO Harris Tests Portal for Special Needs Clients

By Miriam Cross May 11, 2021, 3:38 p.m. EDT4 Min Read Daria Placitella ran PNC Bank’s wealth management division for eight years. She also has a son with special needs. Those two experiences helped her identify a gap in financial planning that called for a digital solution. In 2018, she co-founded Hope Trust, a fintech in Holmdel, N.J., that helps people with special needs and their families craft digital plans detailing medical, legal, financial and other priorities as well as budget for a lifetime of care. Chicago-based BMO Harris Bank — which included Hope Trust in its inaugural women’s fintech mentoring program in 2020 — will be the first bank to offer Hope Trust’s services to its customers, starting with 20 complimentary one-year licenses for current and prospective clients.

“We’ve taken the body of knowledge that an individual has about their loved one and brought it all together, financially and healthwise,” says Daria Placitella (left), co-founder and CEO of Hope Trust. “We’ve had multiple conversations with clients where they have a child with special needs and they are terrified of something happening to them," says Amy Griman, national head of trust & estates for BMO Wealth Management U.S. One other company, a challenger bank called Purple, is also taking a tech-oriented approach to helping individuals with special needs preserve their government benefits by integrating tax- advantaged ABLE savings accounts into its product. But BMO Harris and Hope Trust appear to be the first to offer an automated trust portal to help people with special needs and their families handle their financial lives and other aspects of their care. Both Placitella and Amy Griman, the national head of trust and estate services at BMO Wealth Management U.S., say families tend to store key information about a loved one’s special needs in their heads or on pieces of paper, where the information can quickly grow stale. For BMO Harris, a $154.3 billion-asset unit of BMO Financial Group in Toronto, the portal will help it avoid the pitfalls of this specialized market; if financial accounts are not handled carefully, the beneficiary’s government benefits such as Medicaid may be put at risk. “This is a very close-knit community, and they talk,” said Placitella. “If you can offer a solution to help these clients plan for the future, it’ll help you retain the assets and open up a market to acquire new clients.” The service is also likely to stand out. “There are only a small number of banks or trust companies that have the expertise needed to manage special needs trusts and even fewer that have invested in the staffing and technology necessary to serve beneficiaries in a meaningful way,” said Shana Siegel, head of the elder law and special needs group at the law firm Norris McLaughlin. She said she's unaware of any other institution using a similar platform. Administering special needs trusts, as BMO has done since late 2019, is complex, with different programs, rules and types of trusts. Special needs trusts are estate-planning tools designed to preserve assets and wealth without disqualifying an individual from eligible government benefits. A misstep by the trustee, perhaps due to insufficient knowledge about a client’s conditions and needs, can mean the beneficiary doesn’t receive proper support or loses government funds. Hope Trust provides trustees such as BMO — along with others supporting a person with special needs — with a full picture of the individual’s financials and care needs. The parent or caregiver will log into the Hope Trust portal and fill out a questionnaire that addresses medical, behavioral, legal, financial and psychological needs.

The thousands of questions are linked by decision trees to trigger relevant follow-up questions; for example, if parents mark down that their child has Down syndrome, they will only see applicable questions. Families can also store a list of medications, daily schedules and documents in the portal, and list preferences as granular as a child’s favorite color or food. (The tool does not focus on the senior population.) Another component, called MYTO for Meet Your Trust Objectives, delves into the financial planning aspect of caring for a relative with special needs. The tool can help the family decide how much money it needs to fund the trust to provide for loved ones, running calculations with and without taking government benefits into account. There is also a concierge service, where for a fee special needs users who live on their own can request help ordering groceries, paying their bills and more, guided by the budget established in the life care plan. “We’ve taken the body of knowledge that an individual has about their loved one and brought it all together, financially and healthwise,” said Placitella. “Today, most of that information is in a parent’s head or in a drawer.” Users can also customize access to information for care providers, financial advisors and attorneys; for instance, they can allow advisors to see financial details but not health matters, or divorced parents to see different slices of information. Placitella notes that factors change frequently for these families, from which medications they need to whether a child has moved to a new group home. They can update these details at any time to keep them current, another feature that was appealing for Griman. “The Hope Trust platform is such a gap filler,” said Griman. “We’ve had multiple conversations with clients where they have a child with special needs and they are terrified of something happening to them. No one else has the information and details that they have to care for their child.” Hope Trust works with 41 financial services firms since launching in January, including life insurance providers and registered investment advisers. BMO is its first bank partner. The fintech is also the third graduate of a BMO accelerator program to partner with the bank. In 2018, BMO announced partnerships with SpringFour, an online tool that curates local, state and national financial resources across the U.S., and Genivity, an artificial intelligence software company whose algorithms predict how long clients are going to live and how healthy they’re going to be to help plan for retirement and future health care costs. Miriam Cross Tech Reporter, Arizent Original Article: https://www.americanbanker.com/news/bmo-harris-tests-portal-for-special-needs-clients

Occupational Therapy Month 2021

Occupational Therapy Month 2021 Each year the month of April is Occupational Therapy Month, which is used to help promote occupational therapy. Although vitally important as a service to those who need it, occupational therapy is not as well known on the healthcare spectrum as some of its’ contemporaries. Beginning in 1980, Occupational Therapy Month has been used to bring attention and recognition to a nearly 100-year-old career rooted in science and evidence-based practice that focuses on practice areas that include Mental Health, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation, Disability, and Participation; Healthy Living Habits; Appropriate Aging; and Vocational Work. The best way to celebrate Occupational Therapy month is by recognizing occupational therapists and the type of work they do and why it is important. Occupational therapy is a process in which a holistic and customized approach is used to help people across the lifespan participate in activities they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). This type of therapy is focused on adapting an individual’s environment and/or task to fit the person and their specific set of circumstances or disability. Through this approach, occupational therapists enable people of all ages to live life to the fullest by helping promote health, and prevent – or live better with – injury, illness, or disability. Occupational therapy services typically include: an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals; customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals; an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan. Below are some examples of common types of services occupational therapists provide:

Helping children with physical and mental disabilities fully participate in school and social situations.
Keeping older adult drivers independent and safe in their vehicles by conducting in car assessments, providing recommendations for adaptive equipment, and suggesting appropriate self-restrictions.
Offering individuals who are recovering from a stroke multiple ways to regain independence in their activities of daily living (i.e., dressing, bathing, and household chores).
Assisting individuals in recovering from an injury to regain the vocational skills necessary to return to their place of employment.
Providing support for adults and older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Conducting home evaluations for older adults or individuals with disabilities to prevent falls and promote safety.
Helping veterans with community integration by assisting them in overcoming physical injuries such as limb loss and mental challenges, such as traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

If you want to get involved and participate in Occupational Therapy Month, take the time to recognize an occupational therapist that you know. You can also go to www.AOTA.org to view educational materials to learn more about the profession and the individuals they support.

World Down Syndrome Day 2021

World Down Syndrome Day

March 21^st is a day of celebration and awareness! World Down Syndrome Day (or WDSD) has been around since 2012 and is spearheaded by Down Syndrome International. Its purpose is to educate the world on Down Syndrome and how individuals with Down Syndrome need to be valued and appreciated in their communities. Down Syndrome International has linked up with national charities across the world to develop activities and events to raise awareness and highlight facts of what it is like to have Down Syndrome. The date for WDSD, 3/21, is significant because it symbolizes the triplication (trisomy) of the 21^st chromosome, which is Down Syndrome.

Ways to get involved and help raise awareness:

Rock Your Socks Campaign:
- Wear your favorite crazy socks and get noticed! Get your family, friends, classmates, and colleagues to join in with you on the fun and to show support. Make sure to tag #LotsOfSocks on social media to show off your wild and crazy pair.
Color it Blue and Yellow:
- The colors for Down Syndrome awareness are blue and yellow. Wearing blue and/or yellow clothing or lighting something up with blue and yellow colors helps bring awareness to the cause. Other ideas include painting your nails blue and yellow, putting blue and yellow candles in your windows, or changing out your outdoor lightbulbs for blue and yellow ones to light up your house. Whatever you decide, be creative and have fun!
Organize or Participate in an Event:
- Take the initiative and organize your own event that will help raise money and awareness! Plan a bike ride or walk, host a bake sale or raffle, or any other fun event that will help benefit those with Down Syndrome.

By participating and becoming involved in World Down Syndrome Day you are helping educate the public on what Down Syndrome is, encouraging those with Down Syndrome to participate in daily activities, promoting the vital role those with Down Syndrome play in their communities, and dispelling stereotypes. Fundraising and donations support advocacy, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down Syndrome.

ABLE ACT: Legislation that Gives People With Disabilities the Ability to Save Money

Despite their considerable benefits, ABLE accounts still aren’t widely used. The Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 recognizes the late Mr. Beck who paved the way for a better life for his daughter Natalie, and other persons with disabilities, by empowering millions of eligible Americans with disabilities to save money for their future. The ABLE Act established a tax-advantaged program for individuals and their families to save money for disability related expenses. Before the ABLE Act was passed, many individuals with disabilities were unable to save money to help pay for costly or big-ticket expenses without losing vital public benefits and forced to rely solely on these benefits. ABLE accounts were specifically designed to cover gaps in supports and services. This program allows people of any age who developed a qualifying disability before age 26 to invest up to $15,000 per year in an account that grows tax-free and can be accessed tax-free. An individual who is employed may contribute additional funds under the Able To Work Act. These tax advantaged accounts are very similar to 529 plans for college. Currently, 43 states and the District of Columbia have ABLE, or 529A, programs. If your state does not have a program or you do not like your resident state’s program, you can open an account in any one of the 26 states that accept outside residents into their program. Each state has unique fees, maximum balance limits, and investment options. One of the biggest advantages of an ABLE account is that people with disabilities can save money in their own name without risking their government benefits. In the past, if they held more than $2,000 in their name, they’d lose their Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid benefits until they spent down the money. Now, they can save up to $100,000 in an ABLE account without affecting their SSI benefits, and ABLE balances of any size don’t affect Medicaid eligibility. Money in an ABLE account can be used for a wide range of goods and services as long as the expense helps improve the health, independence, and/or quality of life for the person with a disability. Withdrawals are tax-free for qualifying disability -related expenses, including, but not limited to housing, education, assistive technology, employment training, healthcare, wellness, basic living expenses, and transportation. An ABLE account can be opened with as little as a $25 investment depending on the state. Plans usually offer a small variety of mutual funds in which money grows tax-free. You can also roll over money from a 529 college-savings account to an ABLE, up to the maximum annual ABLE contribution limit minus any other contributions for the year. This rollover can help families who saved in a 529C before their child was diagnosed with a disability. For families with a loved one with special needs, planning for the future presents numerous challenges. It’s nearly impossible to predict what the future may hold, and there are many additional costs associated with a disability. The flexibility of ABLE accounts helps address these uncertainties with savings that can be used to meet each individual’s unique needs without jeopardizing eligibility of means-tested government benefits. To highlight this flexibility, consider the needs of a 7-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with autism. His parents hope that he will eventually go to college, be employed and live on his own. This may or may not be possible. If possible, he may need to attend a special college or have additional supports at a traditional college. If not possible, he may benefit from a vocational program, job coaching, or other specialized supports. An ABLE account can be used for all of those possibilities, and his parents can save for the future without knowing exactly how those funds might be spent. With an ABLE account, persons with disabilities can save money for large purchases necessary to improve their lives. Many times these funds are used to purchase costly accessible vehicles. Other benefits of ABLE accounts are fostering person centered independence, building self-reliance, encouraging employment, and improving quality of life. These accounts provide the opportunity for people with disabilities, who have the ability, to be employed and save and control their own money without jeopardizing their benefits. Living with a disability presents all sorts of challenges, ABLE accounts may offer solutions. Visit the ABLE National Resource Center (www.ablenrc.org) for a map of each state’s program and other information.

Get To Know Aunt Bertha

Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, but finding help can be daunting, and it is often difficult to know where to start. Enter Aunt Bertha. Aunt Bertha’s mission is to help people find the resources they need quickly, with dignity and ease. Founded in 2010 and initially focusing on the Austin, Texas area, Aunt Bertha is a searchable database designed to pick up where Uncle Sam leaves off. Anyone can search for help on this free platform at https://www.findhelp.org. The company was founded by Erine Gray, after his own experience navigating the maze of care necessary to support his mother, who suffered from encephalitis. The encephalitis caused permanent brain damage, memory impairment, and eventually early onset dementia. Gray’s experience navigating the health and social services for his mother was eye-opening and made him “see how broken the system really was.” His vision was for individuals to be able to go online, type in their zip code, and access multiple organizations that could help them. Before Aunt Bertha, no one had ever tried to take on the herculean task of digitizing all of the health and human services across the US. Over its ten-year history, the company has expanded to serve people in all fifty states, providing information about 453,245 federal, state, and verified non-profit programs. More than 1,200 resources are available for each county in the country. According to Gray: “It’s meant to be an entry point for finding out what’s available and finding out the enrollment process.” Keeping information current is a moving target with a data operations team constantly researching new and existing programs. Platform users can also suggest changes or program additions. Since the pandemic, the need is greater than ever, and specific Covid-19 programs have been a focus. The process is fast and easy. To search for free or reduced cost social services, simply go to www.findhelp.org and type in your zip code. You can then search for programs by categories such as: Food, Housing, Goods, Transit, Health, Money, Care, Education, Work, and Legal. Results can be further filtered by client age, agency hours of operation, income eligibility, and more. For each program, comprehensive information regarding services offered, populations served, eligibility requirements, documents required, application process, and contact information is provided. The platform also includes a translation widget on each page which enables to page to be translated into any language that Google Translate supports. There is an integrated, digital application form that easily transfers information to an agency form in just a few clicks. The application information and supporting documents can be saved in the system for future applications, and a dashboard helps you keep track of the programs you have previously applied for. As Gray explains, Aunt Bertha was designed to “solve the information gap….the nonprofits are doing the heavy lifting, offering help and getting people enrolled. We’re making sure people can find them.”

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2021