The FAMCare Blog

The title of this blog is a testimony to the noble instincts that engender the highest aspirations of America's social services community. The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 initially authorized the Health Care for the Homeless Program. (No one we polled in the past two weeks had any idea that healthcare was available to our homeless population.) In 1996, Congress combined the HCH Program with Community Health Centers, Migrant Health Centers, and Primary Care in Public Housing under the Consolidated Health Center Program. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provided additional resources to expand services and delivery sites.

Many people look forward to retiring in order to completely rest, settle down, and enjoy life in peace. It is widely acknowledged that we must plan for the future in order to be comfortable. While living to an old age is something to be proud of, the elderly face a number of challenges. Seniors face unique challenges due to their age and living situations, necessitating proper attention and senior services from nonprofit organizations.

Here are some of the most common problems that the elderly face.

Senior citizens are easily overlooked members of society.

Because they no longer have family members to care for them, many elderly people in America end up in senior centers and nursing homes. Those who don’t are frequently neglected in their own homes. As a result, their quality of life rapidly deteriorates. Given that the country has over 50 million senior citizens, it is critical to take the necessary steps to improve their quality of life. Our seniors deserve better. Here are a few simple ways to help us better care for our seniors.

As stated in Article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:

"Every child in conflict with the law has the right to be treated in a manner that takes into account “the desirability of promoting [his/her] reintegration and [his/her] assuming a constructive role in society.”

NGOs will do for social change what most organizations will not.

Non-governmental (nonprofit) organizations make significant contributions to society in terms of structural and economic change. There are approximately 1.5 million of them in the country, and the majority of them address serious social issues. Nonprofits must operate efficiently because of the nature of their business. Inefficient workflows can jeopardize an NGO's ability to meet operational objectives.

Here are some ideas for increasing nonprofit workflow efficiency.

You've probably struggled with project management if you've ever worked for a non-profit organization.

Over the years, the non-profit sector in America has grown steadily. It is now one of the country's most active and socially beneficial sectors. It currently employs over 12 million people, accounting for 10% of the total workforce in the country. A growing number of non-profit volunteers and social workers are joining a market that is constantly bemoaning a lack of project management tools. You can't run a non-profit unless you know how to manage everything effectively.

Let's talk about how project management software can help social workers.

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to recede after killing 1,000,000 of our fellow citizens in two years, social workers who deal in public policy are asking the question, "How did our society let this deadly disease get so out of control and do so much damage?"

Every child deserves a happy childhood, but unfortunately, many do not receive one.

A child's childhood can be filled with a variety of 'bad' experiences. While child abuse at the hands of guardians remains one of the major contributors, children can struggle with other adverse experiences as well. Whatever the negative childhood experience was, it can have a long-term negative impact on the child's health as an adult. This is due to the fact that early childhood and adolescence are highly formative years in a person's cognitive and personal development.

Here's how bad childhood experiences can affect your health for the rest of your life.

Today's blog is written by guest blogger, Sharon Wagner, from Senior Friendly.  We truly appreciate her for sharing these helpful insights for seniors and their families.  

If you have loved ones who are getting on in years, they might have reached a point where they need more help than they will admit. Perhaps you noticed on your last visit they were having trouble keeping up with the house or they needed more assistance than usual. Discover how you can help your family member or loved one by being there in the ways they need.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a heritable neurodevelopmental disability that is characterized by delayed or inconsistent development in social interaction and communication and a restricted repertoire of activity and interests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found a higher prevalence of autism in children than ever before. Autism Spectrum Disorder is currently occurring at a rate of 1 in 59 children in the United States, an 18% increase over the past two years and a 151% increase since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first began to monitor the prevalence of ASD in 2000. Social work academics believe that increased prevalence can be explained, in part, by changes in diagnostic criteria, diagnostic substitution, improved awareness in the public, and increased recognition by clinicians.