Category: Employment and AT

BREAKING NEWS: Medicare Covers Seat Elevation for Medicare Beneficiaries using Power Wheelchairs

From Independence Through Enhancement: Complete Post through this link…

We are thrilled to announce that CMS decided to cover seat elevation in all power wheelchairs for the purposes of performing all transfers or to improve reach in performing mobility related activities of daily living (MRADLs) in their homes. This is a major expansion of coverage from the preliminary coverage decision announced in mid-February and CMS attributed these coverage improvements to the 2,130 public comments received by wheelchair users, advocates, clinicians, and researchers. The final seat elevation Decision Memo can be viewed HERE.

For the first time, CMS determined that seat elevation in power wheelchairs is considered “primarily medical in nature” and is, therefore, covered durable medical equipment (DME) under both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Seat elevation will be covered in Groups 2, 3 and 5 Complex Rehabilitative Technology (CRT) power wheelchairs when a patient needs seat elevation to transfer from one surface to another, with or without caregiver assistance, assistive devices, or lift equipment or to improve one’s reach in order to perform MRADLs. Seat elevation will also be covered in non-CRT power wheelchairs when determined by Medicare contractors to be reasonable and necessary.  Individuals must undergo a specialty evaluation performed by a licensed/certified medical professional who has specific training and experience in rehabilitative wheelchair evaluations.

This decision is effective immediately but CMS will consider new coding and payment determinations in the future. Beneficiaries who are most likely to benefit from this decision include people with Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, spinal cord injury, paralysis, ALS, limb amputation, Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, myositis, and other mobility-related conditions.

Non-Invasive Brain Imaging Deciphers Hand Gestures

From Neuroscience News: Complete Post through this link…

Summary: Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to identify hand gestures through brain imaging.

The technique utilizes magnetoencephalography (MEG) and could contribute to the evolution of brain-computer interfaces. Such interfaces could help individuals with physical challenges, like paralysis or amputated limbs, to control supportive devices using their minds.

This work represents the most successful non-invasive single-hand gesture differentiation achieved to date.

Key Facts:

  1. The researchers successfully used non-invasive MEG to distinguish different hand gestures with over 85% accuracy.
  2. The technique, which is as safe as taking a patient’s temperature, has potential applications for those with physical challenges.
  3. MEG measurements from only half of the brain regions sampled yielded nearly comparable results, suggesting future MEG helmets might require fewer sensors.

Hearing Aids Are Changing. Their Users Are, Too.

By Neelam Bohra: Complete Post through this link…

As more young people risk hearing loss, over-the-counter hearing aids are providing new options, but also confusing choices.

Ayla Wing’s middle school students don’t always know what to make of their 26-year-old teacher’s hearing aids. The most common response she hears: “Oh, my grandma has them, too.”

But grandma’s hearing aids were never like this: Bluetooth-enabled and connected to her phone, they allow Ms. Wing to toggle with one touch between custom settings. She can shut out the world during a screeching subway ride, hear her friends in noisy bars during a night out and even understand her students better by switching to “mumbly kids.”

A raft of new hearing aids have hit the market in recent years, offering greater appeal to a generation of young adults that some experts say is both developing hearing problems earlier in life and — perhaps paradoxically — becoming more comfortable with an expensive piece of technology pumping sound into their ears.

Some of the new models, including Ms. Wing’s, are made by traditional prescription brands, which usually require a visit to a specialist. But the Food and Drug Administration opened up the market last year when it allowed the sale of hearing aids over the counter. In response, brand names like Sony and Jabra began releasing their own products, adding to the new wave of designs and features that appeal to young consumers.

Gallaudet, U.S. Naval Academy debate the issue of deaf people serving in the military

By Victoria Hallett: Complete Post through this link…

Four students — two from Gallaudet University and two from the United States Naval Academy — made history Thursday night by participating in an unprecedented debate hosted by Gallaudet’s Center for Democracy in Deaf America (CDDA). In front of a packed crowd at the Gallaudet University Field House, they competed in mixed teams, each with one representative from both schools and using a combination of American Sign Language and English. Their mission was to tackle the question: Should deaf people be allowed to serve in the United States military?

Gallaudet’s Trent Mora and United States Naval Academy midshipman Jason Santiago took the affirmative stance, maintaining that combat has evolved with technology, making it possible for deaf people to perform effectively in more roles. Arguing against the inclusion of deaf service members were Gallaudet’s Lexi Hill and United States Naval Academy midshipman Roy Choi, who asserted that auditory communication remains vital in combat zone scenarios.

A pre-debate poll of those in attendance, which included more than 100 high school students from deaf schools and programs nationwide, found that 73 percent were in favor of deaf people in the military, and only 27 percent were opposed. So when Hill stepped onto the stage for her opening remarks, she acknowledged that she was taking on an unpopular stance. “I like to challenge myself, and I like to view perspectives that are varying and different than mine. I think that’s the whole point of debate,” she explained.

Hill and Choi relied on storytelling to make their case, starting with the scene around them in the Field House. “USNA and Gallaudet have come together and worked tirelessly for this event and coordinated CART, interpreters, CDIs, and still, regardless of all of that effort, something will be lost in translation this evening,” Hill noted. “Now imagine that situation in the fog of war.” They asked the audience to envision ships that have lost their engines, bunkers that have been attacked, and other catastrophic incidents.

Fake sign language is spreading on TikTok. Deaf people are worried.

By Amanda Morris: Complete Post through this link…

Sign language has become trendy on TikTok, but many videos feature incorrect signs, sparking fears the trend will cause lasting damage to American Sign Language.

Anthony Eagle Jr. is big on TikTok. He boasts over 850,000 followers, many of whom love the way he performs sign language renditions of songs. There’s just one problem — the sign language is sometimeswrong.

When Eagle, 39, of Winston-Salem, N.C., signs the song, “Love the Way You Lie,” his rendition is riddled with mistakes, like signing the word “lie” with two hands in the wrong position. To a deaf person who uses sign language, it looks like gibberish.

The Washington Post asked Sheena Lyles, 37, of Baltimore, a Deaf comedian on TikTok, to demonstrate several sign language mistakes made on social media. Here she shows the right way to sign “lie,” as well as the wrong way used by Eagle in his video.

Listen Up: Using AI to Build Personalized Assistive Hearing Devices

By SIMON HILL: For Complete Post, Click Here…

A new partnership between Google and an Australian hearing coalition is using machine intelligence to improve the customizability of hearing aids and cochlear implants.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, Cochlear, the manufacturer of cochlear implants, announced a collaboration with Google and Australian Hearing Hub members, the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), Macquarie University, the Shepherd Centre, and NextSense. The aim is to improve existing hearing-assistance technologies, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, and to develop new solutions for folks experiencing hearing loss.

There’s a growing awareness that it’s important to protect our hearing. Nevertheless, the world faces a hearing loss crisis. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people worldwide live with hearing loss today (430 million with disabling hearing loss), but it predicts that by 2050, those figures will grow to 2.5 billion and 700 million, respectively. 

By bringing together expertise and resources from across the spectrum of hearing research, technology, academia, government, and health care, this partnership hopes to make real breakthroughs in hearing technologies over the next few years. 

Complete Customization

Although every person with hearing loss is unique, the industry has a one-size-fits-all approach with most hearing aids. Experts and people with hearing loss have long been calling for a more personalized approach. Google hopes to bring its AI and machine learning expertise into play.

“The idea is to be able to customize the experience for each person, and for the environment they are currently in,” explains Sam Sepah, lead accessibility research product manager at Google.

Edward Enninful says Vogue disability issue is ‘one of my proudest moments’

By Annabel Rackham: Complete Post through this link…

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful has said working on May’s issue, which has five disabled cover stars, was “one of the proudest moments of my career”.

Titled Reframing Fashion, the edition focuses on 19 disabled people in total from fashion, sport and the arts.

The magazine’s cover stars include actress Selma Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, and model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down’s syndrome.

Enninful, 51, said he had “learned so much” from producing the issue.

“My tenure here at Vogue has always been about inclusivity and diversity, and people forget how hard it is for the disabled community,” Enninful told the BBC.

He revealed last year in his memoir that he had visual and hearing impairments and a blood disorder, which he said present “challenges” in his role as editor-in-chief at British Vogue.

“It was so important I could relate – I felt real pride that people can actually speak up about disabilities and not have to hide it and how it impacts them.

“I think this is one of the most incredible issues I’ve had the privilege of editing in my tenure.”

Longitudinal follow-up of the randomized controlled trial of access to the trauma-focused self-management app PTSD coach

By Ida Hensler , Josefin Sveen a, Martin Cernvall , Filip K. Arnberg : Complete Post through this link…

Highlights

  • •Access to PTSD Coach decreased symptoms of psychological and physical illness.
  • •Access to PTSD Coach led to decreased functional disability.
  • •Improvements after access to PTSD Coach were maintained up to 9 months.

Among the 179 trauma-exposed adults (92 % women) randomized to instant access or delayed access to PTSD Coach, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, somatic illness and functional disability decreased and were maintained within 3 to 9 months of app access. Posttraumatic stress continued to improve during follow-up. PTSD Coach was considered slightly to moderately helpful and satisfactory and 43 % reported any negative effect related to using the app. PTSD Coach is an effective self-management intervention for trauma-related distress. Future research should investigate mechanisms of change, as well as individual characteristics that predict symptom reduction after access to PTSD Coach in order to inform clinical practice.

What You Should Know About the Impact of Long COVID in the Workplace

From JAN: Complete Post through this link…

ngd- The webinar itself has already occurred, but the recording, slides, transcript, and supplementary materials are availalbe through the link…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in millions of people now experiencing chronic health conditions related to their initial COVID infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, post-COVID conditions, known as Long COVID, include a wide range of ongoing health issues that last for months or longer. Symptoms affect people in various ways, including the ability to work. Long COVID may be a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so employers need to ensure accommodation processes and practices are effective in retaining much-needed workers. Learn about the impact of Long COVID in the workplace, including recent findings from the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC), and receive tips for navigating the accommodation process, accommodation solutions, and practical resources from JAN and the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN).

…

HOMEHEALTH NEWSTinnitus Takedown: Top Tips From a Hearing Specialist

By BRADLEY KESSER: Complete Post through this link…

Tinnitus is a common condition characterized by the perception of noise or ringing in the ears without an external sound source. Typically experienced as ringing, buzzing, hissing, or clicking, it can stem from various causes, such as age-related hearing loss, loud noise exposure, ear infections, or head injuries. Although tinnitus is often regarded as a symptom rather than a disease, it can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.

As a neurotologist – that’s an ear specialist – I have seen approximately 2,500 tinnitus patients during my 20-year career. That might sound like a lot, but it shouldn’t be a surprise – up to 15% of the U.S. population experiences tinnitus. That’s more than 50 million Americans.

Roughly 20 million of those have burdensome, chronic tinnitus, and another 2 million struggle with extreme and debilitating tinnitus. The condition seems to strike middle-aged people the most, but I have seen younger patients and even teenagers with tinnitus.

Much about this condition remains a mystery, but clinicians and researchers do know that loud noise can trigger tinnitus. Firearms, power tools, heavy machinery, MRI scans and blaring music from even a single rock concert are often the culprits. Just one loud noise exposure – what doctors call acoustic trauma – can kick-start tinnitus, although in most of those cases it’s temporary.

This is why many people in the military have tinnitus, perhaps acquired after exposure to loud gunfire or vehicular and aircraft noise. Indeed, more than 2.5 million veterans receive disability benefits for tinnitus.

Other factors that can cause or contribute to tinnitus include sinus infections, fevers, flu, emotional stress, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and some medications, like aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. When people stop drinking these beverages or taking the medications, the tinnitus typically resolves itself or, at least, is reduced.

Background noise often drowns out tinnitus, and many external sources will work. YouTube has many sound-generating videos that can help cancel out the uncomfortable sound, and some of these have black screens that will run all night. Free smartphone apps are available; for some people, air conditioners, fans, sound machines, television and radio can be effective at masking the tinnitus.

There are also sound-producing devices that fit in the ear to help counteract tinnitus. Programmed by an audiologist, these sound maskers emit a tone at the same pitch as the user’s tinnitus, helping to neutralize the internal sound. These devices are typically not covered by insurance carriers or Medicare.

For those with hearing loss, regular hearing aids may camouflage the tinnitus by bringing in background noise while at the same time helping patients hear.

Some types of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications work.

Another approach is cognitive behavioral therapy – that is, talk therapy. This particularly helps those with other conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, a history of concussion or other traumatic brain injury. By reducing this underlying stress, people can learn to live with it rather than fight against it.