#specialneedsparenting

What do friends, floods, and futures have in common? 

February! While these events all happened during the month of love, they are not exclusive to a time period.  Although most of the floods we have had...there have been three so far happened in February. 

In this episode, Katherine updates listeners on her continued journey to help Mikelle plan for a future where Mikelle can manage her life more independently, working with other moms with family members with disabilities all around the same ages. Two other topics for discussion are managing the flood, which coincided with Mikelle's Affordable Housing house inspection, and the notion of a second podcast titled Shining Beautiful, too! This podcast is for caregivers and systems navigators. Like Mikelle gives voice to the often voiceless, this podcast would give attention to the often overlooked role of caregivers and the challenges of navigating a rehabilitation system going through significant change.  

Your thoughts on these topics are welcomed. Please reach out to Katherine at tangoresults@gmail.com.

Our annual podcast episode on Preparing for Your Best Year Yet features the planning duo of Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, P.C.: Host Annette Hines and her husband and law partner, Mark Worthington.

Do you have an estate plan or do you still need to create one?  How long has it been since you've reviewed it?  Annette and Mark provide an essential guide in this episode for reviewing your estate plan to prepare for your best year. They invite listeners to consider three things:

1. What's changed about your assets or your stuff? What's your financial picture look like?
2. How are you and the people named in your plan doing? 
3. Have there been changes in the law?

Because Annette is an attorney, planning is an essential part of her job, which often is a focus of her episodes.  In an earlier episode from this year, Special Needs Awareness Month: Estate Planning, she explains what an estate plan is and why it is so essential for special needs families.  Special needs estate planning is for anyone wanting to ensure that their disabled person will be safe and provided for no matter what happens in the future.

Let us know what you think of this episode! Please leave a review or a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

The third in a series featuring unique and innovative solutions for the disability community, this episode features the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Sponsors of the Future (SoF), Suzy Im.  The goals of SoF are to design easier ways for parents and caregivers to access information and advocate for their loved ones, as well as connect neurodivergent kids with global organizations to empower them and ensure that we consider a person's whole being. Host Annette Hines notes that SoF's concept of connectivity, an ecosystem that supports the neurodivergent community through education, advocacy, and inclusion, is like grassroots organizing by networking and navigating complexities together. They also discussed finding hidden gems of local support and necessary corporate responsibility of organizations in industries like healthcare and pharmaceuticals to create solutions in partnership with the people they serve. You can learn more about or donate to SoF's mission on their website: www.sponsorsofthefuture.org/mission

We need your feedback and reviews to continue to produce and promote the innovations of agencies like Sponsors of the Future! Please rate and review this episode as well as share it in your community.  Or leave a comment on our website: specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

Host Annette Hines opens the episode with an overview of the "Health and Hospital Corporation v. Talevski" U.S. Supreme Court Case and the impact the case may have on the ability of people who depend on public benefit initiatives funded by state and federal agencies be able to sue states when their civil rights are violated.  She also notes the recent gains the disability community is making in combating institutional bias in health care and housing. 

Preparing for the holiday season is the primary focus for the episode. Hines provides tips to emotionally manage this stressful and perhaps sorrowful time that her family uses to keep the memory alive of her daughter Elizabeth who passed away in 2013.  In her classically transparent and warm fashion, Hines shares her anxiety of anticipating the holiday season and the trigger questions people might ask her. Her honesty about these feelings that many of you may experience help normalize the struggle we may feel to either withdraw or blow up at people. Plus, one of these tips might make the holidays more manageable for you!

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or whereever you listen! We love to hear your comments about the content; post one on our site here: specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

When your family is faced with natural disasters or emergency situations, how do you cope?  For families with children with disabilities or complex medical needs, what types of plans do you have in place to protect their access to medicines, devices or equipment, food and more? Host Annette Hines and her guest, Patricia Frost who is vice-chair of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition (PDC) with over 35 years of experience as a pediatric/neonatal critical care nurse, discuss resources the PDC has created to empower families to develop emergency plans for home and school so that the care of children and those who are most vulnerable is maintained.  Be prepared as a family at home and school with an emergency plan by using checklists and developing a community of supporters who are ready ahead of the disaster.  Consider creating an Individualized Health Plan (IHP) for your student at their school that may or may not be part of the IEP.  Resources for developing an emergency plan are available on the NPD's website: https://www.npdcoalition.org/

Learn more from a previous guest, Alex Ghenis, the deputy director of Sustain Our Abilities, who educates the public on climate change and disaster preparedness in our local communities. 

Let us know what you think of this episode! Leave a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts/

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.

@RareDiseaseDad and DadVocate are the monikers for Adam Johnson who is now a rare disease patient advocate who hosts a podcast called Parents As Rare that features stories of others like him who are affected by rare or chronic diseases.  Host Annette Hines and Johnson discuss a range of topics relating to the struggle that he faced in 2019 when his symptoms related to mitochondrial disease started emerging in the prime of his education career and family life as a husband and dad.  Although advocacy or rare disease were not in the realm of possibility for him previously, today Johnson's advocacy and voice related to how parents with rare diseases manage their diagnosis, lives, and grief unite others in the disability world.  You can listen to the Parents As Rare podcast and read more about Adam Johnson on his website: rarediseasedad.com or on Twitter and Instagram by his handle: @RareDiseaseDad

We would love to hear what you think about this episode. Please leave a review or post a comment on our website: https://specialneedscompanies.com/podcasts

Have you been searching for a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your family? We can help you at Special Needs Law Group put legal planning in place to protect you and your loved ones now and in the future. Book a free call today with our team or contact us via our website: specialneeds-law.com/contact.