Get Low-Cost Internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program
 DECEMBER 2, 2022 Get Low-Cost Internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a Federal Communications Commission program that helps Pennsylvanians with low incomes pay for broadband service and internet-connected devices necessary to maintain reliable internet access in their homes. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the way we communicate, learn, work, visit our doctor, and access social safety net resources. Now, having affordable and reliable internet service at home is even more essential to our everyday lives, but access to this resource is not universal. This new benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. Learn More About Affordable Internet in PA Click the above link and learn more about the benefit including eligibility, enrollment information, and community outreach resources. How Do I Enroll in the ACP? Eligible households can enroll by going to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an online application or print a mail-in application, or by contacting their preferred participating broadband provider in Pennsylvania and selecting a plan. Am I Eligible for the ACP? A household is eligible for the ACP if the household income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below: Participates in one of these assistance programs: Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Medical Assistance (Medicaid) Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers) Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811 Public Housing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits Lifeline Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income internet program; Participates in one of these assistance programs and lives on Qualifying Tribal lands: Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Tribal Head Start (income-based) Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiian SPREAD THE WORD SO PENNSYLVANIANS CAN GET CONNECTED IN 2023! More from DHS Follow DHS on Social  @PAHumanServices  @PAHumanServices  PA Department of Human Services Thank you for subscribing! All of us at DHS would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to all of our readers as we continue to serve, protect, and educate Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable. If you’re not a DHS regular yet, be sure to follow us on social and visit our For All of Us blog for more reads. DHS & PA Headlines • Governor Wolf Announces $9 Million for Substance Use Disorder Crisis Stabilization Services — The Daily Review• With no child tax credit and inflation on the rise, families are slipping back into poverty — The 19th |
“Will telemedicine be the new norm after the coronavirus crisis?” – Al Jazeera
“As the pandemic forces doctors to turn to online solutions, many healthcare providers say they now see their advantages.”
“Caitlin Powers sits in the living room of her Brooklyn apartment in New York, and has a telemedicine video conference with her physician, Dr Deborah Mulligan.” – [Mark Lennihan/AP Photo]
by Christine Nguyen
“When Dr Mythili Krishnamurthy, an obstetrician/gynaecologist in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, got her patient’s message on WhatsApp about breast pain and a fever, she was confined to her home, like the rest of India, which had been on lockdown since March 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the lockdown did not stop her from managing the patient’s care.
“Doctors, like Krishnamurthy, are doing ‘house calls’ again – but now, they are in the form of telemedicine visits. Telemedicine refers to remote care, including real-time video and app-based visits. Because of the public health crisis, a profession wary of accepting telemedicine has turned to it overnight.
“Media touts telemedicine’s value as a way to triage suspected COVID-19 patients, but telemedicine is not just a useful temporary stopgap, healthcare professionals say. It allows doctors to see patients with a range of problems and can improve patient care. Once doctors and patients use it, it is unlikely they will stop.”
Read this article in its entirety at Al Jazeera, click here.
The Lancaster County Link partners’ cross-training meeting is about telemedicine at Veterans Affairs.
“May 21 – VIRTUAL ZOOM CROSS-TRAINING meeting – Jessica Lehman, Veteran Affairs Medical Center- Lebanon, VA’s Health Initiative – Telehealth
“How ready is your county for Covid-19? Check out STAT’s new preparedness tool” – STAT: Morning Rounds
“As U.S. cities slowly begin to take control of the Covid-19 pandemic and rural America braces for a wave of cases, some counties may be better prepared to deal with the outbreak than others. A new dashboard, produced in a STAT collaboration with the Center on Rural Innovation and Applied XL, offers a county-by-county look at how places like those in rural Vermont, New Hampshire, and parts of the Midwest may have the resources to tackle Covid-19.
“Other areas, such as those in the Deep South, may be at high risk of facing problems when handling the outbreak. The tool, and the trends it reveals, shows that Covid-19 may further exacerbate the urban-rural health divide that plagued the U.S. even before Covid-19 emerged and take a crushing toll on the already vulnerable populations in rural areas.
“The dashboard also points to the places at higher risk. Some are areas where concerns have already been raised — including segments of the Deep South, where some governors were slow to implement physical distancing measures, and sparsely populated expanses in Western states outside larger cities. Others, like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which has suffered hospital closures, have received less attention.
“‘There are variations in terms of capacity and demographics in rural areas around the country, and those variations can have life-and-death implications in this pandemic,’ said Matt Dunne, the executive director for the Center on Rural Innovation, which was established in 2017 to identify ways to close the urban-rural opportunity gap.
Three reports to expand your knowledge on aging issues
Here are three comprehensive reports about topics that are increasingly important as people age. To view or download each report click on on one of the graphics below.
Families Caring for an Aging America | Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation’s family caregivers provide the lion’s share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults’ access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population.
The Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults | How do social isolation and loneliness affect health and quality of life in adults aged 50 and older? How can clinical settings of health care to help reduce the incidence and adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness?
Cognitive Aging: Progress in Understanding and Opportunities for Action | For most Americans, staying “mentally sharp” as they age is a very high priority. Declines in memory and decision-making abilities may trigger fears of Alzheimer’s disease or other neurodegenerative diseases. However, cognitive aging is a natural process that can have both positive and negative effects on cognitive function in older adults – effects that vary widely among individuals. At this point in time, when the older population is rapidly growing in the United States and across the globe, it is important to examine what is known about cognitive aging and to identify and promote actions that individuals, organizations, communities, and society can take to help older adults maintain and improve their cognitive health.
Did you see Google’s Super Bowl “remember” video?
Yesterday’s Super Bowl featured lots of commercials, but this Google commercial stands out.
“One of the biggest standouts came from Google, which showed that its home assistance service can do more than just set reminders or timers for day to day activities. Google’s Super Bowl commercial touched on a man’s memories of his dearly departed wife and how meaningful every nuance of her was to him over the course of their marriage.
“The commercial clearly resonated with viewers and garnered considerable chatter on Twitter, with one user saying ‘I’m in tears. Good job.'” – Yahoo News
–
“Google’s lovely Super Bowl ad shows how sad the future will be” – MSN
“Youth teaching tech to seniors fosters generational connections” – WITF
by Megan Kamerick
“The United States now has 46 million people age 65 or older. That’s a record number, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
“More of these senior citizens are adopting technology, but most also say they need help using new electronic devices such as smart phones. Falling behind on technology puts seniors at risk for social isolation, which makes them vulnerable to poor health and earlier death. It’s also expensive. A study by AARP found isolation is associated with nearly $7 billion in additional annual spending by Medicare.
“A startup company in Albuquerque has made matching tech-savvy young people with seniors its mission. Teeniors coaches them on using smartphones, computers and tablets.”
Click here to continue reading this article at WITF.
Are there local programs in Berks, Lancaster & Lebanon Counties like this? Should there be? Let’s get the conversation started — email us at blllink@mail.com to share your thoughts.
Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) Offers Funding for Tablet Technology
Did you know that PATF offers partial grants for tablet technology to our Mini-Loan borrowers? That’s right — if you’re a Pennsylvanian with a disability planning to use a PATF Mini-Loan to pay for a tablet (for example, an iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Amazon Fire, etc.) we can provide a grant to offset the cost by up to 50% of the loan ($500 at most).
These loans also offer an opportunity to build credit, with 0% interest and no fees. Borrowers of ANY income level are eligible.
Please note: PATF does not extend grants only. If a loan applicant meets eligibility guidelines, PATF may be able to offer a partial grant in conjunction with a Mini-Loan.
Save money, build credit, and most importantly, get the assistive technology you need! Contact us for details. https://patf.us/contact/
“‘How long do I have?’ A website on cancer survival rates, from the co-founder of GoodRx, seeks to provide clarity” – STATNews
by Elizabeth Cooney
“Talking about cancer is hard. Talking about your chances of surviving cancer is even harder.
“Now one of the entrepreneurs behind the drug-pricing information site GoodRx wants to make conversations about cancer easier with a new site called CancerSurvivalRates.com. Launched this month, its mission is to make information about cancer prognoses more accessible to patients and families. The idea is to improve on what people can find on the internet or even sometimes in their doctors’ offices, co-founder and drug supply chain veteran Stephen Buck said.
“Oncologists may be leery of their patients’ relying on the web for cancer survival rates or estimates of how long a patient might live, particularly given how many factors come into play for any individual. But Buck, along with oncologists and other experts who have served as advisers on the project, say such information can be the basis for a deeper discussion with clinicians about what the future might hold.”
To continue reading this article, click here.
Visit the CancerSurvivorRates.com Website, click here.
“Services Address Wandering in Those with Memory Impairment” – 50plus LIFE
by Megan Joyce
“For caregivers of people with memory issues, keeping their loved one in a safe space — whether it’s their home or a care facility — is vital to the person’s well-being. But the reality is that 6 in 10 people with dementia will wander away from that safe space at least once.
“Someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia may wander as a result of agitation, confusion, anxiety, overstimulation, or the belief that they are searching for something. They may become disoriented and attempt to relive the past or revive past habits, such as going to work or returning to a familiar neighborhood.
“While wandering, the person might not recall their name or address, making it difficult for those who encounter the person to assess their needs and return them to safety.
“Clay Jacobs, vice president of programs and services for the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, said anyone who has memory problems and is able to walk is at risk for wandering, even in the early stages of dementia. There are certain behaviors, however, that are red flags indicating wandering is more likely to occur.”
Continue reading this article at 50 plus LIFE in its entirety.
The publisher of 50plus LIFE, On-Line Publishers, Inc. is a Link to Aging and Disability Resource as are these entities mentioned in the article.
- Alzheimer’s association
– Greater Pennsylvania Chapter – 706 Rothsville Road, Lititz PA 17543. 24/7 Helpline # – 1.800.272.3900 – “Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.” Call our Helpline for resources in your area. - On-Line Publishers, Inc. – On-Line Publishers, Inc. has more than 15 years’ experience in serving boomers, seniors, disabled, caregivers, and their families by providing relevant information utilizing a variety of platforms. Talk to us about our print and digital editions of 50plus Senior News, 50plus Senior Living, and the Resource Directory for Caregivers, Aging, and Disabled, and Caregiver Solutions. Or learn more about our annual 50plus EXPOs. For more click: www.onlinepub.com.
- The Pilot Club of Lancaster, Inc. / Project Lifesaver – This service club works closely with the local police departments to provide Project Lifesaver; an emergency response program for individual who may wander.
50plus LIFE is an award-winning publication published monthly, providing individuals 50 and over in the Susquehanna and Delaware valleys with timely and relevant information pertinent to their needs and interests. Editions in Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties.
“Technology Adoption by Baby Boomers (and everybody else)” – Pew Research Center – Internet & Technology
“Innovation and technology go hand in hand in developing the vision and strategy for the business solutions these leaders employ to engage current and new customers (boomers and beyond), and to establish new business models. Explore the best practices in innovation that drive new revenue generation. How is innovation affected by the adoption of technology by older consumers? Lee Rainie and Andrew Perrin present what works and what doesn’t when innovating in large public and nonprofit organizations at the Boomer Summit in Washington.”
Berks - Lancaster - Lebanon LINK Service Area 
Recent Comments