Ariz. advocates ask for better pay for disabled caregivers, Va. disabled find new home

Arizona patient advocates are asking lawmakers to pay providers more who tend to the severely disabled. In the meantime, in Virginia, the older disabled find a new home.

Arizona Republic: Budget Committees Sign Off On GOP Proposal
Advocates for the state's developmentally disabled asked both House and Senate members to add 5 percent to the rate paid to health care providers who tend to the severely disabled. Their rates were cut several years ago as the state entered its budget crisis, and the low rates have made it increasingly difficult to attract workers, said Monica Attridge of the Arizona Association of Providers for People With Disabilities (Pitzl, 2/21).

The Washington Post: Older Arlingtonians With Disabilities Find A Home
Twenty-five people with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses are now living in the 52-unit center in the Fort Myer area of Arlington County. All are 55 or older, and that makes this new center unique in the nation (Sullivan, 2/21).