THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010
Who Killed SB 6416?
SB 6416 was the will of the Senate, but not the House. The House leadership thinks that foster parents should have equal standing when it comes to permanent placement of children. And, that means permanent placement over the relatives if the foster parents were the last ones to have the child or if government thinks it is in the best interest of the child to put the child somewhere else. Keeping in mind all this blog has covered...the lies in court...lies from CASAs....lies from CPS...the not bothering to look for relatives but going straight to the foster program....no, I don't agree with the House.
Yes, we have some very good and well meaning foster parents. For them we can be thankful. But, we also have some who are the end game of government's redistribution of children. It is impossible to know the story of Alexis Stuth (see KING 5.com) and not understand that some very bad things are happening with the support of taxpayer funded government.
I promised you that SB 6416 would not pass as the House amended it and it didn't. Senator Jim Hargrove (D), Chairman of the Human Services and Corrections Committee, and I agree in many, many matters regarding CPS and child placement. Without going into the details of the final days... we would not have passed the bill because the Senate was not going to agree in the House amendments. This bill, with the House amendments, would have actually placed foster parents above relatives! It was a terrible bill with the House amendment. I tried up until the final hour to get Chairman Rep. Ruth Kagi (D)to recede from the House amendments and she would not do that. She favors best interest of the child over relatives and seems to believe that the last one who has the child has the bonding issue sewed up.
After talking with House leaders several things were evident. One is that extremists in the foster movement have the ear of leadership in the House committee. Rep. Roger Goodman (D) was the one who quickly found SB 6416 as a vehicle upon which to amend his wording giving preference to fosters over relatives. Several in the House are close to a foster lobbyist that I know does not represent all foster caregivers.
The House staff is very liberal on this issue. They have influence in the process.
CPS and its leadership does not want to change the status quo. The ombudsman for the department wanted to change the law...but the department didn't want it changed. Denise Revels Robinson did not want it changed.
I am waiting to learn the outcome of some of the language in the bill that may become law. It was amended into another bill. If that bill is signed into law then some of my language in the Alexis Stuth Bill was successful.
On another note...
I have posted a more than usual number of comments over the last couple of days. Others I may hold and bring forward so I can make specific comments where we can all see the message from the reader.
Posted by State Senator Pam Roach at 4:12 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010
SB 6416 Dies A Silent Death
There is a story to this but it is 12:35 AM
Briefly, Rep. Ruth Kagi and the House staff want foster "caregivers" on the same level as relatives. Senator Hargrove and I....don't agree. So, we did not agree with the House BAD amendment to the Senate bill. Hargrove and I agreed the bill should not move forward so it was not brought up for a concurrence vote in the Senate and it died on the calendar as was planned if we couldn't get it changed.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago..this state will only change through the courts. The current administration likes the way it is. Since Denise Revels Robinson didn't like the bill I guess we have to say she is a nice lady...but not interested in change. None of them are.
This morning I got an email from Bari Willard. Region 3 left her a phone message and an email saying her granddaughter would not be able to visit several times because she would be in Mexico. "So too bad for you," was the real message. There was no mention of getting added time to make up for this loss. It was very cold and as always...shows a preference that "Lilly" really doesn't need to see the Willards at all.
I emailed Denise this morning and politely asked if there would be make-up time. She was prompt is reply. Region 3 was in error and she apologised. There would be make-up time.
To this I say "Thank you" to Denise. But, the endemic problem exists. How in the world can people do what they did and not offer make-up time in the first place? It is beyond the thought process of most people.
http://pamroachreport.blogspot.com/
Isabella Brooke Knightly and Austin Gamez-Knightly
In Memory of my Loving Husband, William F. Knightly Jr. Murdered by ILLEGAL Palliative Care at a Nashua, NH Hospital
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friends say 19-year-old was troubled He's accused in death of girl, 1, This is what Foster care does to our children!
Friends say 19-year-old was troubled
He's accused in death of girl, 1
By BEN LEUBSDORF
Monitor staff
March 21, 2010 - 12:00 am
Two years ago, Alexander Stolte was Merrimack Valley High School's star goaltender, racking up honors and nearly helping the Pride to back-to-back state lacrosse championships.
Now Stolte is held without bail in a Vermont prison, charged with second-degree murder in the death of 1-year-old Kyleigh McDaniel of Andover. If convicted, the 19-year-old Penacook native could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Friends and others who knew Stolte say he had a difficult childhood and spent years bouncing around foster care and friends' houses, at times living on the street. He didn't graduate from Merrimack Valley, dropping out in September 2008.
Stolte is accused of causing Kyleigh's fatal injuries. He pleaded not guilty Friday to the murder charge.
"In my wildest dreams, I would never think Alex is capable of doing something like this," said Kameron Miranda, whose son said he was Stolte's best friend in high school. "Even if he was drunk, on drugs, he would never hurt a child. He has a little bit of a mean streak, but he is a good kid."
Stolte was baby-sitting Kyleigh, his girlfriend's daughter, Wednesday night at his mother's home in Chelsea, Vt., when he called 911 to report the girl wasn't breathing. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Kyleigh had suffered multiple rear skull fractures and a broken leg, as well as bleeding inside her skull known as a subdural hematoma, the Vermont State Police said. She also had three previously broken ribs that were healing, the police said.
Stolte denied hurting the child, but he was the only person at the house when the injuries would have been inflicted, the police said.
Kyleigh's family, including parents Nicholas Robinson and MacKenzie McDaniel, has declined to be interviewed after speaking briefly to the news media following Friday's arraignment.
Stolte is held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vt., and couldn't be reached. His lawyer, Dan Sedon, didn't return a message left at his office yesterday.
Members of Stolte's family couldn't be reached yesterday. A man who picked up the phone at Stolte's mother's home in Chelsea demanded privacy.
"You let us grieve," said the man, who didn't give his name.
High school to homeless
Stolte had a difficult childhood, said Miranda, who said she let him stay at her house regularly and even tried to become his foster parent and adopt him. She said she considers Stolte her son and he calls her "mom."
He was in the foster care system during high school and also spent time living at friends' houses, she and others who knew him said.
On the lacrosse field, he was a "good teammate," tried to be a leader and "might be the best pure athlete I've worked with," said Sean O'Brien, Merrimack Valley's coach.
Stolte was the goaltender on the Pride's state championship team in 2007, his sophomore year. He was named the Division III lacrosse defensive player of the season in 2008, after helping take Merrimack Valley to the semifinals of the D-III tournament.
In a 2008 interview with the Monitor, Stolte said he wanted to attend Castleton State College in Vermont and become a licensed physical therapist.
But he dropped out of high school after he turned 18, during his senior year when he didn't have anywhere to live, Miranda said. She said her family moved from Webster to Concord in 2006 and then to southern California in 2007. They plan to move back to Concord later this month.
"Going to school is the last thing on your list when you're wondering where you're going to live and what you're going to eat," Miranda said.
Over time, Stolte alienated many of his friends, said Katelin Haley, who dated him for a year and a half. Haley, 18, now attends Castelton and is studying to become a physical therapist - the dream Stolte told the Monitor two years ago he wanted to share with her.
"So many people have tried to help him get on his feet, so many people have tried to do so much for that kid, and he completely deceived all of them," Haley said.
Stolte got into trouble, including fighting, and spent time in jail, Miranda said. He sometimes lived outdoors near Everett Arena in Concord, and Miranda said Stolte told her during his regular collect calls he was using drugs, though he didn't say which ones.
"I said, 'Alex, I'm really disappointed because you're better than that,' and he would say, 'Mom, it's the only way I can get through the day,' " she recalled yesterday.
Several men eating dinner last night at the Friendly Kitchen, a Concord soup kitchen, said they knew Stolte, and one man who didn't give his name called him a "rat."
But Alex Diodati, 48, said he worked with Stolte on odd jobs and knew his family growing up. He described Stolte, who was known as "Smiley," as responsible and respectful for his age.
"He wasn't angry; he wasn't rude. His nickname, that kind of says it all right there," Diodati said.
"Anytime I've seen Alex, when he's not drinking, he's one of the most even-tempered guys I've met," Diodati added.
'My daughter'
"I want to get out of here. I want my own spot. I want my own accomplishments," Stolte, then 18 and homeless, told the Monitor last year.
A few months ago, Miranda said, Stolte went to live with his mother in Chelsea, Vt. He also started dating MacKenzie McDaniel, a 20-year-old from Andover with a 1-year-old daughter, Kyleigh.
On March 2, he wrote in a Facebook wall post, "kyleigh and i are bonding she really is my world." On Jan. 24, he wrote, "lovein my babygirls kylie and mackenzie love u 2 more than u could ever wrap ur heads around it."
Miranda said she spoke to Stolte by phone on Wednesday, the day authorities said Kyleigh suffered her fatal injuries, while he was baby-sitting the girl.
"He said he loved it and he loved her and she was great, and he was going to make amends with this child for what he went through in his childhood," Miranda said.
Earlier that day, Stolte posted on Facebook that he didn't plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. "i partyed real hard last yr so this yr ima watch my daughter," he wrote.
When Miranda spoke to him about 7:45 p.m., Stolte said he drank a few beers, but he didn't seem drunk, she said.
"When I talked to him, he was sober. . . . I know what he sounds like when he's hammered," she said.
Stolte initially told investigators he didn't drink that night, but then said he had consumed vodka after his blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.071 percent on a breath test at the hospital where Kyleigh was pronounced dead, the police said in an affidavit.
No explanation of how Kyleigh may have sustained her injuries was offered at Stolte's arraignment Friday or in the police affidavit. Her death was ruled a homicide, caused by "blunt impacts to the head," the police said.
"I just don't see him doing this," Miranda said yesterday, her voice choking with emotion. "He's not that kind of a person. He would never hurt a child."
She said Stolte worked hard in school and had ambitions but lacked stability in his personal life.
"If Alex would have had the right home life, he would have gone really far," Miranda said. "He was one of those kids who was riding that fine line where he could go bad or he could do great things with his life."
(Ben Leubsdorf can be reached at 369-3307 or bleubsdorf@cmonitor.com)
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100321/FRONTPAGE/3210348
He's accused in death of girl, 1
By BEN LEUBSDORF
Monitor staff
March 21, 2010 - 12:00 am
Two years ago, Alexander Stolte was Merrimack Valley High School's star goaltender, racking up honors and nearly helping the Pride to back-to-back state lacrosse championships.
Now Stolte is held without bail in a Vermont prison, charged with second-degree murder in the death of 1-year-old Kyleigh McDaniel of Andover. If convicted, the 19-year-old Penacook native could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Friends and others who knew Stolte say he had a difficult childhood and spent years bouncing around foster care and friends' houses, at times living on the street. He didn't graduate from Merrimack Valley, dropping out in September 2008.
Stolte is accused of causing Kyleigh's fatal injuries. He pleaded not guilty Friday to the murder charge.
"In my wildest dreams, I would never think Alex is capable of doing something like this," said Kameron Miranda, whose son said he was Stolte's best friend in high school. "Even if he was drunk, on drugs, he would never hurt a child. He has a little bit of a mean streak, but he is a good kid."
Stolte was baby-sitting Kyleigh, his girlfriend's daughter, Wednesday night at his mother's home in Chelsea, Vt., when he called 911 to report the girl wasn't breathing. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Kyleigh had suffered multiple rear skull fractures and a broken leg, as well as bleeding inside her skull known as a subdural hematoma, the Vermont State Police said. She also had three previously broken ribs that were healing, the police said.
Stolte denied hurting the child, but he was the only person at the house when the injuries would have been inflicted, the police said.
Kyleigh's family, including parents Nicholas Robinson and MacKenzie McDaniel, has declined to be interviewed after speaking briefly to the news media following Friday's arraignment.
Stolte is held at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vt., and couldn't be reached. His lawyer, Dan Sedon, didn't return a message left at his office yesterday.
Members of Stolte's family couldn't be reached yesterday. A man who picked up the phone at Stolte's mother's home in Chelsea demanded privacy.
"You let us grieve," said the man, who didn't give his name.
High school to homeless
Stolte had a difficult childhood, said Miranda, who said she let him stay at her house regularly and even tried to become his foster parent and adopt him. She said she considers Stolte her son and he calls her "mom."
He was in the foster care system during high school and also spent time living at friends' houses, she and others who knew him said.
On the lacrosse field, he was a "good teammate," tried to be a leader and "might be the best pure athlete I've worked with," said Sean O'Brien, Merrimack Valley's coach.
Stolte was the goaltender on the Pride's state championship team in 2007, his sophomore year. He was named the Division III lacrosse defensive player of the season in 2008, after helping take Merrimack Valley to the semifinals of the D-III tournament.
In a 2008 interview with the Monitor, Stolte said he wanted to attend Castleton State College in Vermont and become a licensed physical therapist.
But he dropped out of high school after he turned 18, during his senior year when he didn't have anywhere to live, Miranda said. She said her family moved from Webster to Concord in 2006 and then to southern California in 2007. They plan to move back to Concord later this month.
"Going to school is the last thing on your list when you're wondering where you're going to live and what you're going to eat," Miranda said.
Over time, Stolte alienated many of his friends, said Katelin Haley, who dated him for a year and a half. Haley, 18, now attends Castelton and is studying to become a physical therapist - the dream Stolte told the Monitor two years ago he wanted to share with her.
"So many people have tried to help him get on his feet, so many people have tried to do so much for that kid, and he completely deceived all of them," Haley said.
Stolte got into trouble, including fighting, and spent time in jail, Miranda said. He sometimes lived outdoors near Everett Arena in Concord, and Miranda said Stolte told her during his regular collect calls he was using drugs, though he didn't say which ones.
"I said, 'Alex, I'm really disappointed because you're better than that,' and he would say, 'Mom, it's the only way I can get through the day,' " she recalled yesterday.
Several men eating dinner last night at the Friendly Kitchen, a Concord soup kitchen, said they knew Stolte, and one man who didn't give his name called him a "rat."
But Alex Diodati, 48, said he worked with Stolte on odd jobs and knew his family growing up. He described Stolte, who was known as "Smiley," as responsible and respectful for his age.
"He wasn't angry; he wasn't rude. His nickname, that kind of says it all right there," Diodati said.
"Anytime I've seen Alex, when he's not drinking, he's one of the most even-tempered guys I've met," Diodati added.
'My daughter'
"I want to get out of here. I want my own spot. I want my own accomplishments," Stolte, then 18 and homeless, told the Monitor last year.
A few months ago, Miranda said, Stolte went to live with his mother in Chelsea, Vt. He also started dating MacKenzie McDaniel, a 20-year-old from Andover with a 1-year-old daughter, Kyleigh.
On March 2, he wrote in a Facebook wall post, "kyleigh and i are bonding she really is my world." On Jan. 24, he wrote, "lovein my babygirls kylie and mackenzie love u 2 more than u could ever wrap ur heads around it."
Miranda said she spoke to Stolte by phone on Wednesday, the day authorities said Kyleigh suffered her fatal injuries, while he was baby-sitting the girl.
"He said he loved it and he loved her and she was great, and he was going to make amends with this child for what he went through in his childhood," Miranda said.
Earlier that day, Stolte posted on Facebook that he didn't plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. "i partyed real hard last yr so this yr ima watch my daughter," he wrote.
When Miranda spoke to him about 7:45 p.m., Stolte said he drank a few beers, but he didn't seem drunk, she said.
"When I talked to him, he was sober. . . . I know what he sounds like when he's hammered," she said.
Stolte initially told investigators he didn't drink that night, but then said he had consumed vodka after his blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.071 percent on a breath test at the hospital where Kyleigh was pronounced dead, the police said in an affidavit.
No explanation of how Kyleigh may have sustained her injuries was offered at Stolte's arraignment Friday or in the police affidavit. Her death was ruled a homicide, caused by "blunt impacts to the head," the police said.
"I just don't see him doing this," Miranda said yesterday, her voice choking with emotion. "He's not that kind of a person. He would never hurt a child."
She said Stolte worked hard in school and had ambitions but lacked stability in his personal life.
"If Alex would have had the right home life, he would have gone really far," Miranda said. "He was one of those kids who was riding that fine line where he could go bad or he could do great things with his life."
(Ben Leubsdorf can be reached at 369-3307 or bleubsdorf@cmonitor.com)
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100321/FRONTPAGE/3210348
Bulletin from the cause: PUT A STOP TO CPS
Bulletin from the cause: PUT A STOP TO CPS
Go to Cause
Posted By: Denise Pearson
To: Members in PUT A STOP TO CPS
BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO CPS ABUSE,LEGAL KIDNAPPING,
BABY NNONA
BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO CPS ABUSE,LEGAL KIDNAPPING,
CHILD TRAFFECKING,AND CORRUPTION OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.
PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL EVEN TO PUT CPS IN THE MEDIA
WHEN:MAY,9,2010 MOTHERS DAY
WHERE:YOUR COURT HOUSE SIDEWALK.IF YOU LIVE IN THE
CAPITAL CITY OF YOUR STATE GO TO THE CAPITAL BUILDING
WHAT:TAKE A BABYDOLL/STUFFED ANIMAL/TEDDY BEAR TO
YOUR LOCAL COURT HOUSE/STATE BUILDING.DROP IT ON THE
SIDEWALK AS A MEMORIAL.ATTACH A NOTE SAYING BABY NNONA
AND A SUMMRY OF YOUR STORY
IT'S OUR GOAL TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT AND ATTRACT
PUBLICITY ON MOTHERS DAY NATIONWIDE.THEREFORE WE NEED
DOLLS PILED HIGH IN ORDER TO ATTRACT THE PRESS CITY TO CITY
COAST TO COAST
SPREAD THE WORD.ALERT YOUR LOCAL TV/RADIO STATIONS.
SEND BULLETINS ON ALL YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS/FORUMS/BLOGS
WE HAVE 8 WEEKS PLEASE MOVE ON THIS
THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT
IF ALL ACCROSS THE COUNTRY ON THE SAME DAY
MOTHERS DAY DOLLS SHOW UP ON EVERY COURT HOUSE SIDEWALK
REPRESENTING OUR STOLLEN CHILDREN THE REPORTERS WILL COME
Call to Action
Go to Cause
Posted By: Denise Pearson
To: Members in PUT A STOP TO CPS
BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO CPS ABUSE,LEGAL KIDNAPPING,
BABY NNONA
BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO CPS ABUSE,LEGAL KIDNAPPING,
CHILD TRAFFECKING,AND CORRUPTION OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.
PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL EVEN TO PUT CPS IN THE MEDIA
WHEN:MAY,9,2010 MOTHERS DAY
WHERE:YOUR COURT HOUSE SIDEWALK.IF YOU LIVE IN THE
CAPITAL CITY OF YOUR STATE GO TO THE CAPITAL BUILDING
WHAT:TAKE A BABYDOLL/STUFFED ANIMAL/TEDDY BEAR TO
YOUR LOCAL COURT HOUSE/STATE BUILDING.DROP IT ON THE
SIDEWALK AS A MEMORIAL.ATTACH A NOTE SAYING BABY NNONA
AND A SUMMRY OF YOUR STORY
IT'S OUR GOAL TO MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT AND ATTRACT
PUBLICITY ON MOTHERS DAY NATIONWIDE.THEREFORE WE NEED
DOLLS PILED HIGH IN ORDER TO ATTRACT THE PRESS CITY TO CITY
COAST TO COAST
SPREAD THE WORD.ALERT YOUR LOCAL TV/RADIO STATIONS.
SEND BULLETINS ON ALL YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS/FORUMS/BLOGS
WE HAVE 8 WEEKS PLEASE MOVE ON THIS
THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT
IF ALL ACCROSS THE COUNTRY ON THE SAME DAY
MOTHERS DAY DOLLS SHOW UP ON EVERY COURT HOUSE SIDEWALK
REPRESENTING OUR STOLLEN CHILDREN THE REPORTERS WILL COME
Call to Action
Saturday, March 20, 2010
In wake of child's suicide, Legislature moves to limit foster care's reliance on psychiatric drugs
In wake of child's suicide, Legislature moves to limit foster care's reliance on psychiatric drugs
By Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, March 19, 2010
State Sen. Ronda Storms objects to “chemical straitjackets.”
TALLAHASSEE — A year after a 7-year-old boy heavily medicated on powerful psychiatric drugs hanged himself in his Margate foster home, lawmakers are pushing to reform state medical requirements for foster children.
The Senate's Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee unanimously approved a measure Thursday designed to curb the prescription of mental-health drugs to children in state care.
The proposed law would require the state Department of Children and Families to assign volunteer guardians to oversee each child's mental health care. It prohibits foster children from being the subject of clinical drug trials and raises the age at which children are allowed to take these drugs from 6 to 11 in many cases.
The measure (SB2718 and HB1567) would also give children some say in the drugs they take.
"We are not just going to medicate them until they turn 18 and then dump them into adulthood," said sponsor Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon, chairwoman of the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee.
The state's growing use of adult medication on emotionally and mentally troubled children has sparked debate for years.
Multiple state studies show child-welfare doctors and case managers routinely failed to follow legally required treatment plans or properly document when and why drugs were given to foster children, creating a network of youth sedated by "chemical straitjackets," Storms said.
The death of Gabriel Myers in April further revealed the shortcomings of 2005 legislation that required more information sharing, parental involvement and second-party review of doctors' prescriptions for the youngest children.
Because foster children are often cared for by multiple service contractors, communication lapses and fragmented mental health care are still rampant, a recent state report on Myers' death determined.
"Our response to him was to medicate him, and medicate him, and medicate him," Storms said.
Under the bill, proposed medical treatment plans must be explained to a child and the child must consent to the treatment in many cases before taking the drugs.
"What this means is less medication and more behavior analysis so that they are not just sedated little zombies," said Jan Montgomery, president of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis, which would train legal guardians to observe and treat behavioral problems.
Still, Montgomery said she did not expect a sudden culture shift, given failed past efforts to track foster children's medical records.
"It's going to be a slow slide toward what we are hoping is the right way," Montgomery said.
[Last modified: Mar 19, 2010 07:21 AM]
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/in-wake-of-childs-suicide-legislature-moves-to-limit-foster-cares-reliance/1080996
By Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Friday, March 19, 2010
State Sen. Ronda Storms objects to “chemical straitjackets.”
TALLAHASSEE — A year after a 7-year-old boy heavily medicated on powerful psychiatric drugs hanged himself in his Margate foster home, lawmakers are pushing to reform state medical requirements for foster children.
The Senate's Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee unanimously approved a measure Thursday designed to curb the prescription of mental-health drugs to children in state care.
The proposed law would require the state Department of Children and Families to assign volunteer guardians to oversee each child's mental health care. It prohibits foster children from being the subject of clinical drug trials and raises the age at which children are allowed to take these drugs from 6 to 11 in many cases.
The measure (SB2718 and HB1567) would also give children some say in the drugs they take.
"We are not just going to medicate them until they turn 18 and then dump them into adulthood," said sponsor Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon, chairwoman of the Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee.
The state's growing use of adult medication on emotionally and mentally troubled children has sparked debate for years.
Multiple state studies show child-welfare doctors and case managers routinely failed to follow legally required treatment plans or properly document when and why drugs were given to foster children, creating a network of youth sedated by "chemical straitjackets," Storms said.
The death of Gabriel Myers in April further revealed the shortcomings of 2005 legislation that required more information sharing, parental involvement and second-party review of doctors' prescriptions for the youngest children.
Because foster children are often cared for by multiple service contractors, communication lapses and fragmented mental health care are still rampant, a recent state report on Myers' death determined.
"Our response to him was to medicate him, and medicate him, and medicate him," Storms said.
Under the bill, proposed medical treatment plans must be explained to a child and the child must consent to the treatment in many cases before taking the drugs.
"What this means is less medication and more behavior analysis so that they are not just sedated little zombies," said Jan Montgomery, president of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis, which would train legal guardians to observe and treat behavioral problems.
Still, Montgomery said she did not expect a sudden culture shift, given failed past efforts to track foster children's medical records.
"It's going to be a slow slide toward what we are hoping is the right way," Montgomery said.
[Last modified: Mar 19, 2010 07:21 AM]
http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/in-wake-of-childs-suicide-legislature-moves-to-limit-foster-cares-reliance/1080996
Friday, March 19, 2010
More multigenerational families living together-AARP Report
More multigenerational families living together
Source: Associated Press Online | March 18, 2010
By HOPE YEN
WASHINGTON, Mar. 18, 2010 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- Goodnight, John-Boy: Driven partly by job losses, more multigenerational families are choosing to live together as "boomerang kids" flock home and people help care for grandchildren or aging parents.
About 6.6 million U.S. households in 2009 had at least three generations of family members, an increase of 30 percent since 2000, according to census figures. When "multigenerational" is more broadly defined to include at least two adult generations, a record 49 million, or one in six people, live in such households, according to a study being released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
The rise in multigenerational households is heavily influenced by economics, with many young adults known as "boomerang kids" moving back home with mom and dad because of limited job prospects and a housing crunch.
But extended life spans and increased options in home health and outpatient care over nursing homes have also played a role. So, too, has a recent wave of immigration of Hispanics and Asians, who are more likely to live with extended family.
"With the reality of 78 million baby boomers coming into an aging demographic, we need more housing choices for caregiving," said Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. "It can be a great opportunity for connectedness across generations, but also an opportunity for conflict if family members don't keep communications lines open."
An AARP analysis of census data shows that Hawaii had the highest share of multigenerational households, followed by California and Mississippi, due partly to a scarcity of affordable housing. North Dakota was least likely to have several generations living together.
Other findings from the Pew and AARP studies:
--The most common multigenerational family is an older parent who owns the house, living with an adult child and grandchild.
--Older women are more likely than older men to live in a multigenerational household.
--While multigenerational families are increasing, the number of adults 65 and older who live alone is edging lower, from a peak of 28.8 percent in 1990 to 27.4 percent in 2008.
Multigenerational households are not new. According to the Pew report, in 1900 about 57 percent of people ages 65 and older lived with extended family. Life in such a household was dramatized in the popular 1970s television series "The Waltons." Living in the Virginia mountains during the Depression, the Walton family had three generations under one roof, their togetherness symbolized by a round of goodnights that included teenage son and series narrator John-Boy.
After World War II, Social Security, Medicare and medical breakthroughs prompted healthier, more financially secure older adults to live on their own. By 1980 and 1990, just 17 percent of seniors lived in a multigenerational household.
The share of older adults in multigenerational homes is now increasing again, to about 20 percent.
"The government will continue to provide a social safety net for older adults, but given today's demographic and economic realities, it's not clear that this public safety net will be as robust in the future as it is now," said Paul Taylor, a co-author of the Pew report. "That could increase the trend toward family members providing care for elderly parents -- a role that families have taken on throughout human history."
Today's multigenerational families include George Lee, 82, and his wife, Grace, 74, of Honolulu, who live in an apartment that is attached to a three-bedroom house occupied by their 50-year-old daughter, 61-year-old son-in-law and two college-age grandchildren.
While life isn't always perfect, the Lees say that everyone gets along well partly by carving out their own spaces, having a sense of fair play when it comes to household chores, and having separate front doors and kitchens.
"Because of the cost of housing in Hawaii, we felt that we needed to offer the kids housing so they can get a start on their careers and afford college," said George Lee, who with his wife rents the home to their daughter. "We actually sometimes go for a couple of weeks without bumping into each other, but we also do a lot of helping out with the grandchildren."
--__
On the Net:
AARP: http://www.aarp.org/
Pew Research Center: http://pewsocialtrends.org
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov
Newstex ID: AP-0001-43012777
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/family/articles/more_multigenerational_families_living_together.html
Source: Associated Press Online | March 18, 2010
By HOPE YEN
WASHINGTON, Mar. 18, 2010 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- Goodnight, John-Boy: Driven partly by job losses, more multigenerational families are choosing to live together as "boomerang kids" flock home and people help care for grandchildren or aging parents.
About 6.6 million U.S. households in 2009 had at least three generations of family members, an increase of 30 percent since 2000, according to census figures. When "multigenerational" is more broadly defined to include at least two adult generations, a record 49 million, or one in six people, live in such households, according to a study being released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
The rise in multigenerational households is heavily influenced by economics, with many young adults known as "boomerang kids" moving back home with mom and dad because of limited job prospects and a housing crunch.
But extended life spans and increased options in home health and outpatient care over nursing homes have also played a role. So, too, has a recent wave of immigration of Hispanics and Asians, who are more likely to live with extended family.
"With the reality of 78 million baby boomers coming into an aging demographic, we need more housing choices for caregiving," said Elinor Ginzler, AARP's senior vice president for livable communities. "It can be a great opportunity for connectedness across generations, but also an opportunity for conflict if family members don't keep communications lines open."
An AARP analysis of census data shows that Hawaii had the highest share of multigenerational households, followed by California and Mississippi, due partly to a scarcity of affordable housing. North Dakota was least likely to have several generations living together.
Other findings from the Pew and AARP studies:
--The most common multigenerational family is an older parent who owns the house, living with an adult child and grandchild.
--Older women are more likely than older men to live in a multigenerational household.
--While multigenerational families are increasing, the number of adults 65 and older who live alone is edging lower, from a peak of 28.8 percent in 1990 to 27.4 percent in 2008.
Multigenerational households are not new. According to the Pew report, in 1900 about 57 percent of people ages 65 and older lived with extended family. Life in such a household was dramatized in the popular 1970s television series "The Waltons." Living in the Virginia mountains during the Depression, the Walton family had three generations under one roof, their togetherness symbolized by a round of goodnights that included teenage son and series narrator John-Boy.
After World War II, Social Security, Medicare and medical breakthroughs prompted healthier, more financially secure older adults to live on their own. By 1980 and 1990, just 17 percent of seniors lived in a multigenerational household.
The share of older adults in multigenerational homes is now increasing again, to about 20 percent.
"The government will continue to provide a social safety net for older adults, but given today's demographic and economic realities, it's not clear that this public safety net will be as robust in the future as it is now," said Paul Taylor, a co-author of the Pew report. "That could increase the trend toward family members providing care for elderly parents -- a role that families have taken on throughout human history."
Today's multigenerational families include George Lee, 82, and his wife, Grace, 74, of Honolulu, who live in an apartment that is attached to a three-bedroom house occupied by their 50-year-old daughter, 61-year-old son-in-law and two college-age grandchildren.
While life isn't always perfect, the Lees say that everyone gets along well partly by carving out their own spaces, having a sense of fair play when it comes to household chores, and having separate front doors and kitchens.
"Because of the cost of housing in Hawaii, we felt that we needed to offer the kids housing so they can get a start on their careers and afford college," said George Lee, who with his wife rents the home to their daughter. "We actually sometimes go for a couple of weeks without bumping into each other, but we also do a lot of helping out with the grandchildren."
--__
On the Net:
AARP: http://www.aarp.org/
Pew Research Center: http://pewsocialtrends.org
Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov
Newstex ID: AP-0001-43012777
http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/family/articles/more_multigenerational_families_living_together.html
The Return of the Multi-Generational Family Household-The Pew Commission Report
The Return of the Multi-Generational Family Household-The Pew Commission Report
MARCH 18, 2010
Complete Report
Section I
The multi-generational American family household is staging a comeback -- driven in part by the job losses and home foreclosures of recent years but more so by demographic changes that have been gathering steam for decades.
As of 2008, a record 49 million Americans, or 16.1% of the total U.S. population, lived in a family household that contained at least two adult generations or a grandparent and at least one other generation, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of census data.1
This represents a significant trend reversal. Starting right after World War II, the extended family household fell out of favor with the American public. In 1940, about a quarter of the population lived in one; by 1980, just 12% did. A range of demographic factors likely contributed to this decline, among them the rapid growth of the nuclear-family-centered suburbs; the decline in the share of immigrants in the population; and the sharp rise in the health and economic well-being of adults ages 65 and older.
Since bottoming out around 1980, however, the multi-generational family household has mounted a comeback. The reversal has taken place among all major demographic groups, and it, too, appears to be the result of a mix of social and economic forces.
One is the change in the median age of first marriage. The typical man now marries for the first time at age 28 and the typical women at age 26. For both genders, this is about five years older than it was in 1970. One byproduct of this cultural shift is that there are more unmarried 20-somethings in the population, many of whom consider their childhood home to be an attractive living situation, especially when a bad economy makes it difficult for them to find jobs or launch careers.2
Another factor has been the big wave of immigration, dominated by Latin Americans and Asians, that began around 1970. Like their European counterparts from earlier centuries, these modern immigrants are far more inclined than native-born Americans to live in multi-generational family households.
However, the trend reversal has also played out among native-born Americans. And for all groups, the move into multi-generational family households has accelerated during the Great Recession that began at the end of 2007. The Pew Research analysis of census data finds that in 20083, 2.6 million more Americans were living in such a household than had been doing so in 2007.
Who lives in multi-generational households? While the phenomenon has grown more prevalent in recent years among virtually all major demographic groups, the incidence levels vary considerably by age, race, ethnicity and gender. A rundown:
Older Adults
Older adults were once by far the likeliest of any age group to live in a multi-generational family household. Back in 1900, fully 57% of adults ages 65 and older did so. But over the course of the 20th century, older adults grew steadily healthier and more prosperous as a result of a range of factors, including the enactment of social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare and improvements in medical care.
With these changes came what amounted to a new intergenerational social contract within most families -- namely, that older adults who had the health and resources to live independently should do so. By 1980 and 1990, just 17% of those ages 65 and older lived in a multi-generational family household. Since then, however, the trend has reversed course and the share has risen slightly -- to 20%.
One possible explanation for the recent trend reversal is an increase in what demographers refer to as "kin availability." The outsized Baby Boom generation is now passing through late middle age. Compared with earlier generations, it offers its elderly parents about 50% more grown children with whom they can share a household if and when their life circumstances (such as widowhood, declining health or poverty) take them in that direction. Another possible explanation is that cuts to Medicare enacted in 1997 have increased the financial incentives for those who are elderly and infirm to move in with a grown child who is able to take on the role of informal caregiver.4
When two adult generations of the same family live under the same roof, the older adult is the head of the household in about three-quarters of all cases, according to the Pew Research analysis of Census data. However, when the parent is 65 or older, the share drops. In 2008, a total of 6.6 million older adults lived in a household with one or more children. Of this group, 58% were themselves the household head, while in 42% of the cases, their grown child was the household head.
Young Adults
Older adults are not the age group most responsible for the overall trend reversal since 1980. That distinction belongs instead to young adults -- especially those ages 25 to 34. In 1980, just 11% of adults in this age group lived in a multi-generational family household. By 2008, 20% did. Among adults 65 and older, the same share -- 20% -- lived in such a household in 2008. However, the rise for this group has been less steep. Back in 1980, 17% lived in a multi-generational family household.
As noted above, the trend toward older median ages for first marriage is a big part of this long-term shift among younger adults. But in recent years, the economy appears to have played a significant role. Just from 2007 to 2008, the share of adults ages 25 to 34 living in such households rose by a full percentage point, from 18.7% to 19.8%.
According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, as of 2009 some 37% of 18- to-29-year-olds were either unemployed or out of the workforce, the highest share among this age group in nearly four decades. In addition, a 2009 Pew Research survey found that among 22- to 29-years-olds, one-in-eight say that, because of the recession, they have boomeranged back to live with their parents after being on their own.5
Gender
The increase in the share of young adults living with their parents is notable for another reason: its gender profile. The 25-34 age group is the only one in which significantly more men than women are living in a multi-generational family household. Among older age groups, this living arrangement is much more common among women than men. At the later stages of the life cycle, this disparity is partly explained by the fact that women are more likely than men to outlive a spouse, at which point they become more likely candidates to live with a grown child.
Race and Ethnicity
Hispanics (22%), blacks (23%) and Asians (25%) are all significantly more likely than whites (13%) to live in a multi-generational family household.
The rates of three of these four groups have increased significantly since 1980, with blacks the lone exception. However, the rates of all four groups have gone up from 2006 to 2008 -- a time when the recession brought on a wave of joblessness and foreclosures.
Types of Multi-Generational Family Households
Of the 49 million Americans living in a multi-generational family household, 47% live in a household made up of two adult generations of the same family (with the youngest adult at least 25 years of age); another 47% live in a household with three or more generations of family members; and 6% are in a "skipped" generation household made up of a grandparent and grandchild, but no parent.
There are significant differences by race and ethnicity in the makeup of these various types of multi-generational family households.
Among whites living in a multi-generational family household, 64% are in a two adult-generation household, 28% are in a three-generation household and 7% are in a skipped- generation household.
Among Latinos, 48% are in a three-generation household, 47% are in a two-generation household and 4% are in a skipped-generation household.
Among blacks, 48% are in a two-generation household, 40% are in a three-generation household and 13% (the highest share for this category) are in a skipped-generation household.
Among Asians, 55% are in a two-generation household, 43% are in a three-generation household and just 1% are in a skipped-generation household.
Living Alone
The multi-generational household isn't the only growth sector in the national landscape of living arrangements. There's also been a steady long-term rise over the past century in the polar opposite kind of household -- the one made up of just a single person. In 1900, just 1.1% of Americans lived in such a household. By 2008, that share had risen to 10.3%.
Here, too, there are significant variances by age. Among young adults (ages 18 to 24), just 4.6% live in such households, down from a peak of 5.7% in 1980. Among adults ages 65 and older, the numbers are much larger but they have declined from a recent peak. In 1900, just 5.9% of adults in this age category lived alone. That share rose steadily over the course of the last century, eventually peaking at 28.8% in 1990. Since then it has retreated a bit. As of 2008, it stood at 27.4%.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last year, adults ages 65 and older who live alone report they are not in as good health and are more likely to feel sad, depressed or lonely than are older adults who live with another person (be it a spouse or some other family member). Chapters 2 and 3 of this report will explore those findings in greater detail.
Also, a separate Pew Research survey taken in 2005 found that a majority of the public (56%) considers it a "family responsibility" for adult children to take into their home an elderly parent who wants to live with them. A sizable minority -- 39% -- said this isn't really a family responsibility. Attitudes varied sharply by the age of the respondent. Two-thirds of adults ages 40 and under said it was a family responsibility, compared with just 38% of adults ages 60 and over.
About the Data
Data used in the report come from two complementary sources: First, the trends on older Americans' living arrangements come from Decennial Census data from 1900 to 2000 and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Surveys (ACS) in 2006, 2007 and 2008, provided by the Integrated Public-Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). See Appendix A for more detailed information. Second, we use a recent Pew Research Center survey on aging, which provides information about attitudes and life of older Americans.
Survey results for this report are from a telephone survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,969 adults living in the continental United States. A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples were used to cover all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. In addition, oversamples of adults 65 and older as well as blacks and Hispanics were obtained. A total of 2,417 interviews were completed with respondents contacted by landline telephone and 552 from those contacted on their cellular phone. The data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the continental United States.
Interviews were conducted Feb. 23-March 23, 2009.
There were 2,969 interviews, including 1,332 with respondents 65 or older.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for results based on the total sample at the 95% confidence level.
Survey interviews were conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International.
About the Report
This report is organized into three chapters. Chapter 1 explores the recent rise in multi-generational family households. Chapter 2 describes changes over time in the living arrangements of older adults. Chapter 3 explores the differences in experiences and attitudes between older adults who live alone and those who live with others.
Note on terminology: All race groups include only non-Hispanics; e.g., whites include only non-Hispanic whites, blacks include only non-Hispanic blacks. Hispanics are of any race. Asians include Pacific Islanders.
Read Sectoins II and III as well as Appendix A and B by downloading the full report (PDF)
1. Of the 49 million, 23.2 million are in family households with two adult generations (with the youngest adults ages 25 or older); 23.1 million are in households with three or more generations; and 2.8 million are in a household with a grandparent and grandchild. For more about these categories, see Appendix A.
2. See Greg Kaplan, “Boomerang Kids: Labor Market Dynamics and Moving Back Home,” Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Working Paper 675 (October 2009).
3. 2008 is the most recent year for which data are available from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
4. Engelhardt, Gary V., and Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley. Public Long-term Care Insurance and the Housing and Living Arrangements of the Elderly: Evidence from Medicare Home Health Benefits. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (December 2008). Orsini, Chiara. Changing the Way the Elderly Live: Evidence from the Home Health Care Market in the United States. College Park, MD: University of Maryland (February 2007).
6. See Pew Research Center report, “Millennials: Confident.Connected.Open to Change.” Feb 24, 2010.
7.See Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends report, “Baby Boomers Approach Age 60: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility,” Dec. 8, 2005.
http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/752/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household
MARCH 18, 2010
Complete Report
Section I
The multi-generational American family household is staging a comeback -- driven in part by the job losses and home foreclosures of recent years but more so by demographic changes that have been gathering steam for decades.
As of 2008, a record 49 million Americans, or 16.1% of the total U.S. population, lived in a family household that contained at least two adult generations or a grandparent and at least one other generation, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of census data.1
This represents a significant trend reversal. Starting right after World War II, the extended family household fell out of favor with the American public. In 1940, about a quarter of the population lived in one; by 1980, just 12% did. A range of demographic factors likely contributed to this decline, among them the rapid growth of the nuclear-family-centered suburbs; the decline in the share of immigrants in the population; and the sharp rise in the health and economic well-being of adults ages 65 and older.
Since bottoming out around 1980, however, the multi-generational family household has mounted a comeback. The reversal has taken place among all major demographic groups, and it, too, appears to be the result of a mix of social and economic forces.
One is the change in the median age of first marriage. The typical man now marries for the first time at age 28 and the typical women at age 26. For both genders, this is about five years older than it was in 1970. One byproduct of this cultural shift is that there are more unmarried 20-somethings in the population, many of whom consider their childhood home to be an attractive living situation, especially when a bad economy makes it difficult for them to find jobs or launch careers.2
Another factor has been the big wave of immigration, dominated by Latin Americans and Asians, that began around 1970. Like their European counterparts from earlier centuries, these modern immigrants are far more inclined than native-born Americans to live in multi-generational family households.
However, the trend reversal has also played out among native-born Americans. And for all groups, the move into multi-generational family households has accelerated during the Great Recession that began at the end of 2007. The Pew Research analysis of census data finds that in 20083, 2.6 million more Americans were living in such a household than had been doing so in 2007.
Who lives in multi-generational households? While the phenomenon has grown more prevalent in recent years among virtually all major demographic groups, the incidence levels vary considerably by age, race, ethnicity and gender. A rundown:
Older Adults
Older adults were once by far the likeliest of any age group to live in a multi-generational family household. Back in 1900, fully 57% of adults ages 65 and older did so. But over the course of the 20th century, older adults grew steadily healthier and more prosperous as a result of a range of factors, including the enactment of social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare and improvements in medical care.
With these changes came what amounted to a new intergenerational social contract within most families -- namely, that older adults who had the health and resources to live independently should do so. By 1980 and 1990, just 17% of those ages 65 and older lived in a multi-generational family household. Since then, however, the trend has reversed course and the share has risen slightly -- to 20%.
One possible explanation for the recent trend reversal is an increase in what demographers refer to as "kin availability." The outsized Baby Boom generation is now passing through late middle age. Compared with earlier generations, it offers its elderly parents about 50% more grown children with whom they can share a household if and when their life circumstances (such as widowhood, declining health or poverty) take them in that direction. Another possible explanation is that cuts to Medicare enacted in 1997 have increased the financial incentives for those who are elderly and infirm to move in with a grown child who is able to take on the role of informal caregiver.4
When two adult generations of the same family live under the same roof, the older adult is the head of the household in about three-quarters of all cases, according to the Pew Research analysis of Census data. However, when the parent is 65 or older, the share drops. In 2008, a total of 6.6 million older adults lived in a household with one or more children. Of this group, 58% were themselves the household head, while in 42% of the cases, their grown child was the household head.
Young Adults
Older adults are not the age group most responsible for the overall trend reversal since 1980. That distinction belongs instead to young adults -- especially those ages 25 to 34. In 1980, just 11% of adults in this age group lived in a multi-generational family household. By 2008, 20% did. Among adults 65 and older, the same share -- 20% -- lived in such a household in 2008. However, the rise for this group has been less steep. Back in 1980, 17% lived in a multi-generational family household.
As noted above, the trend toward older median ages for first marriage is a big part of this long-term shift among younger adults. But in recent years, the economy appears to have played a significant role. Just from 2007 to 2008, the share of adults ages 25 to 34 living in such households rose by a full percentage point, from 18.7% to 19.8%.
According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, as of 2009 some 37% of 18- to-29-year-olds were either unemployed or out of the workforce, the highest share among this age group in nearly four decades. In addition, a 2009 Pew Research survey found that among 22- to 29-years-olds, one-in-eight say that, because of the recession, they have boomeranged back to live with their parents after being on their own.5
Gender
The increase in the share of young adults living with their parents is notable for another reason: its gender profile. The 25-34 age group is the only one in which significantly more men than women are living in a multi-generational family household. Among older age groups, this living arrangement is much more common among women than men. At the later stages of the life cycle, this disparity is partly explained by the fact that women are more likely than men to outlive a spouse, at which point they become more likely candidates to live with a grown child.
Race and Ethnicity
Hispanics (22%), blacks (23%) and Asians (25%) are all significantly more likely than whites (13%) to live in a multi-generational family household.
The rates of three of these four groups have increased significantly since 1980, with blacks the lone exception. However, the rates of all four groups have gone up from 2006 to 2008 -- a time when the recession brought on a wave of joblessness and foreclosures.
Types of Multi-Generational Family Households
Of the 49 million Americans living in a multi-generational family household, 47% live in a household made up of two adult generations of the same family (with the youngest adult at least 25 years of age); another 47% live in a household with three or more generations of family members; and 6% are in a "skipped" generation household made up of a grandparent and grandchild, but no parent.
There are significant differences by race and ethnicity in the makeup of these various types of multi-generational family households.
Among whites living in a multi-generational family household, 64% are in a two adult-generation household, 28% are in a three-generation household and 7% are in a skipped- generation household.
Among Latinos, 48% are in a three-generation household, 47% are in a two-generation household and 4% are in a skipped-generation household.
Among blacks, 48% are in a two-generation household, 40% are in a three-generation household and 13% (the highest share for this category) are in a skipped-generation household.
Among Asians, 55% are in a two-generation household, 43% are in a three-generation household and just 1% are in a skipped-generation household.
Living Alone
The multi-generational household isn't the only growth sector in the national landscape of living arrangements. There's also been a steady long-term rise over the past century in the polar opposite kind of household -- the one made up of just a single person. In 1900, just 1.1% of Americans lived in such a household. By 2008, that share had risen to 10.3%.
Here, too, there are significant variances by age. Among young adults (ages 18 to 24), just 4.6% live in such households, down from a peak of 5.7% in 1980. Among adults ages 65 and older, the numbers are much larger but they have declined from a recent peak. In 1900, just 5.9% of adults in this age category lived alone. That share rose steadily over the course of the last century, eventually peaking at 28.8% in 1990. Since then it has retreated a bit. As of 2008, it stood at 27.4%.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last year, adults ages 65 and older who live alone report they are not in as good health and are more likely to feel sad, depressed or lonely than are older adults who live with another person (be it a spouse or some other family member). Chapters 2 and 3 of this report will explore those findings in greater detail.
Also, a separate Pew Research survey taken in 2005 found that a majority of the public (56%) considers it a "family responsibility" for adult children to take into their home an elderly parent who wants to live with them. A sizable minority -- 39% -- said this isn't really a family responsibility. Attitudes varied sharply by the age of the respondent. Two-thirds of adults ages 40 and under said it was a family responsibility, compared with just 38% of adults ages 60 and over.
About the Data
Data used in the report come from two complementary sources: First, the trends on older Americans' living arrangements come from Decennial Census data from 1900 to 2000 and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Surveys (ACS) in 2006, 2007 and 2008, provided by the Integrated Public-Use Microdata Series (IPUMS). See Appendix A for more detailed information. Second, we use a recent Pew Research Center survey on aging, which provides information about attitudes and life of older Americans.
Survey results for this report are from a telephone survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,969 adults living in the continental United States. A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples were used to cover all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. In addition, oversamples of adults 65 and older as well as blacks and Hispanics were obtained. A total of 2,417 interviews were completed with respondents contacted by landline telephone and 552 from those contacted on their cellular phone. The data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the continental United States.
Interviews were conducted Feb. 23-March 23, 2009.
There were 2,969 interviews, including 1,332 with respondents 65 or older.
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points for results based on the total sample at the 95% confidence level.
Survey interviews were conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International.
About the Report
This report is organized into three chapters. Chapter 1 explores the recent rise in multi-generational family households. Chapter 2 describes changes over time in the living arrangements of older adults. Chapter 3 explores the differences in experiences and attitudes between older adults who live alone and those who live with others.
Note on terminology: All race groups include only non-Hispanics; e.g., whites include only non-Hispanic whites, blacks include only non-Hispanic blacks. Hispanics are of any race. Asians include Pacific Islanders.
Read Sectoins II and III as well as Appendix A and B by downloading the full report (PDF)
1. Of the 49 million, 23.2 million are in family households with two adult generations (with the youngest adults ages 25 or older); 23.1 million are in households with three or more generations; and 2.8 million are in a household with a grandparent and grandchild. For more about these categories, see Appendix A.
2. See Greg Kaplan, “Boomerang Kids: Labor Market Dynamics and Moving Back Home,” Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Working Paper 675 (October 2009).
3. 2008 is the most recent year for which data are available from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
4. Engelhardt, Gary V., and Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley. Public Long-term Care Insurance and the Housing and Living Arrangements of the Elderly: Evidence from Medicare Home Health Benefits. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (December 2008). Orsini, Chiara. Changing the Way the Elderly Live: Evidence from the Home Health Care Market in the United States. College Park, MD: University of Maryland (February 2007).
6. See Pew Research Center report, “Millennials: Confident.Connected.Open to Change.” Feb 24, 2010.
7.See Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends report, “Baby Boomers Approach Age 60: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility,” Dec. 8, 2005.
http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/752/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Dough children
Dough children
March 17, 11:36 AMCharlotte Foster Families ExaminerCheryl Hudson-Walker
Peaceful living here now
Cheryl
Approximately 1,453 children in Mecklenburg County were in foster care on December 30, 2008, according to the most up to date data available http://ssw.unc.edu/ma . The foster care process is guided by Federal Child Welfare Legislation, primarily the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1977 (ASFA, U.S. Public Law 105-89). This act promotes the timely return of foster children to their biological parents by mandate. Reconnecting children in foster care with their parents and or family is one of the goals of the child welfare system. This process is called Reunification (Permanency Planning) which is:
Safely returning children back home to their parent or caregiver.
Putting families back together.
Providing services to enable parents to regain and maintain custody.
Often time’s reunification takes longer to happen and ultimately adoptions happen earlier. Studies have shown that infants are less likely to be reunified with their family than older children and African-American children are less likely to be reunified than children of other racial/ethnic backgrounds.
It would appear that the system designed to make families whole again are now in the business of forming new family ties. It could easily be characterized as being symbolic rather than substantive, reactive and punitive rather than proactive and supportive. Reunification is just the new catch phrase to make parents feel that all hope is not lost and there is a chance to reunite.
As long as states can receive more federal dollars to keep children housed in foster care the numbers of reunified families will continue to decrease. Stanford law professor Michael Wald noted in 1976 that, although state child welfare agencies received federal funds for each child in their custody, "the agency loses this money when the child is returned home, even though the agency must still provide services to the child.
If a child is kept in the system more than two years the likelihood of their return home gets slimmer. In Mecklenburg County in 2007-2008 eleven children left custody and of that number only one was reunified with family and eight were adopted according to data provided by http://ssw.unc.edu/ma.
It is lucrative for states to house children in foster homes versus their family homes. With the ultimate goal of making money the children end up the losers all around.
http://www.examiner.com/x-41448-Charlotte-Foster-Families-Examiner~y2010m3d17-Dough-children
March 17, 11:36 AMCharlotte Foster Families ExaminerCheryl Hudson-Walker
Peaceful living here now
Cheryl
Approximately 1,453 children in Mecklenburg County were in foster care on December 30, 2008, according to the most up to date data available http://ssw.unc.edu/ma . The foster care process is guided by Federal Child Welfare Legislation, primarily the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1977 (ASFA, U.S. Public Law 105-89). This act promotes the timely return of foster children to their biological parents by mandate. Reconnecting children in foster care with their parents and or family is one of the goals of the child welfare system. This process is called Reunification (Permanency Planning) which is:
Safely returning children back home to their parent or caregiver.
Putting families back together.
Providing services to enable parents to regain and maintain custody.
Often time’s reunification takes longer to happen and ultimately adoptions happen earlier. Studies have shown that infants are less likely to be reunified with their family than older children and African-American children are less likely to be reunified than children of other racial/ethnic backgrounds.
It would appear that the system designed to make families whole again are now in the business of forming new family ties. It could easily be characterized as being symbolic rather than substantive, reactive and punitive rather than proactive and supportive. Reunification is just the new catch phrase to make parents feel that all hope is not lost and there is a chance to reunite.
As long as states can receive more federal dollars to keep children housed in foster care the numbers of reunified families will continue to decrease. Stanford law professor Michael Wald noted in 1976 that, although state child welfare agencies received federal funds for each child in their custody, "the agency loses this money when the child is returned home, even though the agency must still provide services to the child.
If a child is kept in the system more than two years the likelihood of their return home gets slimmer. In Mecklenburg County in 2007-2008 eleven children left custody and of that number only one was reunified with family and eight were adopted according to data provided by http://ssw.unc.edu/ma.
It is lucrative for states to house children in foster homes versus their family homes. With the ultimate goal of making money the children end up the losers all around.
http://www.examiner.com/x-41448-Charlotte-Foster-Families-Examiner~y2010m3d17-Dough-children
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