Inflamed joints, pain, swelling, stiffness—the symptoms of arthritis. Many of us know someone who has arthritis, or live with the disease ourselves. In fact, arthritis is the number one cause of disability in America. It affects more than 50 million people, and is the top diagnosis for nearly one-third of all ICS members. In this,
How would you like to spend a day feeling absolutely good enough—just as you are? If the answer is yes, be sure to come to the 4th Annual conference for women with disabilities, From Within 2013, on June 1st. The conference aims to inform women, to applaud women’s accomplishments, and to help women see that they
It is National Nurses week! We salute our ICS Staff Nurses and all nurses. ICS currently employs 54 nurses working in a variety of roles in the organization including leadership, training, administration, wound care, assessments, quality and compliance. Each nurse plays a role in making sure our members remain healthy and active in the community.
At 21, Sasha Quinones was employed in a bank, studied Computer Operations in Manhattan, and had unending energy and social skills—“I’ve been busy,” she says, “since I was a kid.” Very quickly though, “probably in two weeks,” things began to change. “I was at my friend’s wedding, and a man asked me to dance. I
More than 40% of ICS members are at risk of skin breakdown, that is, of developing a pressure ulcer or wound. Yet, in 2012, of ICS’s then more than 3,500 members receiving long-term care services in the community, fewer than 1% developed a new pressure ulcer. While rates of comparison are inexact, studies show an
This month I got the latest edition of the Access-a-Ride (AAR) newsletter, On the Move, and was thrilled to see so much happening to improve the service. While I know many people call Access- A-Ride, “Stress-A-Ride”, I think it is important to acknowledge the hardworking people at Access-A-Ride and the absolute amazing amount of work
Next Wednesday, when ICS celebrates the grand opening of our Bronx office at 400 Fordham Road, ICS also celebrates a homecoming. As some of you know, Independence Care System (ICS) was born in the Bronx in 1999. By then, my colleagues and I had spent 25 years running a homecare agency called Cooperative Home Care
Elsie French (left, center) is still an imposing presence sitting in her wheelchair in the first floor apartment of her Brooklyn home. She sits tall in her chair, long arms gracefully resting in her lap. On this day, a big card on the coffee table congratulates Elsie on her “105th Birthday.” The number looks astonishing
As a part of ICS’s ongoing commitment to helping women with disabilities receive the best possible health care, the ICS Women’s Health Program this week published a tip sheet entitled, “Women with Disabilities and Breast Cancer: Know Your Rights.” Currently available on the ICS website in Spanish and English, the publication draws attention to the
Since ICS was founded, we have recognized the importance of wheelchairs to our members. Our award winning Wheelchair Evaluation Program is unmatched in New York City and last week, ICS showcased two of its mobility experts at the highly respected annual International Seating Symposium (ISS) in Nashville, TN. The symposium—which is attended each year by