This Week's Facts:

1. November Tabbed as National Adoption Month

2. Join the World Tomorrow in Raising Aids Awareness

3. Online Resources Aid in Planning Long-Term Care Services

4. Federal Law, Agencies Protect Children from Harmful Online Content

5. Websites Offer Clearinghouse of Family Health Information

This Day in History - Mark Twain

It is no use to keep private information which you can't show off. - "An Author's Soldiering," 1887

We write frankly and fearlessly but then we "modify" before we print.
- Life on the Mississippi

Samuel Clemens, most famously known as Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri and spent his childhood in nearby Hannibal. Mark Twain is best known for his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, set in his boyhood home on the Mississippi River. Clemens wrote for the Virginia City, Nevada newspaper Territorial Enterprise in 1862, using the pseudonym Mark Twain. In 1864 he moved to San Francisco where his writing gained popularity and he developed the humorous style now famous throughout the world. Traveling further, in 1866 he went to Hawaii as a reporter for the Sacramento Union. For more information about Mark Twain or other events in American history or literature, visit the Library of Congress American Memory’s Today in History page and Language of the Land:  Journeys into Literary America. 

Websites Offer Clearinghouse of Family Health Information

With the winter months approaching, it is important to stay updated about your family’s health. The Centers for Disease Control Family Health website offers online resources, guidance, and links to recent research on family health concerns. Check out the CDC’s Autumn Health and Safety Tips for seasonal tips for parents and children.

Indiana’s IN.gov government information web portal has a section on Family and Health with links to several state agencies dealing with public health issues. Also, the U.S. Surgeon General provides an online form you can use to create an entire Family Health History for use within your family or with your local health care provider. You can use the Check-Up Checklist your next check-up!

Friday Facts Editorial Team:

Katharine Springer
State Data Center Coordinator

Kim Brown-Harden
State Documents Coordinator

Join the FDLP-IN listserv for the latest government information

The Indiana SDC/BIDC
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November Tabbed as National Adoption Month

November celebrates National Adoption Month across the country. The month focuses on raising awareness about adoption, educating communities about the challenges and myths around adopting children, and draws attention to thousands of children in foster care who need good homes.

If you’re thinking about adopting a child:

• Educate yourself on common adoption myths and how to make the process the easiest for you
• Know that on average, it takes a year from the time you contact an adoption agency to the time a child is placed with you
• Remember there are several steps in the adoption process, including: completing an adoption home study, getting approved, and being matched with a child
• Have appropriate expectations and avoid judgments based on information you’ve read

This information is brought to you as a courtesy of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) via the USA.gov blog.

Join the World Tomorrow in Raising Aids Awareness

Tomorrow, December 1st, is designated as World Aids Day by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The theme for 2012 is: Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation. World AIDS Day brings people together from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of this growing pandemic. It also is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the pandemic and encourage progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care around the world. AIDS.gov has many tools and resources to help you plan an event in your community, promote AIDS awareness, locate local HIV testing, and other HIV services.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people to get tested for HIV/AIDS.  Nearly one in five people are infected with HIV and don’t know. Without this crucial information, the virus can be passed on to others without either partner knowing it. Getting an HIV test, knowing your HIV status, and encouraging your friends, family, and community to do the same are critical steps in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Share the resources!

Online Resources Aid in Planning Long-Term Care Services

When planning ahead in these uncertain financial times, it’s important to think about long-term care for yourself and your loved ones. Long-term care (LTC) is a range of services and supports you may need to meet your health or personal needs over a long period of time. These services might include emergency response systems, senior centers, assisted living, nursing homes, transportation services, and many more.

Most long-term care assists people with activities of daily living like dressing, bathing and using the bathroom. Other common long-term care services include helping with housework, cooking, shopping, or even managing money. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living or in nursing homes. And it’s not just for seniors—if you have a significant health challenge, you may need long-term care at any age.

While there are a variety of ways to pay for long-term care, it is important to think ahead about how you will fund the care you may need. Generally, Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care, but only for a medically necessary skilled nursing facility or home health care. Long-term care insurance may be an option to help you and your family prepare ahead of time for the potential need for long-term care. There are a variety of plans available that vary in cost depending on what services you want covered and the age you begin coverage. Before you choose a plan you should take into account where and what kind of care you might need.

Be sure to take some time this month to check out your options and plan ahead, so you can rest assured that you and your family get the care you need. And if you’re a caregiver now for a family member with health challenges, find more resources and support from USA.gov.

This information is brought to you as a courtesy of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) via the USA.gov blog.

Federal Law, Agencies Protect Children from Harmful Online Content

According to the Federal Communications Commission, the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was established in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. It requires that schools and libraries have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures, subject to at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.

The websites for the Office of the Indiana Attorney General and the Indiana Department of Child Services have several tips and links to online resources about internet safety, including a Family Internet Use Contract. Both the CIA and FBI also share a commitment to keeping children safe on the internet. The National Criminal Justice Reference Service provides a list of resources on Cyberbullying and Cyberstalking. KidsHealth.org offers detailed guidelines on Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet and Internet Safety in English and Spanish.