By Fred Schott I was born in 1950. That means I spent my 20s in the 70s, and now I get to spend my 70s in the 20s. I remember when rock was young. Susie and I had so much fun holding hands and skimming stones. I had an old gold Chevy and a place…
Several months ago, I wrote a post about loneliness and why it’s an issue nowadays. I concluded by referring to a prescription for combatting loneliness developed by neuroscientist Stephanie Cacioppo, a/k/a “Doctor Love.” It goes the acronym GRACE—gratitude, reciprocity, altruism, choice, and enjoyment. I said I’d share some personal insights about putting GRACE into practice…
In a couple days, it’ll be Thanksgiving. And in my house, that means we sit down for… a home screening of legendary director John Hughes‘ 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I love to keep track of the classic comedy tropes on offer, and ever since I heard that the original script was for a…
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in May 2020. In observance of Mental Health Month, I’ve been writing on the lessons I’ve learned about mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. (You can read about Lessons 1 to 3 here and Lessons 4 to 7 here.) The seventh and final lesson to living in the…
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in May 2020. In this second installment of a three-post series about mental health during a pandemic, Fred Schott of The Council for Disability Awareness picks up from where he left off in part 1, and shares four additional things he learned about life during a pandemic. …
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in May 2020. Introduction On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the spread of the new Covid-19 viral disease to be a pandemic. But it wasn’t until the following day, March12, that the stark reality of the new situation became clear to the 330…
By Fred Schott Editor’s Note: Recently, Fred Schott, The Council for Disability Awareness’ research consultant, hosted a second podcast on Long Covid – this time focusing on its mental health dimension. (You can read the highlights from the first podcast here.) Fred’s guest was Dr. Les Kertay, a clinical psychologist, senior vice president of behavioral…
Fred Schott Editor’s Note: I never get the chance to “sit in the audience” of a Council for Disability Awareness podcast. But this time was different. My colleague, Fred Schott, moderated a must-listen-to discussion on long Covid and its impact on people who work – from a “whole person” perspective. Fred’s guests were Kerri Wizner,…
By Fred Schott, Director of Operations, Council for Disability Awareness Editor’s Note: The CDA staff participated in a webinar hosted by the Smith Group on May 4th entitled: “Why Don’t More US Workers Have Access to Disability Insurance?” One of the key discussion points was the importance of placing short- and long-term disability insurance within the…
Editor’s Note: In this latest installment of The CDA’s ongoing research series, Fred Schott, director of operations and research, provides a summary of findings from the Current Population Survey on the connections among occupations, availability of remote work, and absence. These findings were presented during September 2021, to the National Association of Supplemental Benefit Insurance 2021…
