Daniel Joost becomes the latest autistic who has been killed by a family member and made the news. Mr. Joost was 18 years old. Daniel Joost and his mother, Margaret Joost, were strangled by Daniel’s father David Joost, who then committed suicide. The Chicago Tribune has the story: Family dead in murder-suicide struggled with financial problems.
Daniel Joost is survived by his sister Kathryn Joost. An effort is underway to collect money to support her through this time. (Friends, family raising money for daughter in murder-suicide)
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By Matt Carey
(note, I should have put this up before the article about supports and strategies for families facing very great challenges. I ended up mixing the article about the passing of Mr. Joost with the support information. Always we need to keep the victims first, especially when as so often happens when a disabled person is murdered, it is the murderer who gets the focus of news stories.)
Left Brain Right Brain 
There is one thing that could be done to lower the murders of the chronically ill or disabled, all too frequently resulting in financial problems, stress and eventually, murder.
We need to find a way in which families aren’t consigned to penury because of the costs involved in caring for a family member.
For being the strongest, wealthiest and allegedly most caring nation on the earth, we sure treat our families caring for the ill and disabled like lepers.