|
An Easy, One-Stop Clearinghouse for Information, Assistance and Services
Call (740) 363-6677
or (800) 994-2255
When You Have Questions, We Have Answers
With one telephone call, we work by providing information,
assistance or services related to senior living– all designed to
help older residents remain at home with independence and dignity.
For our enrollment process and cost consideration, please
go to our in-home Assessment
and Coordination page.
For more information, please click on the item listed below.
If you have questions about any of the services listed
below, please click here to
send an email.
SENIOR CHOICES SERVICES
|
OTHER SERVICES
|
SENIOR CHOICES SERVICES
The traditional
case management component provided by SENIOR
CHOICES includes assessments, pre-authorization of visits or
services, care plan development, monitoring and termination planning
when appropriate, allocation of and payment for services. Care
plans are designed to achieve and maintain maximum levels of health
and independence. Assistance may be short or long term. Traditional
care management is reserved for the very frail who have weak informal
supports.
The service package represents the core of most
frequently utilized community-based long term care services. Services
provided and funded by SENIOR CHOICES and the Council
for Older Adults will include the following:
Adult Day Care
Adult day care is a community-based group program designed to meet
the needs of functionally impaired adults and provide structured activities
and services on a scheduled basis. Adult day programs allow the participant
to engage in purposeful activity in a supervised setting while giving the
primary caregiver the opportunity to take a break or attend to other matters.
While hours vary by provider, most programs offer services at least five
days a week and often transportation to the program can also be arranged
as approved by the care consultant.
Chore Services
Chore Services are made possible through the Aging Services Levy
to assist older adults with minor chores around the home. For example,
changing light bulbs, tacking down cords or rugs, raking of leaves, shoveling
snow, painting, etc.
Counseling
In-Home
Mental Health Counseling is a service available to SENIOR CHOICES clients
and is designed to facilitate adjustment when the client's physical, social,
and emotional well-being are threatened. Services may be provided for caregiver/family
members, in conjunction with the client, when the purpose is to enable
the caregiver/family members to function better together with the client
or if it is related to the client's care. Most common counseling services
include grief and depression counseling as well as alcohol and drug counseling.
Emergency
Response System
An Emergency Response System consists of an electronic device linking
an individual to 24-hour direct access emergency assistance. A small help
button worn either around the neck or on the wrist activates the system
to contact the monitoring center staffed by trained professionals. Subscribers
receive whatever help may be needed through a phone call from the monitoring
center, or from a designated personal responder, or a local emergency squad.
Home Delivered Meals
The
Delaware County Senior Nutrition Program is a partnership between
the Council for Older Adults and Grady Memorial Hospital. This program
includes healthy tasty meals which meet 1/3 of the daily nutrition requirements,
help to prevent malnutrition and help seniors maintain good health. In
2006, we provided over 155,000 meals for older adults residing in Delaware
County. Services provided through Senior Nutrition Program are Home Delivered
Meals and Congregate Dining. Click here to
learn more about the Delaware County Senior Nutrition Program and Daily
Menus.
Home Repair
Minor Home Repair
service is made possible through the Aging Service Levy in efforts to assist
in maintaining health and safety. Minor home repair may include: plumbing,
drywall and flooring repair, electrical repairs, installation of smoke
detectors, handicap accessibility, heating unit services and replacements,
roof repair, and/or other repairs necessary for safety (no cosmetic repairs).
Homemaker Services
Homemaker
services are provided to individuals who are not able to perform tasks
independently in their home. Services can include light house cleaning,
meal preparation, laundry, running errands, and grocery shopping.
In-home
Assessment and Coordination
Becoming a SENIOR CHOICES client is
an easy but thorough process that assures you will receive services
that will help you to remain in your own home. This process consists
of three steps: The Enrollment Process, Cost Consideration and Care
Coordination. Click here
to find out more about these steps.
Medical
Transportation
Medical transportation will be provided
to SENIOR CHOICES clients by an approved provider only as authorized
by the Care Consultant. Medical transportation includes appointments
with the physician, a medical treatment facility, social service agencies
and adult day care centers.
Nursing Services
Nursing
(RN) Services are available to SENIOR CHOICES clients to assist them
in achieving optimal health and well-being through the provision of health
assessments and screening, medication set-up and monitoring, blood pressure
and other health checks, when no other means of obtaining such are available
to the client.
Personal Care
Personal Care
Assistants Home Health Aides are health care workers who provide personal
care services, such as bathing and dressing, to clients who are unable
to perform these tasks independently.
Respite
Respite services can
be provided in a private home or an intermediate care facility
to provide relief for the caregiver. Respite workers perform tasks
similar to the home health aide, including personal care. Respite is
designed to give the caregiver a break from responsibilities so stress
and tensions are minimized.
OTHER SERVICES
In order to maximize efficient use of limited private and
public funding for long term care, it is necessary to carefully screen
individuals seeking assistance. Clearly, elders' needs and requests
for assistance will vary in intensity, immediacy and potential cost.
Most will only need accurate and timely information and will not need
to enroll into the SENIOR CHOICES program described.
Others may need counseling or assistance with contacting providers,
obtaining answers to questions, guidance, support, and advocacy and
referrals to other organizations in order to meet their needs. Such
services also offered by the Council for Older Adults are as follows:
Adult Protective Services
Adult
Protective Services are intended to assist adults who are in danger
of harm, unable to protect themselves and have no one else to assist
them. The goals for Adult Protective Services are to prevent, reduce
or remedy conditions causing endangerment. Click here to
learn more about Adult Protective Services
Dining Centers
This program includes healthy, tasty meals which meet 1/3 of the
daily nutrition requirements, help to prevent malnutrition and
help seniors maintain good health. In 2007, we provided over 170,300
meals for older adults residing in Delaware County. Services provided
through Senior Nutrition Program are Home Delivered Meals (Meals-on-Wheels)
and Dining Centers. Click here to
learn more about our Dining Centers.
Energy Assistance
Applications
The Council for Older
Adults now has applications available for a variety of energy assistance
programs offered by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD).
These programs help low-income residents pay their utility bills
and improve the heating efficiency of their homes and include:
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
assistance usually consists of a credit on the heating
bill account each year.
- HEAP Emergency Crisis Program (E-HEAP)
assists households whose source of energy has been disconnected
or are threatened with disconnection or who have less than
a ten-day supply of bulk fuel.
- Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) is
a special payment plan that requires eligible customers
to pay a portion of their household income each month to
maintain utility service.
- Home Weatherization Assistance Program
(HWAP) assistance comes in the form of
reducing the energy use by providing insulation, air leakage
reduction, heating system repairs, health and safety inspections
and testing as well as other services.
Applications for are available at the Council office,
800 Cheshire Road, Delaware. Each of the programs has income and age
or disability guidelines and in some cases, other restrictions may
apply. For more information, call Council for Older Adults at 740-363-6677
or 1-800-994-2255.
Income Tax Assistance
TAX AIDE is
a free annual program brought to you by your local AARP chapter
and Council for Older Adults, to make tax assistance available to older
adults in Delaware County. This program will be held at several
locations in Central Ohio starting February 1 and will be available
thru April 15. Click here to
see a list of locations for an appointment with an AARP Tax Counselor.
Please call the Council for Older Adults to schedule your appointments.
Information
The immediate availability of accurate
information concerning the broad range of issues, services and opportunities
affecting older adults is the cornerstone of our Senior Choices program.
The Council for Older Adults maintains a large database of information
specific to the needs of our older population and our professional staff
is available from 8am - 5pm Monday through Friday to answer questions
and provide helpful assistance. If it is not convenient for you to call
during the day with your questions, send us an e-mail and we will reply
to you immediately. If you have any questions, please call the Council
at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255.
Insurance,
Medical Bill Counseling
The Council for Older Adults offers
free services to Delaware County seniors who may need assistance
with medical insurance and straightening out confusion with
medical bills and insurance claims. You can send an
email to info@growingolder.org to
help you get to the bottom of insurance and medical bill related
issues. Click
here for more information or you can call the Council at
(740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255, and ask for one of the above
staff. Click
here for information on Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.
Legal Aid
The Council for
Older Adults and the Legal Aid Society of Columbus have teamed
up to expand the availability of free legal services to be offered
to older adults who are residents of Delaware County. These services
are provided to those adults 60 years and older, their families
and/or caregivers. The following list of priority services will
be offered to senior citizens: loss or denial of benefits, Medicaid,
Medicare, social security, defending against guardianships, simple
wills, powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, living wills,
certain estates under $50,000 for surviving spouses, SSI benefits,
and nursing home issues.
The Legal Aid Society's experienced staff
is committed to help older adults determine eligibility and find
the right attorney or paralegal to help you solve your problem.
If there is a problem which is not listed, they may still have
a service which can help or know of just the right program to
benefit you. You may also be referred to a private attorney for
representation if you are not eligible for free services. Criminal
cases, fee generating cases or conflicts of interest cannot be
handled through this program.
Seniors seeking advice will be asked questions
to find out their age, eligibility, name, address, telephone
number, and social security number. Since our tax dollars are
paying for this service, the Legal Aid Society has an obligation
to keep some records, however, no confidential records will be
given to the government or anyone else without permission.
Attorney-client
privilege prevents the Legal Aid Society from sharing your problems
with others. The free clinics are held once a month at the office
of the Council for Older Adults. Individuals seeking to meet
privately with a legal aid society attorney can make an appointment
by calling the Council for Older Adults at 363-6677 or 1-800-994-2255.
This
free service is being made available through funding from the
Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging through the Older American's Act.
The Council for Older Adults is the local not-for-profit organization
responsible for development and coordination of services for older
adults throughout Delaware County.
LifeCard
Keeping your medical,
pharmaceutical and insurance information up-to-date and in one
place can be very important in case of an emergency. Your Council
for Older Adults has made dealing with this problem easier with
a program we call the LifeCard. The free LifeCard and accompanying
refrigerator magnet provide a convenient solution to this problem and
local emergency squads have been trained to look for the LifeCard when
emergencies occur. We will provide you a free LifeCard and will
remind you periodically to update your information. Our updated version
of the LifeCard is now available and includes a smaller version for
pocket, purse or glove compartment. For more information or to request
your free LifeCard & clip, call the Council at (740) 363-6677 or
(800) 994-2255, or email to info@growingolder.org Or
you can click here to download
a copy of the LifeCard.
Medical Equipment Loans
Many
kinds of adaptive equipment exist to assist individuals in maintaining
independence for mobility and other daily needs. Individuals living in
Delaware County are eligible for Durable Medical Equipment, depending
on availability. To borrow any equipment, please contact the Council
at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-1155, or email to info@growingolder.org
Nutritional Supplements
The
Council for Older Adults offers for purchase nutritional supplements
to anyone over 60 years of age and living in Delaware County. You must
have a physician's recommendation or be a SENIOR CHOICES client to
receive the nutritional supplements as part of your care plan. To order,
please call Nicole Rice at the Council at (740)363-6677 or (800)994-2255
or you can email to info@growingolder.org
Prescription
Access and Assistance Program
The Prescription Access
and Assistance Program is designed to help Delaware County
older adults improve their access to affordable prescription
medication. Many resources are available to help individuals
with limited incomes reduce the cost of their prescriptions,
including Medicare Part D Drug Coverage. We can help you figure
out which programs work best for you. Click here for
more information.
Resource Center
Increasingly,
as our society ages, family members and friends find themselves providing
care and assistance to older adults. In response to this, your Council
for Older Adults of Delaware County, has expanded services available
to you in efforts to assist you while caring for your loved ones. Our
Elder and Caregiver Resource Center has free materials such as brochures
and newsletters. We also have items for loan such as books, magazines,
and videos which are specifically designed for older adults and caregivers.
We also have a computer for on line research. Please call to
reserve in advance. Click here to
find out more about our resource center.
|
