COA Program Updates

New provider contracts will bring big changes to Elderly Services Program

A bidding process for the Elderly Services Program (ESP) in Hamilton and Warren counties will bring major changes to the way services are delivered. The aim is to get the highest quality services for the best price and to deliver them much more efficiently.

"For several years, COA has taken a variety of small steps that have improved efficiency in the delivery of provider services," said CFO David Wolfzorn. "For example, we've successfully reduced the number of providers serving two senior housing complexes. Where we once had numerous providers converging on the same building, we now have one or two. But now, we're launching a broader effort that will change the way both we and providers do business."

Providers will compete for contracts based not only on price, but also on selected quality standards. They will also have to meet updated service specifications for home-delivered meals, home care services, and independent living.

To improve efficiency and quality standards, homemaking, companion services, respite and personal care will be combined into a single package of services called home care assistant.

Providers will be contracted by geographic zones (two in Warren County and four in Hamilton County) and, to reduce duplication and administrative burden, there will be fewer providers serving each zone.

"We've worked hard to include providers in the planning process for this initiative," said Beverly Williams, Manager of Procurement and Provider Services. "Providers have been surveyed, participated in open forums, and shared their suggestions for updating the service specifications. As a result, we will have a stronger program."

Ultimately, Wolfzorn said, the effort is all about sustaining ESP into a future where resources may be limited while demand grows.

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First COA Service Coordination site to begin in Butler County

Sherman Manor: COA's first Service Coordination site in Butler County

Sherman Manor, an apartment community in Hamilton for adults age 55 and older, is a new Service Coordination site for Council on Aging. The partnership will enhance the lives of residents with home-care services, educational opportunities and connections to community resources. 

Council on Aging has Service Coordinators at five housing sites in Hamilton County. Sherman Manor will be the first site in Butler County.

The property is managed by CPO Management (Community Properties of Ohio Management Services), an organization that manages affordable housing throughout Ohio. Sherman Manor is located at 926 S. 2nd Street in Hamilton. The community offers 60 studio, one, and two-bedroom apartments with affordable rents and is designed to provide quality housing to adults age 55 and older.

"We're excited because Sherman Manor is perfect housing for people who are leaving nursing facilities or who no longer have appropriate housing that works for them," said Ken Wilson, COA's Director of Program Operations. "It is managed by a mission-driven organization and that mission aligns with ours."

Bringing in Service Coordination will make Sherman Manor an attractive option for PASSPORT in-home care clients, Wilson said. It may also serve well as a site for Enhanced Community Living, a new service option in PASSPORT. Enhanced Community Living allows a single provider organization to serve all the clients in a building, which is more efficient than using multiple providers. It also makes it possible to offer more services, such as help from a nurse, and an on-site provider office.

COA Service Coordinator Sheri Williams began working at Sherman Manor in late June.  Service coordinators serve as the link between seniors and disabled adults who live in affordable housing and an array of available services and providers. In many cases, it is through the work of a Service Coordinator that an elderly person is able to get such help as a lift chair, light housekeeping, home-delivered meals, or advice on how to reduce their out-of-pocket medical costs. For many, access to these types of services means they are able to continue to live independently, in a non-institutional setting.

Isabel Toth, President of CPO Management, is pleased with the recent partnership. "We believe affordable housing offers the residents of Sherman Manor the opportunity to maintain their independence, establish stability and obtain resources which allow them to successfully age in place. Through services provided by COA and quality property management, our residents experience the quality of life they deserve."

Though Service Coordinators are often nurses or licensed social workers, they do not provide hands-on care. Rather, they work within a housing development to create new services or educational programs, advocate for residents, work with resident councils to improve the development's community life, assist with community outreach, and educate housing management staff on aging issues.

Service Coordinators become trusted, valued members of the residential communities they serve. Residents can turn to their Service Coordinator for help with issues ranging from utility bills and rent payments to Medicare and medical equipment. COA Service Coordinators are care managers for COA home-care clients who live in their buildings, but they also serve all residents.

Sherman Manor currently has one and two bedroom apartment homes available. For more information call Council on Aging at (513) 721-1025 or Lisa Bradley, Property Manager at (513) 893-2585.

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New HOME Choice rules will help people leave nursing homes more quickly

"It gets you your life back.  I expect I'd be in the nursing home more years without it.  I don't want to think about that."  After a stroke, Carol lived in a nursing for four years before she was able to move to her own apartment with help from HOME Choice. Read Carol's story.

Changes to eligibility requirements for a program that helps Ohioans move out of nursing facilities could make home and community-based care a reality for many more people. 

HOME Choice is a transition program begun in Ohio in October 2008 to help older and disabled residents move out of nursing facilities and receive services in home and community settings. People sometimes stay in nursing homes longer than necessary because they have nowhere else to go.

HOME Choice participants are assigned a transition coordinator who helps them find housing, pay rent deposits, buy furnishings, connect to community services and benefits, and coordinates their health care and prescriptions.

Before the recent expansion, participants must have lived in a nursing facility for six months or more and been receiving Medicaid benefits for at least 30 days prior to their discharge.

New criteria have reduced the nursing facility stay to 90 days and the Medicaid requirement to one day.

HOME Choice helps people become more independent through services such as independent living skills training, a community support coach, nutritional counseling, nursing and care management, communication aides, and service animals.

After a one-year transition period, participants continue to receive care and services through a Medicaid waiver program such as PASSPORT.

Council on Aging is helping to identify and enroll eligible participants in Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties.

More information, including eligibility and housing requirements and contact information is available on our Web site.

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Free home repairs available for low income seniors

Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) is offering free home repairs and safety modifications for low-income homeowners and renters age 60 and older.

The HOME Program has helped thousands of elderly people who are living in unsafe conditions but want to remain in their own homes.  It is made possible through a grant from the Ohio Housing Trust Fund.  Council on Aging administers the program.

Annually, the program is combined with other funding to help more than 1,000 older adults in the five-county area served by Council on Aging. 

Improvements include wheelchair ramps, bathroom grab bars, tub cut-outs, replacement of dangerous electrical wiring, and repair of roofs, floors, plumbing, steps, furnaces and locks.

To request a HOME program application, call 513-721-1025 or 1-800-252-0155.

Click here for more information about the HOME Program, including income and eligibility requirements.