Below are the full stories from Council on Aging’s 2024 Impact Report. Click the links below to jump directly to the article you wish to read.
- Healthy Aging Grants help COA, counties serve more older adults during critical time
- 2024 another active year for COA advocacy efforts
- COA graduates first class in innovative workforce development program
- COA improves visibility with expanded community outreach
- Buoyed by HUD grant, COA helps more older adults in Clinton County age in place
- FastTrack Home transitional care program reaches milestones in seventh year
- Innovative laundry service program supports independence and tax dollar savings
- Grants allow COA to expand and improve product and service offerings
Healthy Aging Grants help COA, counties serve more older adults during critical time
In 2023, the Ohio Department of Aging awarded $40 million in Healthy Aging Grants to county governments to support the creation of new programs or bolster existing programs that focus on delivering services and supports that keep at-risk aging Ohioans in their homes and communities for as long as possible. The grants were one-time allocations funded by ARPA and were required to be spent by Sept. 30, 2024.
Counties were required to allocate a portion of the funding to food and housing assistance and internet access and digital literacy services. The remaining funds could be used to provide evidence-based services which aligned with Ohio’s 2023-2026 State Plan on Aging.
Council on Aging (COA) has strong, long-term relationships with county leaders in its service area, more than 50 years’ experience administering programs for older adults, and an evidence-based knowledge of the needs of older adults in the region. As a result, COA made recommendations to county commissioners in Butler, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties on how to use the grant dollars to address some of the most urgent, unmet needs of older adults in their counties.
Each of the four counties agreed to COA’s proposals, and COA, in 2024, administered programs funded by the Healthy Aging grants ranging from home repairs and modifications to utility assistance.
COA’s Vice President of Program Operations, Ken Wilson, explained that the Healthy Aging grant funding arrived at a critical time for counties across the state. Wilson cited the end of pandemic relief funding, high inflation and a critical shortage of home care workers as negative forces draining local levy funding and creating pent up demand for home and community-based services.
“The Healthy Aging Grants provided an opportunity to take some pressure off local senior services tax levies and the Elderly Services Programs that they fund,” Wilson said. “This funding – although not permanent – helped us meet critical community needs and avoid waiting lists for services.”
Butler County was awarded $955,927 in Healthy Aging grant funding, serving more than 1,600 eligible older adults. Notably, the funding allowed for the creation of a new program aimed at providing utility assistance, home repairs/modifications, and emergency rental assistance to eligible older adults. The program served 136 older adults. The grants also:
- Provided home-delivered meals to 765 older adults
- Assisted 259 individuals with digital literacy to receive home care, groceries and other needed services using available technology
- Assisted 129 older adults with obtaining access to Medicare Advantage benefits to pay for transportation, meals and more
- Implemented FastTrack Home Services to serve 212 older adults who needed assistance transitioning home from hospital and nursing facilities
- Funded the evidence-based Uplift program to address depression and social isolation among older adults
Clinton County received $220,066 in Healthy Aging Grant funds and more than 550 older adults were served. One key outcome of the funding was the creation of digital literacy classes and a technology learning lab for adults at 60+. The classes and lab were developed and coordinated by Clinton County Community Action Agency – a key service provider in the county. More than 80 older adults improved their technology skills through the program. The grant also:
- Provided food assistance via home-delivered meals program to 404 older adults
- Provided home modifications and one-time utility assistance to support or sustain independent living for 78 eligible older adults. The most common home modifications included grab bars for bathrooms and ramps to provide easier access in and out of the home. Eligible older adults received a one-time credit of $500 towards gas and electric bills.
- Helped 14 older adults access services including emergency response services and medical transportation through their Medicare Advantage Plans.
Warren County received $288,032 in Healthy Aging Grant funding and served 535 individuals in the county. Of note, the funding enabled 89 eligible older adults to receive AddnAide technology training to connect with community-based caregivers to receive in home care services. These were individuals who, because of the national home health aide shortage, were unable to be served by a traditional home care agency.
- Provided food assistance to 395 eligible older adults via home-delivered meals program
- Provided home modifications to support independent living to 53 eligible older adults, with the most common modifications including grab bars and ramps.
- Benefits Specialist staff at COA connected 26 county older adults with benefits available through their Medicare Advantage Plan, including emergency response services and medical transportation. Accessing such services through available health insurance benefits reduces expenses for the levy-funded Elderly Services Program.
Hamilton County received $2.5 million in Healthy Aging Grant funding and served 3,634 eligible individuals. The grant provided home modifications, including grab bars and access ramps, to 1,023 county older adults to help them remain safe and independent in their homes. The grant also:
- Provided food assistance to 2,528 individuals via home-delivered meals program
- Helped 273 individuals match with community-based caregivers to receive in-home care services via the AddnAide app. Individuals assisted had not been able to access services through traditional home care agencies due to the national home care workforce shortage.
- COA Benefit Specialists assisted 283 clients by enrolling and securing services provided by their health plans, including emergency response services and medical transportation.
“These grants helped us serve more vulnerable older adults, without placing additional strain on county senior services tax levies,” Wilson said. “We were able to provide critical services that met the aim of the grant’s purpose – to help older adults live safely and independently in their homes and communities. The grants also strengthened our relationship with local leaders and key service provider partners in each county.”
All Healthy Aging grants funds were spent by the Sept. 30, 2024 deadline.
2024 another active year for COA advocacy efforts
Council on Aging (COA) continued its emphasis during its 2024 fiscal year on advocacy on behalf of older adults by identifying emergent issues, continuing to work on long-term initiatives and working with legislators, governmental bodies and other organizations to implement solutions. Two advocacy highlights in particular stand out.
State rule change benefits home-delivered meals clients; cuts expenses
Due to COA’s persistence, one initiative came to fruition during the COA 2024 fiscal year after more than 10 years of work. In 2011, COA, other organizations and service providers began advocating with the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) to loosen or remove the “diet order” in Ohio’s administrative code for clients receiving therapeutic home-delivered meals. Therapeutic meals follow specific nutritional guidelines for those who require a certain diet for health conditions, or are mechanically altered (chopped, mashed, etc.) for safe chewing and swallowing.
The diet order required a prescription from a physician for a client to receive therapeutic meals. “The requirement imposed a huge burden on home-delivered meal providers and COA’s care management staff,” said Ken Wilson, COA’s vice president of program operations, who was instrumental in advocating for the rule change. Additionally, “other states didn’t have the requirement,” he said.
COA submitted a formal proposal for a change in 2019, but it received no traction. Then in 2023, COA Government Relations Director Nan Cahall suggested making the case for a rule change through Ohio’s Common Sense Initiative (CSI), which reviews state agency regulations as potential obstacles to business.
COA partnered with home-delivered meals provider Meals on Wheels of Southwest OH & Northern KY to make its case: that the rule required a tremendous amount of unnecessary time and resources to obtain prescriptions from physicians who were generally not equipped to provide them quickly. And most importantly, it delayed older adults receiving the appropriate meals.
CSI investigated and met with ODA and the Ohio Department of Medicaid to advocate for the rule change. During COA’s 2024 fiscal year, the rule was successfully amended to allow flexibility in the prescription requirement.
“The change not only allows more personal choice and autonomy for older adults but is helping us achieve our main goal: to ensure the health and safety of our clients by providing the correct meal without unnecessary delays,” Cahall said.
COA and providers are also saving money as a result of the rule change. “We saw a 5% reduction in home-delivered meal expenses in our Elderly Services Program (ESP) in Butler County,” Wilson said. “This is helpful when we’re facing budget challenges. It allows us to serve more older adults.”
Additionally, Meals on Wheels was able to eliminate a $40,000/year position that was dedicated to prescription management.
New community education initiative begun
At its core, advocacy is about education. In 2024 COA undertook a new initiative to educate the public about the value of COA-administered programs supported by their tax dollars.
COA administers Elderly Services Programs in Butler, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties. Senior services levies in these counties provide most of the funding for the programs. While voters in these counties have traditionally been supportive of the levies, passage is never guaranteed. If a levy failed to pass, the ESP it supported would end, as there are no other sources available to fund it.
The Bulter County levy will be up for renewal in the fall of 2025. Given this, members of the Butler County Elderly Services Program Advisory Council – a citizens group that provides oversight of ESP on behalf of Butler County commissioners – gave nine presentations to community and governmental organizations throughout the county.
They reviewed with audiences the 2023 Butler County ESP Annual Report, which is published yearly as a report to the community.
“I was proud to present the 2023 annual report to several local governments this year. The taxpayer-funded Elderly Services Program is vital in supporting more than 4,000 older residents in Butler County. The positive reception from local communities and governments highlights the strength of this essential community partnership,” said Shawn Cowan, a member of the Butler County Elderly Services Advisory Council and a county resident.
COA graduates first class in innovative workforce development program
In June of 2024, Council on Aging (COA) graduated the first class in its Emerging Professionals (EP) Program. The innovative program immerses recent college graduates in a wide range of functions at Council on Aging, providing valuable, real-world training and experience working within a care management organization.
The inaugural class of Emerging Professionals joined COA in 2023 and included recent graduates from Miami University, Xavier University, The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and Thomas Moore University.
“This workforce development program was created as a long-term strategy to increase, develop and diversify our workforce. This is a holistic program to engage professionals at all levels of the organization and increase their awareness about care management programs and operations,” said Jacqueline Hutsell, COA’s vice president of People Services.
Participants are paired with a professional mentor and receive guidance from program coordinators, senior leadership and several other professional COA staff members.
“All the educators really made sure we were doing well and made sure we were not overloaded. They took their time with us and answered any of our questions” said class member Sydney Sloane.
Participants chose one of three different program tracks, depending on their area of career interest: Clinical – Licensed, Clinical – Operations or Business Operations and gained valuable, real-world experience in the following areas:
- Technical Learning
- Personal Development
- Professional Development
- Team Development
- Relationship and Community Development
Following graduation, program participants moved into full-time positions within the organization.
According to class member Jessica Jones, “What I appreciated most about my time in the program was that I was able to transition into the workforce alongside other recent college graduates. Having peers in the same position as I was made the experience both exciting and reassuring. We were all learning and growing together.”
Jones is now a waiver service coordinator in COA’s Molina MyCare Ohio program and Sloane is a care manager in the PASSPORT program.
“The EP program was instrumental in preparing me for this role. The opportunity to rotate through multiple departments gave me a well-rounded understanding of the organization and helped me discover where my skills and interests aligned. On top of that, the EP program provided comprehensive training to ensure I was fully prepared for a full-time role while also supporting my professional development. It gave me the confidence and experience to step into my current position feeling ready to succeed,” Sloane said.
COA improves visibility with expanded community outreach
Council on Aging serves five counties in southwestern Ohio, a region that is home to more than 365,000 individuals age 60 and over. If you consider the family members and caregivers who may be providing some form of support to older adults in our region, the task of raising awareness about COA’s programs and services can seem monumental.
COA has a robust community engagement strategy that puts staff, board and advisory council members in the communities we serve, bringing information and resources to people who may not even know they need help.
In FY 2024, COA launched or expanded a number of initiatives that improved our visibility in the counties we serve.
Aging Connections events in Butler, Clermont, Warren and Hamilton counties connected residents with organizations and resources that support older adults and caregivers with common issues and topics including health and wellness, frauds and scams, social isolation, transportation, public benefits and more. Events were hosted at libraries, civic centers, and congregate meals sites, making it easy for community members to attend. An attendee at the Clermont County event shared that they appreciated “the opportunity to meet and talk with others that all want to help make life better for seniors.” More than a dozen partner organizations participated in the events, which were attended by 140 individuals.
COA’s free Health and Wellness workshops are offered at convenient community locations across our service area and provide opportunities for older adults and their caregivers to connect with each other and learn practical skills to better manage their health and prevent falls. Zach McCollum, executive director, programs, Landen and Otterbein facilities for Countryside YMCA in Warren County said, “Working with COA provides a great way to open up access to programs for the whole community. As a YMCA, it allows us to provide programming not just for members of the Y, but for our entire community.” During FY 2024, 260 individuals participated in health and wellness workshops across COA’s service area. Click here to watch a video about COA’s health and wellness programs.
COA staff connected with more than 200 residents and staff at more than a dozen low-income senior apartment buildings across Hamilton County, sharing information about available programs and services and resources that can have a positive impact on their health and quality of life. COA Project Manager, Antoinette Moore, led the initiative. “I’ve enjoyed building relationships with staff in these communities,” Moore said. “They know they can reach out to me directly and I can be their connection to COA’s programs and services.”
Care managers in Clinton County’s Elderly Services Program have a grassroots approach to community engagement. The team, based out of COA’s office in Wilmington, visits the county’s senior centers, attends networking events and participates in community activities to help more older adults in the county connect with supportive, in-home services. In 2024, COA sponsored and attended the Clinton County Farmers’ Market Community Resource Day. Another focus for 2024 was helping eligible county residents apply to receive benefits through a $1.3 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant secured by COA to help older county homeowners receive home modifications that support aging in place.
COA served more than 53,000 individuals in 2024 through home and community-based care programs, but each quarter, COA employees complete a community service project that benefits older adults living in its five-county service area. These projects reflect COA’s value of Service. In 2024, community service projects included: distributing holiday gifts to older adults in low-income apartment buildings with partner Home Instead Senior Care; providing supplies to restock community rooms senior living buildings in each of COA’s counties; and delivering homemade greeting cards to individuals enrolled in Hospice care.
Council on Aging received funding from the USAging-led Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative to conduct activities to connect older adults and people with disabilities to COVID-19 and flu vaccines. COA partnered with Clinton County Health District and Clermont County Public Health to vaccinate 243 older adults at seven clinics across the two counties.
Council on Aging applied for and received a Benefits Enrollment Center (BEC) Grant to help older adults apply for and access benefits they are eligible for. As a BEC, COA uses person-centered strategies in a coordinated, community-wide approach to find and enroll Medicare beneficiaries—both older adults age 65+ and adults living with disabilities—who have limited income and resources to access available benefits. The primary focus of the grant is to assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries with enrollment into five core benefit programs ranging from prescription assistance to SNAP (food stamps). The grant puts COA’s benefits enrollment specialists out in communities across COA’s service area, helping them connect face to face with older adults and individuals with disabilities who need assistance applying for and accessing these critical benefits. “When we help an older adult access benefits that can help them lower their monthly prescription drug costs, that frees up money in their budget for other critical needs such as food and paying utility bills,” said Kim Clark, COA’s director of community and business services operations.
Council on Aging partnered with Hamilton County’s 513Relief Bus to present a Healthy Aging Day Party, Sept. 24, 2024 at Word of Deliverance Ministries. Hundreds of older adults attended the event to enjoy food, demonstrations, health screenings and other activities, and to connect with dozens of local organizations offering services and supports for older adults and caregivers. ne Burke. “We appreciate the opportunity to have a seat on the 513Relief Bus and to be able to connect with older adults where they live and work.”
Buoyed by HUD grant, COA helps more older adults in Clinton County age in place
In January 2024, Council on Aging (COA), began accepting applications for assistance through its Clinton County Older Adults Home Modification Program.
The program is funded by a $1.25 million grant awarded to COA by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Its purpose is to enable older adults in Clinton County to age in place by providing home replairs and modifications at no cost to the homeowner.
COA made the strategic decision to focus on Clinton County when applying for the grant, because:
- As a rural county, it fits the requirements set forth by HUD for funding.
- More than 10,000 homes in the county were built pre-1980 and are expected to need significant repairs. It is estimated that nearly half of these homes are occupied by older adults with income at or less than 80% of the area median household income (AMI).
- The grant helps cover costs for certain home modifications and repairs that the Clinton County Elderly Services Program (ESP) cannot, due to cost restraints and limited funds available through the senior services levy, which funds ESP.
“Home repairs and modifications can be expensive,” said COA CEO Suzanne Burke. “We’re fortunate to have ESP in Clinton County, but it only scratches the surface in terms of meeting this particular need. This grant is providing a dedicated stream of funding for home repairs and modifications, saving money for the county and its taxpayers, and ultimately helping us serve many more Clinton County older adults.”
In order to be eligible for the program, applicants must be age 62 or older, a Clinton County resident who owns their home and the land it resides on and have an annual household income at or less than 80% of AMI. In 2024 in Clinton County, AMI was $44,000 for a household of one.
During In 2024, 55 homes received repairs or modifications through the Clinton County Older Adults Home Modification Program. The most- frequent modifications included raised toilet safety frames, grab bars installations and handrails.
Emeline, a widow who lives alone in her home in Sabina, was the recipient of grab bars in several areas, a raised toilet seat with handrails, a light replacement and a ramp to her front door, which has decidedly changed her life.
“I tell you what, the ramp’s made my life easier. Before, I had a step out there and I’d miss the step and fall into the yard,” she said. “With the ramp I haven’t fallen at all.”
Sharon, a widow who lives in Wilmington, received bathroom modifications, and a handle she can use to more easily enter the door to her condo. She reported feeling more self-sufficient and less likely to fall since the modifications were completed.
“It’s been very satisfying to see how life-changing these home modifications and repairs are for our homeowners,” said program coordinator Ana Vasconcellos. “We’ve been able to contribute to the continued independence of older adults who want more than anything to continue to live in their homes.”
“Putting all these things in, it actually makes you feel emotionally better. I have more independence,” Emeline said.
COA is actively seeking more Clinton County residents to participate in the program, which will run through mid-2026, if funds aren’t exhausted prior to this. “We expect to more than double the number of homes we modified in 2024 by the time the program wraps up,” Vasconcellos said.
“I’d tell others that the program really helps, and we seniors need all the help we can get. I’d recommend it to anybody,” Sharon said.
FastTrack Home transitional care program reaches milestones in its seventh year
In January 2024, Council on Aging (COA), began accepting applications for assistance through its Clinton County Older Adults Home Modification Program.
In 2016, Council on Aging (COA) had just completed a contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for its Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP), which aimed to reduce the hospital readmission rate of older adults. COA became a national leader by enrolling 24,000 clients, leading to a seven-point decrease among those clients on the national average in hospital readmissions.
Never known to rest on its laurels, that year COA leadership parlayed the hospital relationships it built through participating in the CCTP program and launched its own transitional care program: FastTrack Home.
Care Transitions uses the evidence-based Coleman Model to coach older adults leaving a hospital or skilled nursing facility. COA expanded upon the model by tapping into its existing provider and community relationships to offer not only coaching, but other vital services such as homemaking, home-delivered meals, transportation, home modifications, referrals to community organizations and more.
“There’s not a more difficult time than trying to take an older loved one out of a hospital or skilled nursing facility,” said COA Vice President of Program Operations Ken Wilson, “This program reaches people when they need us the most.”
Services are set up before or shortly after a client is discharged from the hospital or skilled nursing facility and remain in place for 60 days to assist in their recovery and prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions, which can be traumatic and costly. Services are provided at no cost to the client.
After its start as a pilot at Clinton Memorial Hospital in Clinton County, FastTrack Home became permanent in 2017, bringing the benefits of the county’s levy-funded Elderly Services Program (ESP) to more taxpayers. The program is now available to residents of all counties where COA administers a senior services levy: Clinton, Hamilton, Warren and Butler counties. Butler County was the most-recent addition, launching in 2024.
“We’ve seen consistent growth in our volume, with our referrals. And expanding to Butler County helped us connect with more older adults within our service area,” said Tonya Anderson-Smart, COA’s FastTrack Home and transitional care manager.
FastTrack Home has grown from serving 220 clients in 2017 to 3,495 in 2024. To support this growth, 25 staff worked in the program in 2024, up from seven at its beginning.
“The cost of FastTrack Home is significantly lower than the longer-term Elderly Services Program,” Wilson said. “It’s a short-term intervention that helps people get back on their feet. We’ve found that about 60% of participants don’t need care after 60 days.” If additional support is needed and a client qualifies, they may transition to ESP or another program.
Additionally, “not everyone who comes through FastTrack Home needs services like meals or transportation,” Anderson-Smart said. “They just need the Care Transitions coaching portion. This helps them reconcile medications, figure out questions for upcoming doctor’s appointments, set recovery goals, and identify red flags in their recovery and set a plan on how to address them.”
The ability to support older adults and their families when they need it most for a lower cost is especially important when expenses are increasing, more people need COA’s support and levy funds remain flat. The senior services levies, which are assessed based on property values, are up for renewal every four to five years. And while property values may increase during that period, levy funds remain flat.
Not only does FastTrack Home make it financially viable to serve more older adults, but the program has also successfully achieved its primary goal: to reduce hospital readmissions among older adults. In 2024, the national average hospital readmission rate was 14.56%, and the average for those participating in FastTrack Home was only 4.85%.
FastTrack Home has also proven to be adaptable. During the pandemic, COA leveraged the program to quickly develop and deploy Discharge to Home, a program to help area hospitals and skilled nursing facilities safely discharge older adults home with supportive care – regardless of their COVID status. The program kept older adults out of high-transmission settings, while freeing up valuable healthcare resources.
To fully appreciate the importance and effectiveness of FastTrack Home, one needs to look no further than the clients who were able to recover and continue to live in their homes after hospitalizations. “We see every day how we can be impactful to people in such a short amount of time,” Anderson-Smart said.
Take Sherman and Juanita Lynem – both in their 90s – who each were FastTrack Home clients at different times in the same year following major surgeries. They were able to remain in the home they had shared for 62 years with the support of family and FastTrack Home. “I love it,” Sherman said, “It means a whole lot.”
Innovative laundry service program supports independence and tax dollar savings
In January 2024, Council on Aging (COA), began accepting applications for assistance through its Clinton County Older Adults Home Modification Program.
As we age, it can become harder to do daily tasks on our own. Chronic health conditions or disabilities can hinder our ability to cook a meal, drive a car, take a shower or do our own laundry. However, our inability to do any of these tasks without assistance shouldn’t automatically lead to a loss of independence.
Such was the case for Pamela, 76, of Mt. Washington. A bad fall and a set of dangerous stairs conspired to keep Pamela from doing laundry on her own. An innovative new service from Council on Aging is meeting that need for Pamela – and others like her – while also saving taxpayer money.
A self-described “old hippie,” Pamela grew up as an army brat. She was born in Lexington, Ky and attended eight schools before attending McNicholas High School as a freshman.
As a young adult, Pamela worked as a model for department stores such as McAlpin’s, Shillito’s and Pogue’s. She also appeared on Bob Braun’s Bandstand on WLWT and spent time touring the country with a boyfriend who was a member of the folk-rock band, Pure Prairie League. In her home, she proudly displays photos from her time living with friends in Vermont and hanging out at Coney Island.
At home in Cincinnati, Pamela worked for 25 years as a server at two iconic Jeff Ruby’s restaurants – The Waterfront and The Precinct. She also channeled her love of cats into the development of an animal rescue program that today is known as Ohio Alley Cat Rescue (OAR).
Fast-forward to the 2020s and Pamela says she often spends days at home alone in her 1869 Mt. Washington home – with her two cats, Alice and Archie. “I had all that fun and look at me now: I’m an old lady in an old house!”
Pamela’s home, and her independence, are important to her. That’s why – after a serious fall that resulted in multiple injuries and surgeries – she was grateful to receive a referral from The Christ Hospital to Council on Aging’s FastTrack Home Program. FastTrack provides temporary support for people like Pamela who need some time to regain their independence after a hospital or nursing home stay.
When Pamela first came home from the hospital, FastTrack Home installed grab bars in her bathroom to offer security and help prevent another fall. She also received home-delivered meals but preferred to go back to cooking her own meals as soon as she was able.
Pamela’s biggest challenge, however was navigating the steep, dark and uneven staircase that led to her basement laundry room. This single issue had become a barrier to independent living and she did not mince words when she shared her determination to stay in the place she has called home for more than 30 years: “I’d just as soon go out of this place feet first.”
Fortunately, Council on Aging had a solution. In April 2022, COA began offering clients enrolled in FastTrack Home and the Elderly Services Program (ESP) the option to use a laundry delivery service. At the time, COA was dealing with the impact of the national home health aide shortage: 55% of clients in Butler, Hamilton and Warren counties were waiting to be matched with an aide for help with household tasks, like laundry.
COA analyzed the waiting lists to identify service needs that could be met in non-traditional ways (without a home health aide). Some clients received adaptive cleaning products so they could safely manage basic household cleaning tasks on their own. Others were offered the opportunity to use the laundry delivery service.
“The laundry delivery service is a win-win for everyone,” said Stephanie Seyfried, vice president in training of managed care & aging services at COA and the architect of the service. “With this service, we are able to fill an important need for many older adults who’d been waiting months for services while also saving money and serving more people. Most importantly, clients are very happy with the service.”
COA has contracts with three laundry providers who manage the pick-up, cleaning, folding and delivery of clients’ weekly laundry. Each client uses the service approximately four times per month. Dirty laundry is collected on a designated day in a receptacle provided by the laundry provider – usually from the client’s porch or stoop – and returned cleaned and folded within 48 hours. Clients can provide input on the type of detergent used.
The laundry delivery service is saving money in FastTrack Home and the Elderly Services Program – both of which are funded by local tax levies – enabling COA to serve more people at a time when demand is high. Enrollment in the service grew 51% over four quarters with 240 clients using the service by Dec. 2024. The service costs $49-$65 per client per month, compared to $204 for the same service provided by a home health aide, resulting in $265,851 in savings to ESP over four quarters.
“Laundry is one of the primary activities of daily living many older adults need help with,” Seyfried said. “Disability, chronic health issues, location of laundry facilities in the home and transportation are all barriers that make it difficult for older adults to manage laundry on their own. It is a seemingly simple service that is having a big impact on older adults’ lives.”
Feedback from clients using the service is positive, with 97% of clients reporting total satisfaction, including Pamela: “This means so much because of the steps [to the basement]. It’s peace of mind. I’m not looking at my dirty laundry and thinking, ‘Oh, no!’”
Grants allow COA to expand and improve product and service offerings
During 2024, Council on Aging (COA) received a number of grants and awards. The grants provide additional funding that allows COA to expand and improve its program and service offerings for older adults and those with disabilities. Grant dollars received in 2024 are being used for everything from expanding COA’s care management platform to furnishing the homes of older adults in need.
NCOA Benefits (NCOA) Benefits Enrollment Center Grant – Council on Aging received an NCOA Benefits Enrollment Center Grant to support the organization in becoming a Benefits Enrollment Center (BEC). The goal of the BEC program is to promote lasting transformations to the ways older adults and adults living with disabilities are assisted with enrolling in and retaining the benefits they are eligible for. BECs use person-centered strategies in a coordinated, community-wide approach to find and enroll Medicare beneficiaries who have limited income and resources to access available benefits.
McCullough Hyde Foundation Grant – The McCullough-Hyde Foundation awarded COA a $10,000 grant to support its FastTrack Home program in Butler County. FastTrack Home provides in-home care services such as homemaking, home-delivered meals and medical transportation to older adults when they need them most – as they are leaving the hospital or nursing home. The foundation’s Community Granting Program is a philanthropic program that makes investments that address significant health needs of local communities.
Ohio Department of Aging Opioid Education Grant – The Ohio Department of Aging awarded a $33,000 grant to Council on Aging to provide education about opioid use and misuse in older adults. Using the grant dollars, COA planned and executed a professional development conference that provided free continuing education units for Ohio social workers and nurses. The conference featured local experts on opioid and addiction issues and attracted more than 140 attendees. Additionally, COA launched a public education campaign in its region using print and digital media to reach approximately 340,000 individuals.
Ohio Kentucky Indiana Section 5310 Funding for home52 Transportation – Council on Aging and its subsidiary home52 received federal funding to improve mobility for older adults and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding transportation options. The funding supports home52 Transportation, which manages multiple transportation providers through a centralized transportation coordination system, providing specialized, on-demand and advance-scheduled trips for older adults and people with disabilities.
2024 Cincinnati Business Courier C-Suite Award – Vice President of People Services Jacqueline Hutsell was named a 2024 Cincinnati Business Courier C-Suite Award Honoree. The C-Suite Awards recognize top-level executives whose leadership skills and business acumen have driven strong results for organizations across Greater Cincinnati.
USAging Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care (COE) Grant – Council on Aging and Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities received a COE grant. The COE, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living, aims to strengthen community care hubs by integrating health-related social needs assessments, improving care management systems and ensuring efficient data sharing between healthcare and social service networks.
Discretionary Grants – COA received three discretionary grants from Interact for Health, GRAIL Bioscience and PhRMA, which are supporting its efforts to preserve and enhance service offerings, implement health and wellness programs and increase community awareness of programs and services that promote dignity, choice and independence for older adults and caregivers in its region.
Inform USA 2024 Innovation Award – COA is honored to partner with Hamilton County on its innovative 513Relief Bus. Along with other social services agency reps, a COA specialist is aboard the bus at many of its stops in the community, sharing information about programs and services for older adults and caregivers. In 2024, this cooperative relationship was recognized by Inform USA with a 2024 Innovation Award in the Collaboration category. The award recognizes the innovative opportunity the 513Relief Bus provides COA and other partners in bringing services and resources directly to the people of Hamilton County. Click here to learn more.
WeThrive HCPH Mini Grant II – Council on Aging received a $160,000 WeThrive Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH) Mini Grant II to expand access to COA’s evidence-based wellness education programs for older adults within the HCPH jurisdiction. The grant supports efforts to reduce social isolation, improve chronic disease management and enhance access to preventive health education. With this funding, COA offers transportation assistance to older adults participating in wellness workshops within WeThrive communities, ensuring they can access critical programs without mobility barriers. The grant also strengthens partnerships with local community host sites, increasing opportunities for older adults to engage in wellness education.
Duke Energy Foundation Grant – During its 40th anniversary year, the Duke Energy Foundation awarded a $10,000 grant to COA. The grant dollars support a new partnership between COA and the New Life Furniture Bank intended to furnish the homes of approximately 25 COA clients in need.