After considerable planning and working with Probate Judge Jeff Beigel in Sidney, CSSMV Life Essentials services are now available in Shelby County. Guardianship was earmarked in the Generations Campaign as one of the programs to be expanded. Shelby County is a first step and conversations are now beginning in Miami County as well.
The Life Essentials guardianship program provides support for adults in Montgomery, Greene, Shelby and Miami Counties who have been deemed mentally incompetent and who do not have family willing or capable of making sound decisions for them.
Life Essentials staff and trained volunteers take on the critical role as guardian, working with their clients to ensure that each individual has the best possible life and lives in the least restrictive environment. Guardians become the advocate and voice for those who are unable to speak for themselves.
In addition to fulfilling the role of guardian, the Life Essentials guardianship program provides support to family members and/or friends who are willing and capable of becoming the guardian for a loved one.
In keeping with the mission of Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, our Northern Counties Office is committed to caring for the elderly and disabled in the communities we serve. Our services include PASSPORT (Medicaid Waiver), Care Coordination and Assisted Living (waiver) in Champaign, Darke, Logan, Miami, Preble and Shelby Counties. We also provide counseling for individuals and families, helping them deal with a wide range of situations and stressors. Our professional, licensed counselors are guides who provide direction to people in search of solutions, ultimately empowering them to resolve their problems. CSSMV serves all faiths; you do not have to be Catholic. We offer our programs to people in need regardless of religion, ethnic background, or socioeconomic condition. All services involving a fee are provided on a sliding scale based on income.
Northern Counties Advisory Council
Karen Wendeln (CHAIR)
George Atkinson
Paul Beyerle
Todd Dammeyer
Colleen R. Gong
Donald L. Grieshop
Rev. Doug Klinsing
Kathy Nichols
Norm Shearer
Dianne Sielschott
Northern Counties Office
100 S. Main Avenue, Suite 101
Sidney, Ohio 45365
(937) 498-4593 or (833) 289-0227
Assisted Living combines a home-like setting with personal support services to provide a safer and more monitored environment than what’s available through home care services. Assisted living facilities provide older adults with a less-restrictive alternative to a nursing facility. Individuals who meet level-of-care needs and meet established financial criteria may be eligible for Ohio’s Assisted Living Waiver Program.
The Assisted Living option is best for individuals who need some services but are still fairly independent. Residential assisted living facilities provide environments that are designed to keep aging adults active but safe. Assisted Living promotes aging in place by supporting a consumer’s desire for independence, choice, and privacy. The services help preserve the dignity of the individual, as well as maintaining ties to family and friends.
Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley can help you determine whether you’re eligible for the waiver program, make sure the assisted living facility you’ve chosen is appropriately licensed and certified, and complete the enrollment process.
MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM (MSP)
& LOW INCOME SUBSIDY (LIS)
Consumers receiving Medicare who have limited income and assets may qualify for Extra Help with the cost of their prescription drugs. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and Medicare work together to provide this extra help through the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) — also known as the Extra Help program.
Prescription drug costs continue to increase. The insurance maze of tiers, generic vs. non-generic, co-pays and donut holes can be confusing. Some consumers skip doses or just stop taking the medicines that their doctors recommend because they simply cannot afford them. Not taking a prescribed medicine or not taking it as directed can lead to additional health problems.
The Medicare Savings Program (MSP) and Low Income Subsidy (LIS) may be the answer for some struggling seniors.
Those who are eligible for the low income subsidy will get help paying for 75% or more of their monthly Part D premium, yearly deductible, and prescription co-payments. They will also have no gap in coverage = No Donut Hole.
Our agency can assist individuals with the application process. The application is completed electronically with the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Contact our Northern Counties office at (937) 498-4593 or (833) 289-0227 for more information.
Our Family Stabilization & Support (FSS) staff coordinate an ongoing series of classes and informational sessions that are free for anyone to attend.
Most sessions focus on wellness and stress management, financial empowerment, health and nutrition. Some are led by CSSMV staff, while others have guest presenters from the Ohio State University Extension Office, Day Air Credit Union, and other community partners. The selection of topics is driven by the interest level of our clients and community members.
Attendance is not limited to CSSMV clients. Other agencies are welcome to share our event schedules with their own clients, and anyone from the general public is welcome to attend any session that’s of interest. We only ask that those planning to attend RSVP in advance so we can plan accordingly, and so that we can notify them of any unexpected changes in the class date or time.
Classes offered by other programs within CSSMV, such as Parenting, are also included in our class listings when they are free and open to the public.
Adoption is a life-long process and each adoption is unique and special. Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley offers post-adoption services and general adoption information, support for adoptees, and specialized support for adoptive families through our Safe Counseling program.
Whether you’re an adoptee looking for information on your birth family, you’re looking for information about how to adopt a child, or your family includes an adopted child, we have expertise to assist you. The CSSMV professional counseling program is available to adult and child adoptees and their families, and also offers special expertise in the area of attachment disorders.
Individuals at risk of nursing home placement can often remain in their own homes with the supportive services of the PASSPORT program. Licensed, professional PASSPORT staff members assess clients’ needs, make recommendations, and arrange for services which are provided in-home through contracted agencies. PASSPORT services can include personal care assistance, homemaking, home-delivered meals, emergency response systems, adult day care, home medical equipment, minor home modification, medical transportation, chore services, and social work counseling. An assessment at no cost can be completed for anyone interested in home care services, regardless of program eligibility. Even if you don’t think you would qualify for Medicaid, you may qualify for PASSPORT Financial eligibility is determined by the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
PASSPORT (Pre-Admission Screening System Providing Options and Resources Today) is a home-care Medicaid waiver program that provides long-term care services to assist people in maintaining their independence. The program is provided at no cost to Medicaid-eligible individuals 60 years of age or older.
Many older adults find a care provider by going through a certified personal care service agency. But perhaps you already know someone who you think would be a good fit, or you’d just prefer to choose and hire a care provider for yourself. Will PASSPORT allow this? YES!
Participant direction is an option available to individuals on Ohio’s PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver Program. Participant direction is designed to give individuals more choice and control over how, when, and by whom they receive their services.
In participant direction, you recruit and hire your own care provider. The person you hire becomes certified through the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) instead of getting hired as an employee through a certified personal care service agency. YOU are the employer, and the provider is your employee. You are the employer of record and are responsible for recruiting, hiring, firing, managing, and evaluating provider performance, keeping employer records, and setting the provider’s work schedule. You can designate a representative of your choice to assist with some, or all, of your employer responsibilities.
CLICK HERE for more information about the rules and procedures for choosing Participant Direction.
“Having observed most facets of the CSSMV ministry in Greenville and Darke County, I have become especially appreciative of the work of PASSPORT and other senior-centered programs which provide quality care and dignity to so many seniors in our region … I have been so impressed with the level of expertise and care their staff provide clients. As a Protestant pastor it has been refreshing to see how CSSMV has been willing and able to cross religious boundaries, assisting with needs regardless of faith or creed.”
What if I’m not eligible for PASSPORT?Care Coordination provides services such as case management, personal care aides, adult day services, adult day service transportation, home-delivered meals, emergency response systems and more for those who are financially ineligible for PASSPORT.
For more information and to determine your eligibility, call our Northern Counties office at (937) 498-4593 or (833) 289-0227 and request a free assessment.
After going through the Council on Accreditation (COA) review process for the first time in 2017, Erma’s House was held up as “a model for other organizations.”
In a perfect world, parents would never need to have supervised visitation with their children. But sometimes, in addition to losing custody, parents are deemed — by the courts, safety net professionals, children’s services, and sometimes even by themselves — as not being in a good place to spend unsupervised time with their own children.
As these parents work to remediate their personal issues, it remains important for them to retain, and perhaps repair, their relationship with their children in a safe, monitored and judgement-free environment. In Montgomery County, Catholic Social Services’ supervised visitation program has been meeting that need since 1997 at Erma’s House Family Visitation Center.
Why would someone need supervised visitation?
The need for supervised visitation may be due to issues related to divorce or separation, protection or restraining orders between parties, child abuse or neglect issues, safety concerns or other issues where a neutral setting can increase a family’s level of comfort or safety. Supervised visitation provides an opportunity for children to maintain relationships with their noncustodial parents while these issues are being resolved.
What services are available at Erma’s House?
Located just a few minutes south of downtown Dayton, Erma’s House Family Visitation Center offers a warm, friendly atmosphere where children can spend time with their noncustodial parents.
Erma’s House was created to assist families who have difficulty interacting in an appropriate, non-threatening manner. This comfortable, home-like setting is a safe, structured, neutral alternative to unsupervised visits. The facility and its “house rules” are structured to provide safety to both the children and the parents/guardians.
Supervised Visits / Parenting Time
Visits between children and their noncustodial parents are closely observed by trained visitation monitors who document activities and who will intervene, if necessary, to ensure the physical or emotional safety of the child.
Supervised Exchanges
Exchanges are for parents who do not require supervised visitation, but who need to be able to make the exchange without interacting with the other parent. The exchange is monitored by a visitation supervisor.
When are these services available?
Erma’s House hosts supervised visits on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and on Sunday afternoons. Most visits last one to two hours, and a variety of toys, games and activities are available for families’ use during visits.
Supervised exchanges are offered on Wednesday evenings, Fridays and Sundays, every other week.
The scheduling of visitations and exchanges is managed by the staff of Erma’s House, with input from the parents/guardians.
Who supervises the visits?
Erma’s House has staff, volunteers and interns who are thoroughly trained to monitor and document each visit, as well as to appropriately intervene if necessary. Their primary concern is ensuring the safety and well-being of everyone using the center.
How do families gain access to Erma’s House?
To utilize the services at Erma’s House, a family must be referred by a third party such as Montgomery County Children Services, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), a guardian ad litem (GAL), a mental health professional or social worker, or the family or criminal courts.
At least one of the parents/guardians must live in Montgomery County.
How do children benefit from supervised visitation?
It allows the children to maintain a relationship with both of their parents, something that is generally found to be an important factor in the positive adjustment to family dissolution.
It allows them to anticipate the visits without the stress of worrying about what is going to happen, and to enjoy them in a safe, comfortable environment without having to be put in the middle of their parents’ conflict and/or other problems.
How do custodial parents benefit from supervised visitation?
You do not have to communicate or have contact with a person with whom you are in conflict or by whom you might be frightened or intimidated. The arrangements can be made by a neutral party, and there does not have to be contact between the parents/guardians before, during, or after the visits.
You can relax and feel comfortable allowing your child to have contact with the other parent, and you can get some valuable time to yourself.
How do non-custodial parents benefit from supervised visitation?
You can be sure that your contact with your children does not have to be interrupted, regardless of any personal or interpersonal problems you may be having.
If allegations have been made against you, which is often the case when supervision is ordered, you can visit without fear of any new accusations because there is someone present who can verify what happened during your time together. When using a professional service like Erma’s House, you can also be assured that the supervisors are neutral and objective.
What is the history of Erma’s House?
The original Erma’s House facility was next door to the current location at CSSMV’s Center for Families.
The Montgomery County Child Protection Task Force was convened in 1993 by the Board of County Commissioners in response to the community’s growing concern about child protection issues. In February of 1995, their year-long study resulted in a 90-page report titled “A Community That Supports Families and Protects Children.” Based on the 56 recommendations in the report, a Child Protection Work Group was formed and began working toward the establishment of a Family Visitation Center.
Enter Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley. With collaboration and support from community partners such as Miami Valley Hospital, Junior League of Dayton, Montgomery County Domestic Relations Court, Dayton Municipal Court, Montgomery County Juvenile Court, Montgomery County Children Services, the Board of MRDD (now known as the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services), the City of Dayton, the University of Dayton, and other social service agencies, Catholic Social Services was approached to operate the new family visitation center. An advisory board from the community partners was formed to assist in developing policies and procedures, house rules, set-up details, and furnishings.
The intent was to design a program to establish a safe, home-like environment where children could visit with their non-residential parents in an atmosphere conducive to a nurturing interchange between the parent and child.
When Erma’s House Family Visitation Center opened in 1997, its home was the building on Brown Street that had housed Womanline, an organization dedicated to counseling and helping women since 1971. (Womanline had moved to a new location.) Nine years later, in August of 2006, Erma’s House relocated to the new Catholic Social Services Center for Families at 1046 Brown Street, where it operates today.
SUPERVISED VISITS AT ERMA’S HOUSE IN 2023
