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.
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.
Staff in our Northern Counties office launched FoodSource as a small pilot program in 2017. Managed in cooperation with the Shared Harvest Food Bank and the Western Ohio Foodbank, the program helps meet the food insecurity challenges of isolated, low-income seniors. Once a month, 40-pound boxes of staple food items are delivered to people in need in Darke, Shelby and Miami Counties. At this time, the program serves individuals over the age of 60 who are isolated. An assessment is completed to determine need and slot availability.
CSSMV’s experience operating their Choice Food Pantry in Dayton, along with their experience serving seniors in the rural counties, makes them a perfect partner for Shared Harvest to meet the growing number of people who are experiencing food insecurity in rural communities.
