News from the Ohio Department of Aging and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services:
Starting on Sept. 29, Ohio law greatly expands the number of individuals required to report suspicions of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation. Mandatory reporters now include many more individuals in the financial services, legal and medical professions – for example, pharmacists, dialysis technicians, firefighters, first responders, building inspectors, CPAs, real estate agents, bank employees, financial planners and notary publics.
“This expansion of mandatory reporters will help us in our goal of protecting our vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors from harm,” said Cynthia Dungey, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), which supervises Ohio’s Adult Protective Services (APS) program. “Older adults make up the fastest-growing segment of Ohio’s population so all of us need to be vigilant. If you suspect that elder abuse, neglect or exploitation might be occurring, please report it.”
“We work with state and local partners to ensure that our elders are able to live independently, and with dignity and respect, in their homes and communities for as long as possible,” added Beverley Laubert, director of the Ohio Department of Aging. “Each of us must feel empowered to speak up when we suspect that a neighbor, friend or loved one might be the subject of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Likewise, we deserve to know that people who serve our elders daily will take action when they spot warning signs.”
The law changes also require ODJFS to develop and make available educational materials for mandatory reporters. As a result, the agency developed guidebooks for financial services professionals, legal and law enforcement professionals, medical professionals and the public.
Anyone in Ohio can report possible elder abuse 24/7 by calling 1-855-OHIO-APS or by contacting the nearest county department of job and family services (JFS). To find the nearest county JFS, visit jfs.ohio.gov/county. Physical proof or other evidence is not required. Reports can be made anonymously.
If mandatory reporters fail to report possible abuse, they could face criminal charges and fines of up to $500. Ohio law allows no exceptions for professional relationships – for example, doctor/patient relationships or attorney/client relationships.
Elder abuse can include physical, sexual or psychological abuse, as well as neglect, abandonment or financial exploitation. In addition to physical injuries, the following are just a few of the possible indicators: being isolated, missing appointments, appearing frightened or avoiding specific people, suddenly withdrawing from usual activities or interactions, changes in mood or temperament, changes in personal hygiene, or being resistant to touching.
For more information, see the publication “A Guide to Protecting Ohio’s Elders” (JFS 08025), which is available at www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms/pubs/. Industry-specific guides for financial services professionals, legal and law enforcement professionals, and medical professionals will be available soon.
Learn more about elder abuse, including how to recognize warning signs and who to call is you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation, visit the Ohio Department of Aging’s Elder Abuse webpage at www.aging.ohio.gov/elderabuse.
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The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services manages vital programs that strengthen Ohio families. These include job training and employment services, unemployment insurance, cash and food assistance, child care, child and adult protective services, adoption, and child support services.
The Ohio Department of Aging serves and advocates for the needs of Ohioans age 60 and older, as well as their families, caregivers and communities. Programs include home and community based long-term supports and services, as well as initiatives to promote health and wellness throughout the lifespan.
Are you going through interpersonal or emotional challenges that make your daily life more difficult? Our professional counseling team is here to help. Our counselors can help you deal with depression, anxiety, trauma, behavior issues, relationship problems, attachment issues, grief, domestic violence, adjustment to illness, post-adoption emotions, and many other issues. We offer professional counseling for individuals, couples and families, and we work with children age 5 and up.
Do you accept my insurance?
We accept most private insurance as well as Medicaid and Medicare. Please talk with our office staff to see if your plan is accepted. Please check with your insurance provider for the specific details of your plan’s coverage.
What if I don’t have insurance for mental health care?
We use a sliding scale to make treatment more affordable for those who don’t have insurance or whose insurance doesn’t cover mental health services.
How long are counseling sessions?
Generally, sessions are held weekly or twice a month, and each session lasts about 50 minutes.
Many people resolve their concerns in a few sessions. Most treatment is short-term with 10 or fewer sessions.
Is this religious-based counseling?
No. Our professional, licensed counselors provide the same type of counseling you would receive at a non-Catholic facility. You do not need to be Catholic — or even Christian — to receive services at our Counseling Centers.
We offer assistance to people in need regardless of religion or ethnic background; we do not proselytize. If your faith is important to you, it’s certainly something we can talk about in your counseling sessions, but we won’t bring up the subject unless you do.
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 seniors 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 does not operate an Assisted Living facility. Our role is to 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.
Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley contracts with a number of providers for P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. and Assisted Living services. To ensure quality service and client provider choice, these providers are continually monitored by our Quality Assurance Process.
P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. and Assisted Living providers are monitored through a systematic program that measures safety and effectiveness. The P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. Quality Assurance Process is based on guarantees made by the State of Ohio to obtain the P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. Medicaid Waiver. These guarantees include safeguards for the client’s health and welfare and provider procurement and monitoring systems. P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. rules that are used to evaluate each provider’s service quality are part of the Ohio Administrative Code.
For more information about being a P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. provider, call Kathy Geise at CSSMV at (937) 498-4593 or (833) 289-0227, ext. 1122
To become a certified service provider, you must go through an application process with the Ohio Department of Aging. For information and to start the process, CLICK HERE.
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.
Participants earn one Budget Buck for attending selected classes and info sessions. These can be redeemed for household and personal items at our Budget Bucks Boutique.
Adoption is a life-long process and each adoption is unique and special. Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley offers expertise in adoption services including general adoption information, post-legal services, and birth options counseling. We also support adoptive families through the SAFE Counseling program, educational programming, and support for adoptees.
Whether you’re pregnant and considering making an adoption plan, 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 counseling program is always available to adult and child adoptees and their families.
“Having observed most facets of the CSSMV ministry in Greenville and Darke County, I have become especially appreciative of the work of P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. 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.”
P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. (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. Individuals at risk of nursing home placement can often remain in their own homes with the supportive services of the P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. program. Licensed, professional P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. staff members assess clients’ needs, make recommendations, and arrange for services which are provided in-home through contracted agencies. P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. 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 P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T. Financial eligibility is determined by the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
What if I’m not eligible for P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T?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 P.A.S.S.P.O.R.T.
For more information and to determine your eligibility, call CSSMV’s Northern Counties office at (937) 498-4593 or (833) 289-0227 and request a free assessment.
Many older adults just need companionship. Some live alone and away from family, which can be difficult at times. Others are being cared for by spouses or family members. For these seniors, we have two outreach programs: the Senior Visitor Service and the Caregiver Relief Service. The Senior Visitor Service introduces a trained volunteer to a socially isolated senior who lives alone or is homebound. With oversight and support from a social worker, a Senior Visitor is assigned to a specific client and makes a personal weekly visit and/or regular friendly phone calls. Routine visits of about two hours provide time for the creation of a lasting friendship. Volunteers can assist with small tasks such as watering plants or writing letters, or simply spend time together listening to music, watching a movie or television show, or playing cards or games. The Caregiver Relief Service offers temporary in-home support to help spouses or family members who care for dependent elderly adults at home. A trained volunteer offers a regular three to four hour respite period, a break during which a caregiver can relax, visit friends, go shopping, or do other activities to relieve stress. The trained volunteer can provide companionship, supervision, meal preparation, and some personal care.
Do I need a referral to access this service?
Referrals for the Senior Outreach Program are accepted from friends or family members, churches, home health agencies and community partners. Self referrals are also encouraged.
What are the first steps to signing up?
To begin the process of arranging for the in-home visiting service, a Catholic Social Services social worker will make an initial home visit to personally explain the program, assess the need for assistance, and confirm eligibility. Families and individuals served will be asked to verify that they agree to have a visitor in their home, sign a wavier of liability and provide information necessary for quality service. The information shared is kept confidential.
Who are the people making the visits?
The Senior Outreach Program relies on volunteers who are willing to give the gift of time. Volunteers are expected to successfully complete an orientation program and provide an hour or more a week to offer companionship and support to an isolated senior and/or the caregiver. A volunteer is asked to make a 12-month commitment once a match is made with a specific senior.
Orientation sessions and background checks are arranged through Catholic Social Services. Anyone failing the background check cannot become a volunteer. Approved volunteers receive oversight and support from a social worker from Catholic Social Services.
From the moment of birth, when a baby struggles to find the first breaths of life, the people and the environment surrounding the child are important to his or her survival. When a child’s birth or early developmental experiences are filled with problems, behavioral issues can arise and begin to magnify as the child grows. A child who has endured trauma may develop an attachment disorder. Children who have been abused or neglected and/or had multiple foster care placements prior to adoption are particularly “at risk” of developing attachment and bonding difficulties.
Conventional parenting, standard school discipline or traditional outpatient therapy are often less than effective for “hard-to-reach” children with an attachment disorder. These children and their families need help, and it is available through Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley’s SAFE Counseling program.
SAFE Counseling is designed to treat children and to educate parents of children who exhibit signs of an attachment disorder. SAFE Counseling offers help to parents of children who have serious issues that seem unsolvable.
Attachment therapy is an integrated treatment approach that uses elements of cognitive-behavioral, object relations, family and psychodynamic therapies to facilitate child-parent bonding and to measure feedback. In conjunction with these therapies, holding therapy is used to establish a safe place with safe people in which the child can safely talk about and experience the painful issues of the past.
The program seeks to jump start the attachment cycle aborted as the result of the child’s earlier trauma. SAFE believes it is essential to break through barriers of trauma before a child can develop healthy interpersonal relations built on trust. SAFE counseling aims to begin the attachment and healing process for the child and the adoptive or current family.
