AAA8

 

August 2013


 A new easy-for-mobile format!


In This Issue

AAA8 Area Agency on Aging 8 Is Here to Help!

  

Are you trying to juggle kids, a career AND caring for an aging loved one? Let the Area Agency on Aging 8 help. A free in-home consultation can direct you to caregiving services for a loved one.

  

Simply call the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-331-2644! Help at home for aging parents is just a phone call away. We can help YOU help the ones you love!

  

Whether you need immediate assistance or simply want to start a long-term care plan for you or a loved one, we can help.


The Area Agency on Aging administers programs and also refers to a wide variety of regional offerings all with the goal of helping older adults stay in their homes - where they tell us they want to be.

Check out the new AAA8 Video
and please "Share" it with others who need to know about our programs and services.

Seniors Enjoy Shopping Farmers Markets

 

Seniors are enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets around the region this summer as part of the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). AAA8 caught up with a few shopper at the market in Monroe County.


At nearly 91 years old, Lola Geldmacher enjoys fresh potatoes and more each week when she comes with her friend Arlene Winland who drives them.    

"My name Geldmacher means money-maker, but I just don't seem to have a lot of that any more. This program is just a great help to me," said Lola.

 

Becky and Doug King who live on a fixed income like the market too.

 

 

 

"We really appreciate the coupons," said Becky King. "It is a great help when you have a limited budget."

 

The program provides income-eligible senior citizens with special coupons worth $50 to enjoy locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is a USDA and Ohio Department of Aging program for income-eligible seniors. Grant funding is limited and coupons were distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are currently waiting lists in all of the 8-counties served by AAA8. The program will end Oct. 31.

 

"The program benefits local seniors and local farmers," said Buckeye Hills Asst. Exec Dir. & AAA8 Director Rick Hindman. "We continue to advocate to state and federal legislators for additional funding for the program because year over year we have waiting lists and more could be served if additional resources were available."

 

An 80-year-old retired truck driver, Richard Bland said it best, "This program really helps people and they enjoy being able to get farm-market-fresh goods." He added, have a good day and keep up the good work!

  

  

  

  

Care Transitions Regional Care Transitions Program Learns National Best Practices


Leaders from the Community-Based Care Transitions Program (CCTP) sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the region met last month with counterparts from 101 programs across the nation to share best practices.


Locally, the unique multi-county, multi-hospital collaborative effort among
five hospitals and three Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) is designed to make the transition from the hospital to another setting as seamless as possible.


The program provides transition assistance to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who are discharged from one of the five partnering hospitals. It works to further reduce unnecessary readmissions and achieve a reduction in Medicare costs. This program focuses directly on improved patient outcomes such as reduced readmission to hospitals; decreased emergency department visits; discharging patients to the most appropriate, cost effective setting and streamlining access to quality long-term services and support.


"Care Transitions is a program that has been tested in other states and proven to be effective in helping prevent folks from returning to the hospital," said AAA8 Director Rick Hindman. "We are very excited about the regional partnerships it is creating across health systems serving the region."


"There is an obvious underlying goal to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions and reduce Medicare costs, but more importantly, the goal is to empower people to be an active part of their health care. It provides proven supports for individuals to help them heal," added Hindman.

Since its inception, leaders from are hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies have met to enhance or create methods and supports for patients to learn more about their illness and healthcare needs as well as encourage patients to ask questions, to know their medications, and to communicate and follow up with their doctors.


The program has brought about systematic changes with a renewed focus on the individual patient. Education tools have been developed, additional resources have been committed to support discharge planning and enhanced communication methods between practitioners and facilities have also supported the program.


AAA nurses and social workers will provide the evidence-based Care Transition Intervention (CTISM) program developed by Eric A. Coleman, MD, MPH at the University of Colorado, Denver Health Science Center. This consumer-centered intervention tool is designed to improve quality and contain costs for individuals with complex care needs as they transition across settings specifically from the acute setting back to the home and community.


In the Southern Ohio initiative, participating Area Agencies on Aging include Buckeye Hills AAA8 - Southeast Ohio (Marietta) as the lead agency, AAA6 - Central Ohio (Columbus) and AAA7 - Southern Ohio (Rio Grande). The hospital partners include
Fairfield Medical Center (Lancaster), Memorial Health Systems (Marietta), Adena Regional Medical Center (Chillicothe), Holzer Medical Center (Gallipolis) and the Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth). Learn more at http://www.areaagency8.org/services/care-transitions.

 

Understanding Medicaid Estate Recovery

 

 

The Medicaid Estate Recovery program recovers money paid for Medicaid benefits from a Medicaid recipient's estate after the recipient dies. This allows states and the federal government to recover some of the tax dollars invested in Medicaid and is intended to reduce the escalating cost of one of the largest and fastest growing government programs.

 

The AAA8 Regional Advisory Council (RAC) presentation provided valuable information for use in long-term care and estate planning.    

Shown above with guest speaker Robert J. Byrne, Assistant Ohio Attorney General, is RAC Secretary Nancy Gibson (Perry County).

Regional Nursing Home Round Table Continues

 

Leaders from the region's nursing homes continue to meet to enhance the Patient Centered Care Culture Change effort. The next meeting is set for September 11 at 10 a.m. hosted at The Arbors at Marietta.

 

2013 State of Aging
& Health in America


Check out the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's new snapshot of the health of adults aged 65+ in the United States.  Download here   


he growth in the number and proportion of older adults is unprecedented in the history of the United States. Two factors-longer life spans and aging baby boomers-will combine to double the population of Americans aged 65 years or older during the next 25 years to about 72 million. By 2030, older adults will account for roughly 20% of the population.


SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Ohio Residents Affected
by Severe Storms
and Flooding

 

The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a disaster declaration for Perry County and the contiguous Athens, Fairfield, Hocking, Licking, Morgan and Muskingum Counties.  Low interest disaster loans are available for individuals and small businesses in these declared counties affected by the severe storms and flooding of July 8-10, 2013.

 

SBA will open a Disaster Loan Outreach Center in New Lexington/Perry County where individuals and business owners can meet with SBA loan specialists.  The location and hours of operation are as follows:

SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Center, Perry County Perry County Commissioners Annex Building

121 West Brown Street

New Lexington, Ohio

 

Thursday-Friday, August 1-2 - 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday, August 3 - 9:00 am to 1:00 pm CLOSED SUNDAY, August 4 Monday-Wednesday, August 5-7 - 9:00 am to 6:00pm

 

Please contact Mitigation/Recovery at (614)799-3539 with questions.

 

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure

website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela 

 

Individuals and businesses unable to visit the center may also obtain information and loan

applications by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339

for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing [email protected].

 

Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be

returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and

Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

 

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is September 27, 2013.

The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 29, 2014.

 

Learn more at: https://www.facebook.com/notes/area-agency-on-aging-region-8/sba-offers-disaster-assistance-to-ohio-residents-affected-by-severe-storms-and-f/581874578521032 

  

 

Updates from The Ohio Department of Aging

 

Aging Providers & Small Business
Owners to See Tax Cuts

 

ODA shared details about a tax cut in the new two-year state budget that benefits small business owners. It was included in the budget bill recently passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed into law by

Governor John Kasich.

 

Ohio small businesses will be entitled to take a 50% tax deduction on the first $250,000 of net business income. This deduction is available to owners/investors of all companies structured as pass-through entities (e.g., sole proprietorships, partnerships, Subchapter S corporations, and Limited Liability Companies).

 

The Ohio Department of Aging is excited about this small business tax cut because it will help continue a strong provider base for Ohio's elders.

 

Ohio has made tremendous progress over the past two years in creating new jobs for Ohioans. These most recent tax changes are designed to help us keep our job-creation momentum.

 

For more detailed information, please visit the Ohio Department of Taxation's website at www.tax.ohio.gov  

2014-2015 Biennial State Budget Updates 

(From a letter from Bonnie K. Burman, Director - Ohio Department of Aging)  

The Department of Aging has "hit the ground running" as the proverbial saying goes! Since it takes all of us to ensure that Ohio remains at the forefront of responding to our growing and changing aging population in the most responsive and innovative ways, we want to share with you some of the provisions in the new 2014-2015 biennial state budget that support this vision. As we like to say, "one truth, one vision."


I want to begin by putting our specific Aging-related budget items in the broader context of our Jobs Budget 2.0 (Am. Sub. HB 59). As you know, Governor Kasich recently signed the new state budget into law, and it builds upon the job-creating policies in the budget he signed two years ago when Ohio and the nation were just beginning to climb out of the toughest economic downturn since the Great Depression. For example, this budget features:

  • A $2.7 billion net tax cut to make Ohio more competitive with other states - and around the world - for jobs and economic growth. This includes a 10 percent personal income tax reduction over three years and a 50 percent small-business tax deduction on the first $250,000 of business income.
  • An additional $3 billion in federal, state and local funds to meet Ohio's pressing transportation infrastructure needs - a crucial factor for a growing economy.
     
  • The budget also includes significant health transformation initiatives. You can review the Governor's Office of Health Transformation's "Top Ten Transformation Initiatives in the Budget" on the OHT website at www.healthtransformation.ohio.gov under the "Budgets" tab.

At the Department of Aging, we've continued our laser focus on public policies that promote quality, person-centered care and services for our elders wherever they call home while ensuring that businesses can continue to grow in the Buckeye State. The Jobs Budget 2.0 fosters this progress through many related provisions. A few highlights include:

  • BENHA to BELTSS: Transforms the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators (BENHA) into the Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports (BELTSS) with expanded scope and authority to provide education, training, credentialing and licensure opportunities for administrators and others in leadership positions who practice in all Long-Term Services and Supports settings. Transfers fiscal responsibility for this independent Board from the Department of Health to the Department of Aging, co-locating the Board with other long-term services and supports. We will continue to work in close collaboration with the National Association of Long-term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) to respond to the changing landscape of long-term care and caring. Given the passage of the budget with these provisions, Ohio
    now leads the nation in pursuing such initiatives.   
  • Special Focus Facility Program: Caps the length of time a nursing facility may continue to receive Medicaid payments while on the Special Focus Facility list. Institutions must show improvement within one year and graduate off of the focus list within two years. This provision helps ensure that aging Ohioans receive the best possible care while protecting precious taxpayer money.   
  • Nursing Home Quality Initiative and TAP: Transfers the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) from the Ohio Department of Health to the Department of Aging to provide streamlined and coordinated resources through an existing technical assistance program within the Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman. TAP's transfer is critical to support the Nursing Home Quality Initiative. This initiative will strengthen person-centered care by adding advance care planning to licensure requirements, and increasing quality of service through collaboration of the Department of Aging and nursing facilities participating in Quality Improvement Projects.
    The Nursing Home Quality Initiative provides a central coordination point for multiple quality improvement efforts while streamlining access to quality improvement technical assistance for nursing homes.   
  • Enhancing Choice: Authorizes rate and funding increases to continue to expand choices and enhance care for Ohioans, whether they choose facility- based or home- and community-based services.
    • 20 percent increase for Adult Day Services.
    • 5 percent increase for PASSPORT Administrative Agency site operations.
    • 3 percent increase in Assisted Living rates.
    • 1.5 percent increase in PASSPORT provider rates.
    • Increase in Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) for Medicaid-eligible nursing facility residents of $10/month for individuals and $20/month for couples, over the biennium. This increase is the first in 15 years.

As we celebrate the start of the state's new fiscal year, we look forward to continuing to work with you and all the Ohioans we serve. We're proud of the progress made by our administration and optimistic about the future of our aging network, our outstanding programs, and our agency, as together we continue our unwavering devotion and dedication to creating a healthy, vibrant Ohio where Golden Buckeyes can continue to grow, thrive and contribute.

Support the AAA8/Buckeye Hills Team
in the Walk to End Alzheimer's

The Buckeye Hills/AAA8 staff is coordinating a team to walk in the 2013 event to end Alzheimer's. You can help! Sponsor our team with a donation and we will list you as our team sponsor or you can purchase a Purple foot for $1.

Want to sell feet at your senior center or office like to support our team? Call 1-800-331-2644 ext. 210 for details.
Click Here to Donate or Visit the Team Page


Thanks to Community Support & Donations from: 
- Buckeye Hills AAA8  
- Smitty's Pizza 
- Monroe County Council on Aging 
- Equitable Gas
- Members of AAA8 RAC   
Buckeye Hills staff enjoyed dunking leaders for the cause at the annual staff picnic. Shown is Kara Wright, LSW, dunking Fiscal Director Doug Dye.






The Team will also hosted a Bake Sale at the AAA8 RAC meeting on July 26 - raising almost $200 for lots of yummy goodies prepared by AAA8 staff and their families!
Shown at the sale is Betty Weber (left) Monroe Co. and Lois Sizemore (Wash. Co.). 



Want to Refer Someone to AAA8 for help? A friend, family member, caregiver or patient? Click here for the AAA8 Referral form or call AAA8 at 1-800-331-2644.
AAA8 can help you help the ones you love. Know someone who needs support caring for a loved one? Share our toll-free number! 1-800-331-2644 

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A Publication of Buckeye Hills Area Agency on Aging Serving Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry & Washington Counties
AAA8 Staff Resources:
Executive Director: Misty Casto [740-376-1034]
Asst. Exec. Dir. & AAA8 Director: Rick Hindman [740-376-1029]
Home Care Director: Jane Skeen, LSW [740-376-1041]
Programs Manager: Cathy Ash, LSW [740-376-7622]
Communications Director: Gwynn Stewart [740-376-1030]
Ombudsman Director: Kim Flanigan [740-376-7650]
PO Box 370 Reno, OH  45773  1-800-331-2644 www.areaagency8.org



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