The Older Americans Act (OAA), originally enacted in 1965, supports a range of home and community-based services, such as meals-on-wheels and other nutrition programs, in-home services, transportation, legal services, elder abuse prevention and caregivers support. These programs help seniors stay as independent as possible in their homes and communities. In addition, OAA services help seniors avoid hospitalization and nursing home care and, as a result, save federal and state funds that otherwise would be spent on such care.

Services

Priority services provided through Older Americans Act:

Home Delivered Meals:

“Home delivered meals" is a meal delivery service based on an individual's need for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) and/or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in order to safely prepare meals, or ensure meals are prepared to meet the individual's dietary needs or specialized nutritional needs, including kosher meals, as ordered by a licensed healthcare professional within his or her scope of practice.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-4

Congregate Meals:

“Congregate dining:" Meals offered at a congregate dining location are eligible for payment with Older Americans Act funds if they meet the requirements for meals in this chapter and if the recipient is one of the following:

(1) A consumer who is sixty years of age or older.

(2) The spouse of the consumer in paragraph (A)(1) of this rule, if the spouse accompanies that consumer to the congregate dining location.

(3) A volunteer who provides volunteer services to the consumer in paragraph (A)(1) of this rule, if the volunteer services are provided to the consumer at the congregate dining location during the mealtime.

(4) A person with disabilities who resides in the home of the consumer in paragraph (A)(1) of this rule, if the person with disabilities accompanies that consumer to the congregate dining location.

(5) A person with disabilities who resides in a non-institutional residential building, but only if the building's residents are primarily sixty years of age or older and the meal is offered through a congregate dining location located in the person's building.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://aging.ohio.gov/Rules#71492-older-americans-act-nutrition-program

Transportation:

“Transportation" means a service that transports a consumer from one place to another through the use of a provider's vehicle and driver, and which may, or may not, include providing the consumer with assistance to safely enter and exit the vehicle.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-3https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-3https://aging.ohio.gov/Rules#71491-older-americans-act

Adult Day Service:

“Adult day service" (“ADS") means a regularly-scheduled service delivered at an ADS center, which is a non-institutional, community-based setting. ADS includes recreational and educational programming to support a consumer's health and independence goals; at least one meal, but no more than two meals per day and, sometimes, health status monitoring, skilled therapy services, and transportation to and from the ADS center.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-3https://aging.ohio.gov/Rules#71491-older-americans-act

Personal Care:

“Personal care" means a service that is comprised of tasks that help a consumer to achieve optimal functioning with ADLs and IADLs.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-3https://aging.ohio.gov/Rules#71491-older-americans-act

Homemaker:

“Homemaker service" means a service that provides routine tasks to help a consumer to achieve and maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment.

Click the following link for the rule requirements: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/chapter-173-3https://aging.ohio.gov/Rules#71491-older-americans-act

Ohio Seniors Farmers Market Nutrition Program:

“The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)" provides eligible older adults with ten $5 ($50 total) coupons to purchase locally grown produce from participating farmers during Ohio’s growing season.

Click the following link for more information on the program: https://aging.ohio.gov/Portals/0/PDF/Profile_SFMNP.pdf

Resources

N4A: National Association of Area Agencies on Aging: https://www.n4a.org/aaastitlevi

O4A: Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging: http://ohioaging.org/

ODA: Ohio Department of Aging: https://aging.ohio.gov/