The Department of Aging produces informative and helpful publications for a variety of audiences. From program and general information brochures to research and evaluation reports to planning guides, you'll probably find something that answers your questions, or helps you better serve your clients and consumers. Most of these publication are provided in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format and will require Adobe's free Acrobat Reader software to view. Download Acrobat Reader. Some files may take a few minutes or longer to download, depending on your internet connection.
Health & Safety Toolkit
- Choking
Older adults are at increased risk of choking due to many factors, including dental problems and appliances and difficulty swallowing due to age-related illness or medicine use.
- Be Fire Safe and Fire Smart
Everyone should have fire prevention and response plans in place, but this becomes especially important for older adults because of changes thatcome with aging or impaired health.
- Stay Healthy During Flu Season!
Flu is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness and, in some cases, can lead to death.
- Excessive Heat and Older Adults
Excessive heat exposure caused more than 8,000 deaths in the United States from 1979-2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- "Knock, Knock. Who’s There?" Prevent Theft in Your Home
Theft is most often a crime of convenience. Money and valuables left within sight of even the most trustworthy person may be an irresistible temptation in certain circumstances.
Program Profiles (Fact Sheets)
- Assisted Living Medicaid Waiver Program
This Medicaid waiver program provides services in certified residential care facilities to delay or prevent nursing facility placement.
- Caregiver Support
Caregiving describes any situation in which one individual helps another with essential activities of daily living.
- Choices Medicaid Waiver Program
The Medicaid waiver program enables participants to be employers and hire service providers (including friends, neighbors and some relatives) to provide community-based care.
- Long-term Care Consultations
Skilled consultants offer free assessments of individuals' needs and preferences to identify appropriate long-term services and supports.
- Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman
The state ombudsman advocates for the rights of home care consumers and residents of long-term care facilities, with the goal of enhancing their quality of life and care
- Older Americans Act
The federal Older Americans Act is the foundation of Ohio’s aging network, which includes the Ohio Department of Aging, area agencies on aging, senior centers, service providers and others.
- PACE
PACE provides an alternative to nursing home placement that utilizes a comprehensive medical and social service delivery system coordinated through an adult day health center to meet long-term care needs of participants.
- PASSPORT Medicaid Waiver Program
This Medicaid waiver program provides services in home and community settings to delay or prevent nursing facility placement.
- Residential State Supplement
RSS is a cash supplement to low-income adults with disabilities who do not require nursing home care.
- Senior Services Property Tax Levies
Most Ohio counties have countywide property tax levies, based on the fair market value of real estate, to support senior community services.
Program Promotion & Information
- 10 Questions that Can Change Your Life (And the lives of the people in it)
Do you find yourself becoming more involved in the life of an aging or ill loved one, friend or neighbor? Do you feel like you have swapped roles with a parent, spouse or other family member? Are you a caregiver?
- Become a Golden Buckeye Business: Savings for Them, Value for You
Older consumers know the value of a dollar and actively look for ways to make it go farther. Nearly 20,000 Golden Buckeye participating businesses help them do just that and benefit themselves by attracting a large and valuable consumer base.
- From Marketplace to Tabletop: Simple Recipes for Fresh Vegetables
This booklet, specifically designed for the Ohio Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, will help you turn locally grown produce into simple, flavorful recipes. You’ll find selection, storage and serving suggestions especially tailored for older adults.
- Ohio's Assisted Living Waiver Program Provider Certification Guide
Get detailed descriptions of the certification process, help filling out the appropriate forms and aswers to frequently asked questions.
- Older Americans Act Profile
This four-page color flier provides a quick overview of the types of services funded by the Older Americans Act, as well as some insight into the people who receive these services.
- Ombudsman Q&A Brochure
Learn more about the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program and get answers to the most frequently asked questions in this helpful brochure.
- Understanding the Assisted Living Waiver Program: A Consumer's Guide
Designed to help consumers and professionals access and navigate the Assisted Living Waiver Program.
- Whom Does Caregiving Affect?
Caregiving affects families, workplaces, the state and the nation, but caregiver support programs can help everyone.
- Your Rights as a Resident of a Nursing Home or Resident Care Facility
The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman offers this overview of your rights to be a comfortable and informed consumer of long-term care services.
Planning Guides
- Ohio: Own Your Future
The Own Your Future Planning Kit provides you with information about practical steps you can take to plan ahead for your long-term care needs. The Planning Kit is available at no cost to you.
Program Evaluation & Review
- Assessing the Quality of Caregiver Support Services
A report and user guide for implementing an outcomes-focused system for quality improvement of caregiver-support services. This monitoring system resulted from a collaboration between researchers from Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, the Ohio Department of Aging and three Ohio Area Agencies on Aging.
- An Evaluation of the Assisted Living Medicaid Waiver Program, March 2009
The Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University conducted an evaluation examines the second phase of implementation for the prgram and includes a comparison of participating and non-participating providers, a profile of waiver participants, participant satisfaction data, program costs and overall design issues.
- Evaluation of Ohio's Assisted Living Medicaid Waiver Program: Final Summary Report (2007)
The Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University published the final report of its evaluation of Ohio's Assisted Living Medicaid Waiver Program. Their study evaluates program performance for the initial implementation period, July 2006 through March 2007.
- Guide to Public Participation in the Rule-Making Process of the Ohio Department of Aging
This document describes the process through which the Department of Aging drafts and adopts rules for its programs, as well as how we solicit and integrate public input.
- FY 2008 Waiver Program Participant Satisfaction Surveys: PASSPORT, Choices, Assisted Living Waiver
In November and December, 2008, the department surveyed participants of its PASSPORT, Choices and Assisted Living Waiver programs on their overall satisfaction with services from program providers and their interactions with case managers.
- Nutrition Services 2006: A Report on Current Trends and Practices
This report summarizes the responses to a survey sent to each Area Agency on Aging’s (AAA) nutrition program contact in 2007. Additionally, data reported through the Older Americans Act and PASSPORT reporting systems was analyzed and compared with 1998 data from the Ohio’s Nutrition Program for Older Adults report published in 2000.
- PASSPORT/Assisted Living Services Rate Methodology Evaluation Final Report (2008)
In June 2008, the Department of Aging contracted with Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) to evaluate ODA’s current rate setting methodology for all PASSPORT and Assisted Living waiver services. PCG evaluated service utilization and cost data, made comparisons to rate setting methods of other states and solicited stakeholder input. The report makes recommendations based on PCG’s research findings.
- Program Evaluation of PASSPORT: Ohio’s Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver - Final Report (2007)
The Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University published the final report of its evaluation of PASSPORT, Ohio's Medicaid home-care program for older Ohioans. Researchers concluded that PASSPORT is "cost-effective, appropriately targeted, quality-oriented, thoroughly monitored and consumer-responsive."
- Report of the State Ombudsman, Calendar Year 2008
The annual review of this advocacy program for long-term care consumers provides a comprehensive picture of long-term care and includes information about major long-term care issues and policy recommendations.
- Residential State Supplement, Mental Health and Adult Care Facilities
An evaluation and recommendations on statutory and administrative amendments by the Ohio Departments of Aging, Health and Mental Health enacted to improve the care and treatment of Residential State Supplement recipients and individuals residing in adult care facilities with a focus on those facilities serving persons with mental illness.
General Research & Reports
- Providing Long-Term Services and Supports to an Aging Ohio: Progress and Challenges
This report by the Scripps Gerontology Center of Miami University details trends in Ohio long-term care service utilization over 14 years. It also provides information about the characteristics of those in different settings such as PASSPORT, nursing homes and residential care facilities. Recommendations for Ohio’s long-term care system are included.
- State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Report, 2007
Provides a comprehensive picture of long-term care and includes information about major long-term care issues and policy recommendations.
- 2006 Nursing Home Family Satisfaction Survey Results (PDF - 425 kb)
This data is from a survey conducted for the Department of Aging's Long-term Care Consumer Guide. It shows the overall satisfaction score for each of Ohio's nursing facilities, as ranked by family members of residents. It also notes whether the facility qualified for a quality point under the ODJFS reimbursement formula.
- The Changing Face of Long-term Care: Ohio’s Experience 1993-2005 (2007)
The Scripps Gerontology Center offers a 12-year look-back at the evolution of the Long-term Care system, including participant characteristics, costs, service types and more.
- Locally Funded Services For Seniors: A Description of Levy Programs in Ohio
This survey, conducted under the auspice of the Ohio Association for Gerontology and Education, compared the senior services levies in place in 59 Ohio counties.
- A Review of Nursing Home Resident Characteristics in Ohio: Tracking Changes from 1994 - 2004
Researchers from Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, with the support of the nursing home industry, examined how shifts in Medicaid funding formulae have affected the censuses in Ohio nursing homes. The found that 4.5 percent of residents receiving Medicaid did not qualify. Also, residents generally are younger, more disabled and have shorter stays than previously thought.
- Senior Centers: Ohio's Blueprint for the Future
Senior centers play a vital role in Ohio’s aging network. This report investigates Ohio’s progress towards preparing its senior centers for the changing face of aging. It is a blueprint for building the center of the future.
- Ohio's Experience: Senior Services Levies
This presentation by Alan L. Burnett, Executive Director/CEO of Area Agency on Aging – Region 9, to the 2003 ASA-NCoA National Conference encourages individuals and organizations to consider implementing a senior services levy opportunity in their communities.
- Ten-Year Retrospective Look at Ohio's Long-Term Care System
Researchers from Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University examine how customer choice and demand for certain types of long-term care services have changed over the past decade.
- Using Local Tax Levies to Fund Programs for Older People: Good Politics and Good Policy
This excerpt from "The New Politics of Old Age Policy," edited by Robert B. Hudson, examines levy support and use in Ohio and compares our experience to that of other states.
Annual Reports
Plans & Initiatives
- Double Jeopardy Project Overview
In approximately 4,000 Ohio families, parents are the primary source of support and assistance for adult sons and daughters with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. ODA examines the unique barriers these families face and suggests solutions.
- Double Jeopardy FY 2003 Policy Survey Results
This report identifies seven implications for policy changes that would help motivate families to establish or update future plans for their loved ones with mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
- Elder Abuse Task Force Interim Report
Sponsored by Attorney General Jim Petro and the Ohio Department of Aging, the Ohio Elder Abuse Task Force had issued its interim report, featuring recommendations to help protect the state's elderly from abuse and exploitation.
- Elder Abuse Task Force Final Report
This report to the Governor from the Attorney General and the director of the Departmento of Aging, highlights the final findings and recommendations of the Ohio Elder Abuse Task Force
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
In 32,340 Ohio households with children, a grandparent is the primary caregiver. A recent task force examined the unique barriers these families face and outlined possible solutions in this report.
- Health Care Workforce Shortage Report to Governor Taft
On November 9, 2000, the Department of Aging, in conjunction with other state agencies, hosted the Governor's Summit: Health Care Workforce Shortage. Two hundred and fifty private sector business leaders and public policy makers generated ideas to increase public awareness about the shortage of health care workers and identify and share best practices.
- Jobs Cabinet Healthcare Workforce Shortage Committee Final Recommendations
The Jobs Cabinet Healthcare Workforce Shortage Committee has identified critical areas that if addressed, would significantly increase the labor pool of nurses for the present and support sustainable capacity building for future needs. These goals, strategies and recommendations are presented in this report.
- Ohio Access: A status report on progress since the February 2004 report (December 2006)
This report from a multi-agency task force outlines the progress of Ohio’s strategic plan to improve long-term services and supports for people with disabilities.
- Ohio Caregivers: Summary of Focus Group Findings
Caregiving touches the lives of one in four families. Because more older, frail Ohioans prefer to stay in their own homes, there is a need to understand and support the needs of the family caregiver.
- Ohio's State Plan on Aging 2008 - 2011
The Ohio State Plan on aging describes how the state will carry out the principles of Choices for Independence, and is the strategic framework for providing leadership that improves and promotes quality of life and personal choice for older Ohioans, adults with disabilities and their families and caregivers.
- Progress Report to the Governor's Workforce Policy Board on The Health Care Workforce Shortage in Ohio (June 2004)
Ohio's economic health depends upon adequate and comprehensive health care. The issues related to the health care workforce shortage are complex and beyond the scope of any single employer group or state department. This report recommends several strategies the state can adopt to address this crisis head-on.
- Report on the Ohio Post-National Policy Summit on Elder Abuse
The Ohio Post-National Policy Summit on Elder Abuse was held March 24, 2003, in Columbus to develop action plans on priority initiatives identified at a pre-summit forum and subsequent survey. This report outlines the action plans, identifies leders in their implementation and outlines next steps.
- Top Eight Recommendations from Ohio for Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act
The Department of Aging outlines changes to the Older Americans Act that will have a positive impact on the lives of Older Ohioans and their caregivers.
Professional Resources
- Double Jeopardy Curriculum Manual
Many older Ohioans face the challenge caring for an adult child with disabilities while dealing with their own health needs as they age. The Double Jeopardy initiative developed a 2-hour training curriculum to for family members, agency staff and others.
- Needs Assessment Handbook and Sample Needs Assessment Surveys The Ohio Association for Gerontology and Education (formerly the Ohio Network of Educational Consultants in the Field of Aging) developed this guide for a useful and affordable needs assessment with suggestions for sampling and materials for training interviewers.
Printed Materials
The following brochures, fliers and other publications are available in hard-copy upon request. Available quantities vary by publication and requests are filled as supply allows. Call (614) 728-0253 to order.
- Aging Network Brochure
This tri-fold brochure provides an overview of aging network programs and services with contact information for Area Agencies on Aging.
- Golden Buckeye Card
This brochure provides information about, and tips for using the Golden Buckeye Card.
- Ohio's Best Rx
This brochure describes the state's prescription drug discount program for Ohioans over 60 and younger adults who meet income guidelines. (Available in English and Spanish)
- Homestead Exemption
This pamphlet provides information about the recently expanded Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Ohioans age 65 and older.
- Connect Me Ohio
This 8.5/11" poster promotes ConnectMeOhio.org, the state's online resource for information and support for people with disabilities and their caregivers.
- Resident Rights
This brochure notifies consumers of nursing homes and residential care facilities of their rights and provides contact information for the State Long-term Care Ombudsman. (Quantities are limited)
- Ombudsman Q&A
This booklet informs long-term care consumers of the advocacy and services provided to them through the State Long-term Care Ombudsman Program.
- Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program
Information about, and contacts for this free service for Ohioans on Mediare are provided on this handy bookmark. (Quantities are limited)
- Abuse Ignores Age
This brochure alerts individuals to the types and signs of elder abuse. (Quantities are limited)
