The Wood County Committee of Aging has outlined how it would use Healthy Aging Grant funds.
Agency Executive Director Denise Niese and board member Eric Myers attended Thursday’s Wood County Commissioners meeting to outline how they would spend the money that has been allocated to Wood County.
The Ohio Department of Aging has $40 million that will be split among the state’s 88 counties to use to improve the quality of life for seniors.
The commissioners are responsible for dispersing the funds, which are a one-time allocation.
The Wood County Committee of Aging has requested $466,494; the county is receiving $466,495.
Myers said the agency will use the funds to purchase two vehicles for home-delivered meals, $110,000; two medical escort vans, $88,121; technology, including server, hardware and software installation and laptop setups for a computer lab in Bowling Green, $40,013; internet connectivity for existing jetpacks, at $15.82 per month per unit, $6,987; a half-time nurse, $50,000; county probate guardianship board to provide more intensive oversite, $33,873; minor home repairs, 18 at $5,000 each, $92,500; and adult day services, $45,000.
All grant recipients are required to allocate at least 20% of funding to support food assistance programs, 20% for housing assistance and 10% to support internet access and digital literacy services, Myers explained.
The remaining funds can be used to provide strategies to improve nutrition or physical activity, outreach and advocacy for family caregivers, and programs to improve chronic pain management and/or falls risk and mobility, among others, he said.
Staff and various departments developed the list, Niese said.
Direct services are the most important priority so the first thing withdrawn from the list would be technology, she said.
“I’m looking at essentials. Food trucks are out there every day … the medical escort vehicles are doing 2,600 to 2,800 transports a year, getting our most frail adults to doctor’s appointments,” she said.
These state funds also will be used to pay for contractual nursing services with the Wood County Health Department, which will help extend levy resources, she added.
Currently, the agency collects $3.3 million annually, which is 80% of its $4.1 million operating budget.
The adult day services allocation will be used to underwrite 450 units, which cost $100 each.
“This can help them get started,” Niese said. “They can start bringing in clients until they can get their funding straightened.”
MemoryLane Care Services is still waiting for the release of funding before it can open the adult day services at the Bowling Green location.
Commissioner Doris Herringshaw asked at what location the computers would be used.
They are for a computer lab at the Bowling Green site, Niese said.
The other sites have laptops for public use, she said.
Jetpacks, which are a mobile hotspot, and Samsung tablets were purchased with CARES Act money, with those funds also being used to pay for internet connectivity.
“Wi-fi is not cheap to have at home and those on fixed budgets can’t always afford it,” Niese said.
The jetpacks were retrieved when that federal funding went away. The monthly fee that is being requested is to reactivate those 38 devices, which are loaned out on a six-week basis, Niese said.
Commissioner Ted Bowlus asked about the urgency for delivery trucks.
They need to be purchased in the next year, Niese said.
She explained the agency has three trucks used for meal deliveries that are 12-15 years old and have more than 160,000 miles on them.
“Those are very high maintenance,” due to the difficulty with the box in the back, which integrates with the engine to keep it hot and cool, she said.
As for the medical escort sedans, the agency currently uses two Ford transit vans for door-to-door service for doctor visits.
Some older folks are having trouble getting in and out of the vans, Niese said.
They are looking for Chevy Malibus or Impalas to allow for easier access, she said.
They already have lift vans for people who use scooters or wheelchairs, she added.
County Administrator Carri Stanley said commissioners will be meeting with and hearing a request for funding from Area Office on Aging of Northwestern Ohio officials.
She said commissioners will decide by the end of the year.
The funds have to be spent by June 30, 2024.
