Partnerships can do amazing things for a community. When organizations, businesses, and individuals come together to solve problems, communities truly have the opportunity to thrive.
This Older Americans Month centers on “Strength in Communities” – a goal we strive towards at VANTAGE. One partner we want to highlight is the Summit County and Portage County Adult Protective Service programs of Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Adult Protective Services and VANTAGE work together to ensure that no senior is left hungry or alone.
What is Adult Protective Services
Adult Protective Services (APS) Protects seniors from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Adults, ages 60 and over, who reside in the community or in a community-based independent living arrangement, are protected from abuse, neglect, and exploitation by the Ohio Adult Protective Services Statute.
Abuse is the infliction upon an adult by him/herself or others of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or cruel punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish.
Neglect is the failure of an adult or caregiver to provide goods or services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness.
Exploitation is a caregiver’s unlawful or improper use of an adult’s resources for the caregiver’s benefit or financial gain.
The services that the Adult Protective Services (APS) specialist provides and/or arranges to remedy conditions of abuse, neglect, and exploitation are referred to as protective services and include all community resources that may address the current needs.
APS aims to maximize independence and avoid unnecessary harm or institutionalization by preventing, eliminating, or remedying conditions that cause or contribute to the endangerment or abuse of adults.
Often, the populations APS serves are in need of additional resources outside of the scope of APS. By working with VANTAGE, APS clients gain access to resources to help them stay independent at home.
Here’s how the partnership works
Summit and Portage County Adult Protective Services support VANTAGE through a Title XX funded grant for each county. Title XX of the Social Security Act provides funding to counties for local social services programs to preserve families. The funds are used to strengthen, restore, maintain, or improve a person’s ability to be self-supportive and independent.
The APS divisions in both Summit and Portage Counties use the grant money to provide one of three VANTAGE services through the Meals On Wheels and Home Wellness Solutions programs:
- 3 days of emergency home-delivered meals
- 30 home-delivered meals
- Chore deep cleaning services
If an APS case worker notices a need for any of the services listed above, they will contact VANTAGE and arrange a care plan. This ensures that those who need APS intervention also have access to nutritious meals and a clean home, promoting a holistic path to overall wellness.
On the other side of the partnership, VANTAGE staff members will call APS if we suspect a client is experiencing from abuse, neglect or exploitation. This helps APS identify those in need of protection and provide community members with their vital services.
The partnership helps seniors who lack the resources or knowledge on how to get home-delivered meals and are in an urgent situation. VANTAGE’s Chore team will provide services when there is a serious situation of concern for the APS client’s living environment. Occasionally, the Chore team is asked to provide cleaning services so an individual avoids eviction.
VANTAGE’s partnership with Summit and Portage County Adult Protective Services is just one example of ways we can work together to strengthen our community. Together, we can lean on each other’s strengths and expertise to best serve our senior neighbors.
If you are interested in collaborating with VANTAGE to help support the needs of seniors in Northeast Ohio, please contact us at info@vantageaging.org or 330-253-4597