Ohio District 5 - Area Agency On Aging "Overview" with Sue Montgomery

Sue Montgomery, Community Outreach Coordinator, Ohio District 5 Area Agency On Aging shares about all of the wonderful work the organization does in the 9 county region. Sue gives the history of the agency, which is celebrating their 50th anniversay in 2024. Learn about all of the programs they have to assist people locally in communities all across the area.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The Ohio District five Area Agency onAging is with us in studio today.
They have a brand new podcast andwe are going to learn about all the
great things they do here locally inthe community. We have with us the
Community Outreach Coordinator, Sue Montgomery.Good morning, Thank you for coming in
today. Good morning. I'm happyto be here all right. So I've

(00:23):
heard about the Ohio District five AreaAgency on Aging for a long time and
I know you guys have so manygreat programs. So we're going to learn
about you guys today. So let'skind of begin. If somebody may be
just moved into the area. Youguys are very well known in helping people.
Can we get a little background aboutthe agency? Yes, I would

(00:44):
love to give you background. TheArea Agency on Aging was created under the
Older Americans Act of nineteen seventy three, and so we are an area Agency
on Aging that provides services and programsto assist seniors, caregivers the disabled stay
in their homes for as long aspossible to be able to age in place

(01:08):
with dignity, and by doing that, we have a lot of programs that
are available for the community. Weare one of twelve Area agency on agings
that are across Ohio. So everycounty in Ohio, all eighty eight have
an Area Agency on Aging that coverstheir county with programs and services that can

(01:30):
assist them. We cover Ashland,Crawford, Huron, Knox, Marion,
Morrow, Richland, Seneca, andwyan Dot counties. You got a pretty
good reach when you talk about ninecounties in the area. The next thing
I would ask you about would bewhen somebody thinks about the Area Agency on

(01:51):
Aging and you mentioned you have somany programs, but your mission is all
about helping people. We're going toget to these programs. That's what you
guys do. You guys help peoplehere locally, Yes, we do.
We do. We provide leadership,collaboration, We coordinate services to older adults,
people with disabilities, their caregivers.We're a resource network that helps support

(02:15):
individuals with choice and independence and dignity. By doing that, we are creating
programs within these communities, collaborating withother agencies to help make this possible for
this population. We're led by ourCEO, who's Dowana Patten, and she's
constantly evolving and growing the agency tobest serve the needs of the people we

(02:38):
serve through innovation and our superior customerservice. You're hearing the voice today of
su Montgomery, who is with theOhio District five Area Agency on Agents.
She is a community outreach coordinator.You are telling me you said there's twelve
in the state for Ohio, butthey're all across the country as well.

(02:58):
Correct, Yes they are are.So they're across the whole United States,
and in Ohio. We all worktogether and we are alike but different.
So your Area Agency on Aging mightvary from area to area based on what
the landscape is, what the needsare, where the gaps are that the

(03:21):
needs are for that particular county.So we're always looking at our counties and
providing services that best seat the needsof these communities. In twenty twenty four,
if people are not aware, isa big year for you guys,
anniversary wise, right, Yes,it's actually our fiftieth anniversary. So for

(03:43):
the Area Agencies on Aging, it'sa fifty year anniversary. And right here,
our Area Agency on Aging is ourfiftieth anniversary, so we'll be celebrating
all year long. We have programsthat are very well attended and people really
enjoy They get a lot of resourcesout of them, and one of them
is our Extravaganza, which is heldevery year and it's a community outreach that

(04:09):
we're able to hold in May tocelebrate Older Americans Month, and at that
we celebrate older Americans and everything thatthey've given. But then we also make
sure that when they walk away,they're walking away with resources that can help
them and get them their needs met. We also have Outstanding Senior Citizen and

(04:30):
Community Service Awards, and we celebratethat in August. So right now we
are taking nominations for the Outstanding SeniorCitizen and the Community Service Award. We
get nominations for all of our ninecounties and then we will have one Outstanding
Citizen for each county of our ninecounties. Could be a couple, could

(04:51):
be a single person. And thisis someone who promotes positive aging, is
out there in their communities, seesthe needs, is helping out and so
if you recognize that person within yourcommunity, what we would like is for
you to go to our website andfill out a nomination to nominate this person
and recognize them for all the hardwork they're doing, because, as we

(05:15):
know, if they're out there volunteeringand really getting into the community and helping.
A lot of times they don't seethemselves as that outstanding senior citizen.
Do you want to list your websiteor information? If somebody says, hey,
I want to nominate somebody right now, I know a great person,
oh, I would absolutely love todo that. So our website has a
lot of great information on it andit's constantly being updated. The nomination forms

(05:40):
are on there and it is wwwdot AAA the number five Ohio written out
Ohio dot org and they can accessthe nominations there along with a lot of
different services, upcoming events, justa wide era of resources that are available

(06:01):
there along with our Facebook. Weare very active on our Facebook which is
AA five Ohio, and it's constantlybeing updated with different resources, information,
upcoming events, just trying to keeppeople in touch with everything that's going on
with seniors resources, caregivers. There'sa lot of caregiver information, so if

(06:25):
you check out those or you cancall us. Our telephone number is one
eight hundred eight six oh five sevenninety nine, or it's four one nine
five two four four one four four. We're open nine to five Monday through
Friday and We are located at twentyone thirty one Park Avenue West here in

(06:46):
Ontario, but we do cover ournine county area. But you are able
to walk into our physical building andwe have resources that are available in the
lobby that you can take for freeon wellness programs and just a wide array
of information or even talking to anavigator. We have navigators that help you

(07:09):
navigate that path of what your needis, and so they're going to listen
to the whole story and be ableto tell you about different programs and services
that you might qualify for, whetherit's a program that's happening down the street
at your local senior center, orwhether it's a program that maybe you need
to get on to bring multiple servicesinto your home. You can be the

(07:30):
daughter walking in to talk to anavigator about your mother or your father,
your aunt that's now needing some helpand services, or you could be the
person that's needing that assistance with transportation, meals, social isolation. Maybe you
haven't gotten out since everything that's happenedwith COVID and now you're needing to get

(07:50):
out and be around other people.We have programs like congregate meals that are
held at the Area Agency on Agingor campus dining which is held at the
college. Those that are open toour nine county area. But then there
are also meals in your own communitythat we can let you know about.
There's a lot of different social isolationthings to bring people out, let them

(08:15):
be around other people, and thathelps them grow because they're learning what's going
on through other people in the community. Also, we are learning about all
of the great things that are takingplace here locally in the community through the
Ohio District five Area Agency on Aging. We are joined in studio today by
SIU Montgomery Community Outreach Coordinator. Asyou mentioned the nine counties that you cover

(08:39):
here locally kind of in the northcentral Ohio area for those listening. But
the building is in Ontario on ParkAvenue West, Hawkins Corner, as you
mentioned. But over the years you'vebeen in a couple different spots, but
at least there for the last butat least the last decade, right,
yes, Yes, in twenty thirteenwe moved to our current location, which

(09:01):
is twenty one thirty one Park AvenueWest, and that was a historical site
formerly known as Hawkins Market, andit's a central location easily accessible to our
nine county area, and we hadmoved from a couple different locations. We
were on Marion Avenue here in Mansfield. We started out with a team of

(09:22):
twenty. We now have one hundredand thirty individuals and professionals under our roof
that are providing services and carrying outour mission and executing our programs. So
we've grown a lot, and withthat at Hawkins Corner, we are able
to provide a lot of services andprograms right there at twenty one to thirty

(09:43):
one Park Avenue West. Our CEO, Dowana Patton, had a vision to
expand the agency's facilities to allow foron site programs for older adults and share
the space with other nonprofits who alsoserve our senior adult community. Board members
Kathy and Dave Daniels shared in thevision and with mister Earl Hawkins graciously gifting

(10:07):
us the Hawkins Corner building, theagency was then able to facilitate the dream
and vision of our CEO. Soin twenty twenty three this past year,
we were able to renovate an areaat Hawkins Corner and be able to have
a lot more programs and services inthat area of Hawkins Corner and so right

(10:33):
now we have congregate meals going onin there two days a week. We
have had vaccine projects going on withpeople getting their flu boosters in different vaccine
awareness. We have wellness programs thattake place within that room, and we
also have trainings and computer trainings forseniors. There's a lot going on,

(10:56):
So it's just trying to, youknow, make sure that you're looking to
see what all's going on, whatprograms are available to you, and then
we're also going to be watching tosee what we can do, what's needed
in the community, and how wecan help facilitate that. So Montgomery is
with us joining us today from theOhio District five Area Agency on Aging.

(11:18):
She is the community outreach coordinator.You are listing all of the great programs
you have, and if somebody's listeningin the community, and we're going to
have other guests in future podcasts comingup, they're going to want to stay
tuned to listen to. But forexample, you know, somebody needs a
home repair or something going on andthey just don't know if they qualify,

(11:39):
call the Area Agency on Aging.You have to ask, right because you
could be eligible for something like thatright. Yes, that's exactly right.
There are so many different programs thatare available. Our navigators keep the pulse
of that there always know what's goingon and different programs that might be a
good fit for someone who's coming intothe agency. It could be you going

(12:03):
home over the holidays and visiting yourparents and all of a sudden, you
see maybe the front steps need repaired, or maybe their bed is going bad,
and you know mom is starting tosleep on the couch. There are
programs that can assist with this.We have home repair that could possibly go
in and fix those front steps.We have another program that's needs based where

(12:28):
we might be able to help withreplacing moms mattress and box springs to make
sure that she's staying in bed,not sleeping on a couch. It could
be meals. You notice that mom'shaving a hard time standing up to the
counter to be able to make herlunch. There are meals that can be
brought into the home, congregate mealsthat they can go out to. Maybe

(12:48):
she's not going to all of herdoctor's appointments because she's having a difficulty driving.
There is the Richland County Senior ServicesLevy, which is available here in
Richland County, which we've passed thispast year, and we've had on the
ballot many years and it's passed successfully. And this provides transportation to seniors.

(13:09):
It's a needs based so you can'tautomatically think I don't know if I'm going
to qualify because there are so manydifferent programs and services available. It is
looking to see what the need isand how we can best fill that need.
All right, terrific information, veryimportant information today from the Ohio District
five Area Agency on Aging. Whileshe's with us for a few more minutes,

(13:31):
SU Montgomery Community Outreach Coordinator, wementioned you cover nine counties in the
area. You guys also hand outscholarships and more than one hundred thousand dollars
has been handed out. Is thatsomething you guys do on a yearly basis,
Yes, we do. We havescholarships that are available. Since two
thousand and four, we've awarded overone hundred and nine thousand dollars in scholarships

(13:56):
to deserving individuals who are continuing theireducation to benefit the Aging Network. Those
applications are also on our website andmore information can be found on our Facebook
page. And so if you wouldlike to apply for a scholarship this year.
There are scholarships in the amount oftwo thousand for a student attending a

(14:18):
four year university, one thousand dollarsfor a student attending a two year college
or technical school or a center foreducation pursuing a certification. There's also a
one thousand for any type of studentattending higher institute of learning. Now,
you do have to have graduated bytwenty twenty three or hold a GED and

(14:43):
you can go on and apply forthat if you are in any of our
nine county area all right, andagain those counties Ashland, Crawford here on,
not Marion, Marrow, Richland,Seneca and Wine Dot counties all under
the Ohio District five Area Agency onaging. One of the big things I
know talking with the Wanna Patent yourCEO many times over the years, is

(15:05):
you know, maybe as somebody getsolder, they want to be able to
stay in their home. And there'sthings, you guys, we've already mentioned
programs and things like that that theyreally need to reach out to you guys
about that you guys could help thembe able to stay in their home.
Right. Yes, that is ourmission. Our vision is always being a
leader in long term care systems andthe preferred organization in providing services and advice

(15:30):
which enhance the independence and dignity andquality of the life of an older adult
individual with disability or their caregiver.We hear a lot from grand families and
being able to help provide services tohelp grand families stay in their home.
So the whole thing is about callingand us helping you find out what services

(15:54):
might best be able to benefit youso that you can stay in your home
for as long as possible. Saysomebody hears you say grand family, could
you explain exactly what is a grandfamily? A grand family? We are
hearing a lot more from grandfamilies.These are grandparents raising grandchildren, and so
this is a big task, andwe want to make sure that we are

(16:15):
meeting the needs of the grandparent sothat they can stay in the home for
as long as possible, so thatthey're there for their grandchildren. Their grandchildren
and their family is their most preciousitem. And so if we can make
sure that the grandparents are aging safelyin their home, then we're able to
keep the family together there for aslong as possible. So we're always looking

(16:40):
at new programs and listening to whatis going on in the community, listening
to our grandparents, different support groupsto see how we can best help all.
Right, terrific information this morning fromthe Ohio District five Area Agency on
Aging with us again as SU MontgomeryCommunity Outreach Coordinator before I let you go,
And I know there are many podcastsit'll be following this one. You're

(17:03):
going to have all kinds of differentexperts from the Ohio District five Area Agency
on Aging. They'll be in thestudio. They are going to explain a
lot of the great programs that youguys offer. But right now, if
somebody I know, they can goto your website phone number. Could you
throw out that information again if somebodywants to reach out, they have a
question, they want to get moreinformation from you guys. Yes, we

(17:25):
are the Ohio District five Area Agencyon Aging and we serve Ashland, Crawford
here on Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Seneca and wyan Dot County.
We are located at twenty one thirtyone Park Avenue West in Ontario and
our telephone numbers four one nine fivetwo four four one four four. But

(17:48):
very important, our website is wwwdot AAA, the number five Ohio written
out Ohio dot org and we arealso very active on Facebook. You can
find out about a lot of differentprograms that are coming up. We've got
a caregiver conference that will be heldin the fall if you're a caregiver or

(18:08):
if you know of a caregiver,and we also have our annual meeting that
will finish out the year in December, so you can also find out more
information about that. And that's arecap of our whole year that we have
been able to provide services and workingwithin the community. Last thing, so
we talk about the Ohio District fiveArea Agency on Aging and how you are

(18:30):
located in Ontario on Park Avenue West. You cover nine counties and you're in
those counties with events all the time. We want to let people know that
right, yes, we are activelyin all nine counties. Every day.
We have programs going on in allnine counties, whether it is someone who
is going out to provide personal careand services in the home to help a

(18:52):
person stay in the home, orwhether it is outreach by way of attending
a community meeting. So that weknow what's going on in your community and
meeting with other agencies, or whetherit's maybe a wellness program that we're able
to put out there for free,like on matter of balance or diabetes.
It's working with your senior center,your focal point, that main senior center,

(19:18):
and working with them to make surethat we are working together for all
the programs and services that are neededwithin the community. Are all kinds of
great program services helping those here locallyin the community from the Ohio District five
Area Agency on Aging. Make sureyou stay tuned. There are a future
podcasts coming up with more great informationabout all their programs. Services will have

(19:41):
experts with the District five Area Agencyon Aging in the studio in the coming
weeks and months ahead, so makesure you stay tuned with us. This
morning is SIU Montgomery Community Outreach Coordinator. Do we miss anything soon this morning?
I don't think so. I thinkwe hit on about about everything.
But there's just so much going onwith the Area Agency on Aging and it's

(20:03):
always a changing landscape because we're alwayslooking at collaborations and programs that are needed,
and so I think we hit ona lot, but I think there's
a lot more to come, allright, So make sure you reach out
if you have a question anything likethat about a program and see how they
can help you. So great tomeet you. Thank you so much for

(20:26):
coming in this morning. We appreciateyour time. Thanks for being here.
Thank you. I'm happy to behere.