March 3, 2025 • 30 mins
“Ben Knox, the new Administrator of Dauphin County’s Area Agency on Aging discusses all the remarkable services available to seniors and the positive impact that these resources have on their lives.” www.dauphincounty.gov
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Sylvia Loss and this is insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Who live here.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Well, we all heard this, like father, like sons, but
these days don't ever estimate the influence of a mother,
because more and more sons are choosing to follow in
their mother's footsteps, especially when choosing a career. Our guest
today is a true reflection of his mother, who, among
her many accomplishments, was a longtime leader in the Commonwealth's
care of adults. With us is Ben Knox, Dauphin County's
(00:31):
new administrator for its area Agency on Aging. For the
last eight years, Ben's been in the Aging care Manager
supervisor for Dauphin County. Prior to that, he worked in
both Dauphin and Cumberland Counties in the area of probation
and with NHS and Human.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Services well by.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
There's no doubt you've got the services or the experience,
the skills, the strong work ethics. But I think when
I met you, I think what was the most assuring
to me is the fact that you have a passion.
It seems to be unwavering for seniors in this area.
So I'm really happy about that. You know, over the
years that I've been doing this program, I've always when
(01:09):
people talk about seniors, they say, well, how do I
find out about this? Do you know about that? This
is going to be a two part program, with the
second part airing next week, because hopefully will get a
lot of the answers from Ben this week. If we don't,
we'll swing right into the next week. And also he'll
be able to give you some information as to where
you can get any information you need.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
When I was a kid growing up, I got to tell.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You this, it was kind of a mortal obligation to
respect your elders.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Ben, and I do not know where that went.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I think what you have never lost in your office
your agency is the fact that you feel that way.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Can you talk about how that plays into your mission? Yes?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Absolutely, And I first want to start off by thanking
you for inviting me here, really getting a platform for
agency to tell talk about the good work that we
do and to move into our mission statement. Really in
a nutshell, Dolphin County Area Agency on Aging provides supports
and services to older adults in Douphin County. We really
want to promote and insure safety and independence at home
(02:14):
or really in long term care facilities. We are committed
to mobilizing all available resources in Dauphin County to combat
and bring to justice anyone who attempts to harm or
exploit an older adult. And really that gets to the
main mission for us is we want individuals to age
in place age where they reside. So that's really at
the heart of our mission and what we're here to do.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You know, part of my job over the last almost
thirty years doing this is I got to keep on
top of what's going on in the area, like what
people are most concerned about. And when I talk to
you about this, you gave me three things that you
thought that our seniors were most interested about.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
What they need some pour on and I want to
go through some of those. The first one is housing.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Tell us, first of all, I want to find out
anybody who looking at for any type of housing in
the area, not anybody better senior. First of all, what
do you consider a senior to be able to get
certain services at what age?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Great question, So that's going to be individuals that are
sixty and over or eligible for any of our programs
within our office. Okay, well, we do provide some assistance
for individuals under the age of sixty in a limited capacity.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Okay, well, you know what I heard about this a
couple of years ago. To be honest with you, my
sister in law. It's called a family care care and
giver support program. And she had been a chatter master's
in nursing, and she ran a nursing home and her
parents got older and they didn't have that much, and
she got paid to take care of her parents. Is
(03:37):
that part of That's how I understand the family caregiver
support program?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Is that, right?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It's so that your own family can take care of you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
So the program through our office is a reimbursement program. Okay,
So we reimburse a client's primary caregiver for a percentage
of their out of pocket expenditures. So fundamentally, the caregiver
has to be a designated caregiver, must purchase all services
and or supplies for the clients, and then they'll be
reimbursed on a monthly basis by our office, and we
(04:08):
reimburse up to six hundred dollars per month. Now, what
you're referencing is the community Health Choices waiver program where
some family members or their designee could be paid, could
be a paid care game.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well, you're going to have to do a lot of
correct here on this during this show, because I don't
hope it's because I'm getting older.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
There's a whole lot of stuff going on. Okay, that
sounds good.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, the permanent that I'm talking about is that the
one where it could be somebody I don't know, somebody
from your.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Church can come into the house and take care of you.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
It can be one to be your kids, somebody in
the family, whatever, but a husband can't.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
So it's gonna be so our office isn't directly involved
in choosing the agency model, where an individual who has
been approved for the Community Health Choices Waiver program could
choose to have an agency come in or it could
be participant directed. So when it's participant directed, that's when
the care receiver is going to outline who or designate
(05:04):
who they want to provide that care directly to that.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Okay, do a lot of these programs we're going to
talk about, or you're going to give us an idea about.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Are they pretty much? Well, here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
People when they go whether they go into nursing home,
have private care, certain things take.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Care of it.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
But you start out in most cases with welfare and
not welfare medicare. That runs out eventually, and then almost
everybody ends up if they're going to be long term
like a nursing home, they're going to be on Medicaid, right.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
That's correct. So the requirements for the Community Hell Choices
Waiver program as an individual cannot make more than two
nine and one dollars and cannot have assets greater than
eight thousand dollars. Now, the level of care that's required
for that program is they must meet the nursing facility
level of care. So essentially, the same type of care
(05:56):
that's provided in a nursing facility is provided at home.
But you are correct, Medicaid is the funding for long
term care services above and beyond you know medicaid.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Can you give me an idea what the program provides
for as far as like you said, well, first of all,
before we get into that, when someone calls you, you
assess their needs, right, That's the first thing you need
to do. You figure out what they need, and then
you figure out, i mean, figure out what they need
where they are financially how they want to live the
rest of their lives. You talked about sharing some of
(06:29):
the costs, but does the thing that I wanted to
ask about, If you're going to be a caregiver, you
have to have some sort of training.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
So our office is not involved, Okay, the authorization of
those caregivers. So, but what our office does do is
we complete the functional eligibility determination assessment, which is going
to be one component of being approved for long term
care services. The two other components are going to be
a physician needs to determine the individual medically meets the
(06:56):
criteria or the appropriate level of care, and then the
third component is going to be financially qualifying. Now, as
I talked about, our office completes the functional Eligibility determination assessment.
We call them fds, and this is completed by ironically,
our assessment unit. So really, when we complete these assessments,
(07:16):
there's two outcomes nursing facility clinically eligible or nursing facility ineligible.
So what happens after that assessment is we forward those
results to the independent enrollment broker who's tasked with the
enrollment aspect of collecting all the documentation and then submitting
it to the County Assistance Office and really that process
can take up to ninety days from individuals that start
(07:39):
and originally apply until they're approved. And there's home health
aids coming into the home.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Okay, so it's pretty pretty much you evaluate people and
send them in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Is what do you do that's correct?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Do Is there any type of counseling with it when
you talk to them or is that something else that
is sent to someone else to do? This is what
we found you need we found And let me ask
you that you said medical, like if they are is
it medically?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Are they are they?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Do they need help enough to be put in nursing
home or is this something that could be taken care
at home or whatever? That's what you're trying to determine.
How do you determine?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
What do you look for?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Great question? So we determine as I talked about those
two outcomes, nursing facility clinically eligible or nursing facility ineligible.
And we're really going through several key things on our assessment.
So it's going to be mooting cognition, the ability to
complete activities the day a living, so we would be
evaluating do they need hands on assistance with bathing, dress
(08:40):
and grooming, transferring toileting, things of that nature, as well
as their continents are the incontinent of boo and black.
Ok So, fundamentally, individuals that would be authorized to have
Medicaid be utilized to pay for the long term care
services have to need extensive hand honestly, well, hold on.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Saying I'm gonna ask you this.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I was under the assumption and I was told many times,
don't ever assume that in order to qualify that you
have to be on Medicaid first.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
No, no, So they would be applying for medicaid for
individuals that don't have it or switching over to long
term care.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Gotcha, Okay, I'm sorry I interrupted you. No, that's okay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So you were talking about how it's the term or
whether you have to the different things that you look for.
Can can a person who is applying for this, can
they appeal it if they feel that they need it
absolutely to go to nursing home.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Individuals that are unsatisfied with the result, There is an
appeal process and they would receive that documentation through the
County Assistance office.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Okay, Okay, forgive me.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
There's so many titles of so many progress and now
one of the things you talked about was the Community
Health Choices Waiver program, right, yes, okay, what else you
have going? And if you want to tell me anymore
that's well, first of all that one has you have
to be approved for. Well everybody is approved pretty much
for Medicare, but that's Medicare and Medicaid pays for it.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Right, it would be Medicaid would pay would be.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Okay, So what is that? What makes that difference in
anything else that's available.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So just to get into what that program is. So
this is really for anyone who's eighteen years or older.
So when I talked about who do we serve all
of our in house program so options CSP, those programs
or protective services, those are going to be specifically for
individuals over the age of sixty, but individuals that may
(10:31):
need long term care, they can be under the age
of sixty. So we assess anyone over the age of
eighteen or older may request this functional Eligibility determination assessment.
And it's really individuals who have a personal care need
or disability and they're seeking some type of personal care assistance.
So that could be through the Community Health Choices waiver program,
(10:52):
or they're seeking personal care home placement through the Supplemental
Security Income or nursing facility placement, which will be primarily
funded by Medicaid. So to drill into and I would
say this is the most popular choice where we see
a lot of individuals applying is going to be for
that Community Health Choices waiver program because they want to
remain their homes in agent place exactly. So this program
(11:15):
provides critical services that allow individuals, as I talked about,
agent places, and remain their home. Those services are as
I talked about, primarily funded and may include, but not
limited to, homehoalth services, adult day daily living services, home
delivered meals, subsidized transportation, personal emergency response systems, companion services,
(11:37):
home modification services, as well as respite services.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
A lot of people ask me about the home modification services.
Can you get that and stay in your home? That
is correct, Okay, what are we talking about here? That's
just modification.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
So home modifications, and I would say the most common
ones are going to be an individual has impairments with
going up and down the stairs, could be funding could
be used to put in a stairlift or a ramp
to their home to make their home more accessible, or
to put grab bars in areas where they might need
more assistance. Most commonly would be a bathroom. Now that
(12:16):
can so those home modifications can be through the Community
Health Choices waiver program, but individuals that might only have
one impairment with an activity day living, our office also
subsidize home modifications. So it would be an allotment, a
one time, lifetime allotment of up to five thousand dollars
through our Caregiver Support program where we would provide that
(12:38):
funding for a home modification.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I'll be programmed. Don't you get them confused, because I'm
already confused. Seriously.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
You know, I've been with the agency since twenty sixteen
and understanding our programs can be challenging for new hires,
but I have several years of reviewing and understanding these programs,
so I'm able to keep them up in a sense.
But what I want to emphasize with our Caregiver Support program,
individuals cannot just be referred just for the home modification.
(13:09):
There has to be an ongoing monthly reimbursement need. And
this is going to be the program that our office
provides reimbursements to a designated caregiver. So we touched on
that a little bit earlier.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So do you have to reapply every year? Say you're
in a nursing home. Must you qualify for this another
the following year?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Great for the rest of your life?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Great question. So for individuals receiving Medicaid, their managed care
organization will complete an assessment and then our office is
tasked with doing a desk review to review both assessments
to determine if they still qualify now in our family
or in our caregiver support program. We have a contact
(13:50):
plan that we follow, so we complete a and a
reevaluation if you will, every six months to ensure that
they continue to qualify as well. We have a contact plan,
so we're reaching out right after services start as well
as at three months.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You work in Cuverland County too. You're familiar with this
because I said, but you grew up with it. How
do we compare with other other counties, other states as
far as the ability to take care of all the
needs of our seniors?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Great question? So, I mean I think we in thinking
through what our population is doing. So it is absolutely booming.
So what we can anticipate over the next several years
is that one in three individuals in Pennsylvania will be
over the age of sixty. So I see the strain
on our infrastructure and services occurring. So we are very
(14:43):
fortunate in Pennsylvania as the lottery Fund is the primary
funding for all these programs that we receive from the state,
So we're very unique in that in that facet, as
not every state is set up the exact same way
for the funding streams for these programs to be funded.
So I think we are well positioned to continue to
serve those individuals in Dauphin County as well as cross Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Okay, I want to talk to about other things too,
other than whether you're in nursing home or your home.
But there are things out there that I don't know.
It's typical like you administered this or this is your
own personal program. That gets confusing too. One of the
things is adult daycare. Talk to us about that one.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yes, our office, this is going to be through our
options program under that options umbrella, so our office will
subsidize up to five days of adult daycare for an
individual that's in need. And really the cost is going
to be on a cost share based on the client
and the client's spouse's income. So if their income is
(15:44):
on the lower end, the county could subsidize one hundred
percent of that cost. Or if it's on the high end,
it's going to be a cost share, So maybe it's
fifty to fifty seventy thirty. But I would encourage anyone
who's interested to reach out to our office and will
complete a an assessment it's called the Needs Assessment tool.
(16:05):
Will have a care manager come out and meet with
that individual to discuss the program as well as all
of our programs to assess their needs and if they
qualify for the program.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Are you satisfied with what we're doing in Douphin County?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Do you think?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I mean, you've been doing this for quite a while.
Just I'm sure things come up. We think, boy, we
could use this, we need that. What about what's your
opinion about that? Are what services might not be? Aren't
being met that you would like to see?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
That great question keep saying that.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
So for me, I'm never satisfied and I'm always looking
for process improvement. So I want to continue to improve
the way that we are serving Douphin County residents, and
you know, there's three big issues that we touched on
briefly where I see a huge need where individuals are
being underserved, and that's not just going to be Dolphin County,
is going to be across Pennsylvania. So the first one
(16:55):
is going to be related to housing. So the availability
of affordable and accessible housing off for old adults continues
to be a major concern. From the stories of old
adults and the individuals we served, they are faced with
great difficulty in finding suitable living spaces that meet their needs,
so that could be single level homes or units equipped
(17:17):
with age friendly features like grab bars, ramps, or things
of that nature. On the kind of in line with
that is also the rising housing and rent costs and
a lack of inventory specifically tailored to senior citizens can
really make it difficult for individuals to remain in their communities,
(17:37):
which is our fundamental goal at Dauphin County Air Agency
on aging.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I'm glad you said that because you know why, twenty
thirty years ago, Bobby Kasey used to come in here
when he was ordered to general and the one thing
he was said was the seniors want to stay in
their homes. You would think that there would be some
sort of program across Pennsylvania where they listen to these
seniors that's what they do. Instead new homes, I would
imagine across a heck of a lot, let's let them
(18:03):
stay in their own homes.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Do you find that to be the case?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
And like I said, that is our number one goal
is to assist individuals, connect them or resources and really
allow them to age in place.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay, you know there's something else I want to mention.
There's so many different things that I don't know if
we're going to have time even in two weeks, But
one of the things I want to bring up is
the fact that the county is looking for people who
want to be part of is it.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
A council to discuss senior issues? Tell me about that?
Do you know anything about that? Yes?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
So in Dauphin County, we have a Dolphin County Advisory
Council that advises Dolphin County Urgency on aging as well
as the commissioners. So really through this council, we're looking
for new initiatives as well as team players to collaborate
to really benefit the benefit the community. So we meet
on fundamentally a monthly basis, so there's either an executive
(19:01):
meeting or a general meeting where we meet to discuss
these issues and come up with what is achievable for
us to move the needle in our community.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
How's that working for you?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I would say outstanding. So we have a great council
with several outstanding members that are very engaged and really
care about their community. So that aligns with me in
meeting the needs of older residents in Dauphin County.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
We want to talk about more of that other two things,
but also what I wanted to talk about is you
have a what you call a information assistance program, a
resource center which you can reach out to Ben at
the courthouse. You can reach if you're in northern Dauphin County,
they have another number two, or call the county asked
for a specific office. But this resource center is a
(19:52):
resource Yeah, I guess you call it a resource center.
They can direct you in almost any direction. They understand
because they're specialists in helping elderly right.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Else about that absolutely, and this is going to be
regardless of age, So we're not going to turn anybody
away that is under the age of sixty. And this
is really operated by our Intake unit, who specializes in
gathering community resources and really being a one stop shop
for information on a variety of community resources and services
(20:20):
in Dauphin County. As you talked about, we're located downtown
on the third floor of the Dauphin County Administration Building,
as well as there's a satellite office in Northern Dauphin
County at the Northern Dolphin Human Services Building, and as
well as we can be reached by phone, so either
coming into our office or calling us with any need
you may have. Even if we don't have the resource,
(20:42):
we will try our best to get it for you
or connect to other Dauphin County departments to connect you
to those resources.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I'd like to talk about one of the things you
had mentioned before, some of the services that are available,
Like we've all heard about meals on Wheel.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
What's that? I mean, how do you qualify for that?
How do you get it set up?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And I know it's it's a good meal, Like how
often does it come? Yes?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
So I would say home delivered meals is our most
visible program. So we have approximately eight hundred individuals receiving
those home delivered meals, and really to qualify you have
to meet one of the following criteria. You have to
have either some type of physical impairment, cognitive impairment, could
(21:28):
be lack of resources. So if an individual's low income,
they could qualify based solely on that, or they reside
with somebody who's unable unwilling to cook for them. Because
one of the fundamental things is we need our community
to get a nutritious meal. So those meals are provided
five days a week, so Monday through Friday.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
You know what, the thing that bothers me the most,
and this happens rather something a couple of weeks ago
in York County was horrible. Years are abused one way
or the other. But in Dauphin Country for some time
you've had a task force. Tell us about that and
how you're trying to help seniors stay safe, and what
(22:11):
do you need to do if you find out somebody
is being abused or if someone need the person being abused,
what do they do?
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Great question? So we receive a last year, we received
approximately one thousand, five hundred reports of needs, so allegations
of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Wh wha, wha wha Like, tell without identifying anybody, like,
what do you consider abuse and what's going on a
thousand people?
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, so that's going to be a thousand reports that
were sent to our office. Okay, but I want to
touch on that Elder Abuse Task Force. Okay, So I
believe it was in two thousand and four that Elder
Abuse Task Force was created through the collaboration of local
stakeholders as well as the support of the Board of Commissioners.
(23:00):
So we can't thank them enough for the support that
they give to our office. And really our members that
make up that task force are going to be local
hospital systems, police, the postal inspector, District Attorney's office, as
well as other various state agencies to really talk about
the trends that are occurring in our community, and they
(23:20):
meet on a quarterly basis. They also will do case reviews,
so if we have a difficult case that we're working,
we can go to them and try to tap into
the resources they might have and really give us some
guidance on how to navigate and bestor of this individual.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Give me an idea like what A typical situation would
be somebody in neighbor calls and says, well, first of all,
it has to be anonymous, right.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
It does not need to be anonymous, but anybody that
wants to report abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment can remain anonymous.
So when they're talking to the intake worker to make that,
we call them reports of need use the term RONS.
They can choose to be anonymous, or they can disclose
their name, but the name would never be given to
(24:04):
the alleged perpetrator, so we don't use the reporter's name.
We don't give that out to anybody, so that remains
confidential with our office. But they can choose to give
their name because at times we want to follow up
with them and have an additional discussion of how can
we best serve that individual.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Okay, now we're talking about abuse. Are we talking neglect too?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yes? Okay, so it could be self neglect, which I
would say is the most prevalent case that we get,
and then there's also caregiver neglect.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Well, self neglect.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
People are getting older and yet well I don't know,
you don't know how it is, but trust me, as
you get older, you forget things you think you did things.
Typically when a situation about that neglect is that kind
of the they're aging.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
That could be okay, So I'll first go over self neglect.
Then this is really the inability or a failure of
an individual to care for themselves in a way to
meet their physical, mental, or emotional wealth being. And some
examples of this could be poor hygiene, poor personal hygie,
not showering or bathing regularly, unsafe living conditions, poor nutrition,
(25:10):
lack of medical care or medication, mismanagement, social isolation, declining
cognitive or mental functioning, financial mismanagement, So their bills go unpaid,
maybe they're not paying their taxes, and really it's a
failure to obtain goods and services on their own.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well a lot of times every think you talk about
things like not paying your taxes. No one would have
to report that you check on things like that all
the time.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, this could be that someone might be at risk
of losing their house, and that's what I'm talking. Yeah,
So someone might be at risk of losing their home
and they're having an increased difficulty with making those decisions.
So they might call our office to see what information
resources we may have as well as the complete a
comprehensive investigation. So when we receive those reports of need,
(25:57):
we don't only specifically look at what the allegations are.
We investigate for all areas of abuse. So it's not
so if it comes in as self neglect, we're still
going to be looking for caregiver neglect, verbal abuse, sexual abuse,
financial exploitation. We look at all areas for every single
case that we receive.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
You know, it's another thing, as I've said, and we're
going to be for going down memory lane. But used
to be where kids took care of their parents even
if they've left town because they field there wasn't anything
for them in that town. Somebody would check in on
mom and dad. But you don't see that anymore. It's
scary Or do you two kids still take care of
their parents or their grandparents.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
I would say there are many individuals who provide immense
support and care to their parents.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
That's good.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
But there's also individuals where they're really socially isolated. And
you know, I do have that listed as one of
the three major concerns for Dauphin County is social isolation. Yes,
so many older adults face the risk of social isolation
due to physical limitations, cognitive impairment, mobility issues, or loss
(27:08):
of close family members or friends, and without regular social
interactions that can provide or be a detriment to an
individual's physical and mental well being.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So what's the answer or something like that you want
to it's mental health. That's the number one issue, not
only here but across the country is mental health. So
what do you do for these seniors? What do you
have to provide for them?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Great question. So it could be if an individual needs
mental health, we will we will offer to make referrals
to our colleagues at mental health, autism and developmental programs
who are outstanding and we work closely with all the
human services within Dauphin County. So although an individual might
be coming to us because of one issue, if we
(27:51):
uncover or have a discussion with them that they have
other needs, we're more than happy and will connect them
with the other entities or resources that could best meet
their needs.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Okay, you know we'll run out of time. We're going
to start this for next week, but I gotta thank
you again. Ben from Benza, Administrator for Dauphin County's Area
on Aging He's going to be here again, as I said,
next week to talk about this, and I want to
remind you tell everybody you know you can listen to
Inside every week under one of our iheartstations there's ten
of them, or anytime on your favorite podcast stuff. I'm
(28:23):
Sylvia Moss. This has been Inside. Thanks so much for listening.
To see you next week. Every six minutes, two hundred
(28:47):
and forty people in this country are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Right now. There is no cure, but there are ways
to manage it. For more information, contact the American Parkinson's
Disease Association at one eight half hundred two two three
two seven three two, or visit ap DA Parkinson dot org. Hi,
(29:07):
this is iHeart, Public Affairs director and host of Insight,
Sylvia Moss.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Each week on.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Insight, we address and try to provide the best local
resources for issues that you tell me are the most
important to you, the ones that have the biggest impact
on your everyday lives. INSIGHT's also a place where we
can let you know about exciting community events and introduce
you to many of the incredible people who work hard
every single day just to make all of our lives better.
If you're not able to listen to Insight when it
(29:32):
airs on this station each week, then catch it on
your favorite podcast.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Thank you for listening.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Hope Within Ministries provides health, dential and counseling services to
low income residents of Lebanon, Lancaster, and Dauphin counties. They
need dentists, physicians, and others to volunteer their services just
a few hours a month. For more information on the
ways that you can volunteer or donate, go to Hope
within dot org. If I had a heart to heart
with my dad, I talk about what I'm planning on
(30:01):
doing with my life.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Tell me Dad that I wish we'd do more stuff
to I just want to talk.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Give your family everything, give them your time.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints
Hi, I'm Sylvia Loss and this is insight, a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Who live here.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Well, we all heard this, like father, like sons, but
these days don't ever estimate the influence of a mother,
because more and more sons are choosing to follow in
their mother's footsteps, especially when choosing a career. Our guest
today is a true reflection of his mother, who, among
her many accomplishments, was a longtime leader in the Commonwealth's
care of adults. With us is Ben Knox, Dauphin County's
(00:31):
new administrator for its area Agency on Aging. For the
last eight years, Ben's been in the Aging care Manager
supervisor for Dauphin County. Prior to that, he worked in
both Dauphin and Cumberland Counties in the area of probation
and with NHS and Human.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Services well by.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
There's no doubt you've got the services or the experience,
the skills, the strong work ethics. But I think when
I met you, I think what was the most assuring
to me is the fact that you have a passion.
It seems to be unwavering for seniors in this area.
So I'm really happy about that. You know, over the
years that I've been doing this program, I've always when
(01:09):
people talk about seniors, they say, well, how do I
find out about this? Do you know about that? This
is going to be a two part program, with the
second part airing next week, because hopefully will get a
lot of the answers from Ben this week. If we don't,
we'll swing right into the next week. And also he'll
be able to give you some information as to where
you can get any information you need.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
When I was a kid growing up, I got to tell.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You this, it was kind of a mortal obligation to
respect your elders.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Ben, and I do not know where that went.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
I think what you have never lost in your office
your agency is the fact that you feel that way.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Can you talk about how that plays into your mission? Yes?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Absolutely, And I first want to start off by thanking
you for inviting me here, really getting a platform for
agency to tell talk about the good work that we
do and to move into our mission statement. Really in
a nutshell, Dolphin County Area Agency on Aging provides supports
and services to older adults in Douphin County. We really
want to promote and insure safety and independence at home
(02:14):
or really in long term care facilities. We are committed
to mobilizing all available resources in Dauphin County to combat
and bring to justice anyone who attempts to harm or
exploit an older adult. And really that gets to the
main mission for us is we want individuals to age
in place age where they reside. So that's really at
the heart of our mission and what we're here to do.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You know, part of my job over the last almost
thirty years doing this is I got to keep on
top of what's going on in the area, like what
people are most concerned about. And when I talk to
you about this, you gave me three things that you
thought that our seniors were most interested about.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
What they need some pour on and I want to
go through some of those. The first one is housing.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Tell us, first of all, I want to find out
anybody who looking at for any type of housing in
the area, not anybody better senior. First of all, what
do you consider a senior to be able to get
certain services at what age?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Great question, So that's going to be individuals that are
sixty and over or eligible for any of our programs
within our office. Okay, well, we do provide some assistance
for individuals under the age of sixty in a limited capacity.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Okay, well, you know what I heard about this a
couple of years ago. To be honest with you, my
sister in law. It's called a family care care and
giver support program. And she had been a chatter master's
in nursing, and she ran a nursing home and her
parents got older and they didn't have that much, and
she got paid to take care of her parents. Is
(03:37):
that part of That's how I understand the family caregiver
support program?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Is that, right?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It's so that your own family can take care of you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Right.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
So the program through our office is a reimbursement program. Okay,
So we reimburse a client's primary caregiver for a percentage
of their out of pocket expenditures. So fundamentally, the caregiver
has to be a designated caregiver, must purchase all services
and or supplies for the clients, and then they'll be
reimbursed on a monthly basis by our office, and we
(04:08):
reimburse up to six hundred dollars per month. Now, what
you're referencing is the community Health Choices waiver program where
some family members or their designee could be paid, could
be a paid care game.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well, you're going to have to do a lot of
correct here on this during this show, because I don't
hope it's because I'm getting older.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
There's a whole lot of stuff going on. Okay, that
sounds good.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Well, the permanent that I'm talking about is that the
one where it could be somebody I don't know, somebody
from your.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Church can come into the house and take care of you.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
It can be one to be your kids, somebody in
the family, whatever, but a husband can't.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
So it's gonna be so our office isn't directly involved
in choosing the agency model, where an individual who has
been approved for the Community Health Choices Waiver program could
choose to have an agency come in or it could
be participant directed. So when it's participant directed, that's when
the care receiver is going to outline who or designate
(05:04):
who they want to provide that care directly to that.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Okay, do a lot of these programs we're going to
talk about, or you're going to give us an idea about.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Are they pretty much? Well, here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
People when they go whether they go into nursing home,
have private care, certain things take.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Care of it.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
But you start out in most cases with welfare and
not welfare medicare. That runs out eventually, and then almost
everybody ends up if they're going to be long term
like a nursing home, they're going to be on Medicaid, right.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
That's correct. So the requirements for the Community Hell Choices
Waiver program as an individual cannot make more than two
nine and one dollars and cannot have assets greater than
eight thousand dollars. Now, the level of care that's required
for that program is they must meet the nursing facility
level of care. So essentially, the same type of care
(05:56):
that's provided in a nursing facility is provided at home.
But you are correct, Medicaid is the funding for long
term care services above and beyond you know medicaid.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Can you give me an idea what the program provides
for as far as like you said, well, first of all,
before we get into that, when someone calls you, you
assess their needs, right, That's the first thing you need
to do. You figure out what they need, and then
you figure out, i mean, figure out what they need
where they are financially how they want to live the
rest of their lives. You talked about sharing some of
(06:29):
the costs, but does the thing that I wanted to
ask about, If you're going to be a caregiver, you
have to have some sort of training.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
So our office is not involved, Okay, the authorization of
those caregivers. So, but what our office does do is
we complete the functional eligibility determination assessment, which is going
to be one component of being approved for long term
care services. The two other components are going to be
a physician needs to determine the individual medically meets the
(06:56):
criteria or the appropriate level of care, and then the
third component is going to be financially qualifying. Now, as
I talked about, our office completes the functional Eligibility determination assessment.
We call them fds, and this is completed by ironically,
our assessment unit. So really, when we complete these assessments,
(07:16):
there's two outcomes nursing facility clinically eligible or nursing facility ineligible.
So what happens after that assessment is we forward those
results to the independent enrollment broker who's tasked with the
enrollment aspect of collecting all the documentation and then submitting
it to the County Assistance Office and really that process
can take up to ninety days from individuals that start
(07:39):
and originally apply until they're approved. And there's home health
aids coming into the home.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Okay, so it's pretty pretty much you evaluate people and
send them in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Is what do you do that's correct?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Do Is there any type of counseling with it when
you talk to them or is that something else that
is sent to someone else to do? This is what
we found you need we found And let me ask
you that you said medical, like if they are is
it medically?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Are they are they?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Do they need help enough to be put in nursing
home or is this something that could be taken care
at home or whatever? That's what you're trying to determine.
How do you determine?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
What do you look for?
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Great question? So we determine as I talked about those
two outcomes, nursing facility clinically eligible or nursing facility ineligible.
And we're really going through several key things on our assessment.
So it's going to be mooting cognition, the ability to
complete activities the day a living, so we would be
evaluating do they need hands on assistance with bathing, dress
(08:40):
and grooming, transferring toileting, things of that nature, as well
as their continents are the incontinent of boo and black.
Ok So, fundamentally, individuals that would be authorized to have
Medicaid be utilized to pay for the long term care
services have to need extensive hand honestly, well, hold on.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Saying I'm gonna ask you this.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I was under the assumption and I was told many times,
don't ever assume that in order to qualify that you
have to be on Medicaid first.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
No, no, So they would be applying for medicaid for
individuals that don't have it or switching over to long
term care.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
Gotcha, Okay, I'm sorry I interrupted you. No, that's okay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
So you were talking about how it's the term or
whether you have to the different things that you look for.
Can can a person who is applying for this, can
they appeal it if they feel that they need it
absolutely to go to nursing home.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Individuals that are unsatisfied with the result, There is an
appeal process and they would receive that documentation through the
County Assistance office.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Okay, Okay, forgive me.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
There's so many titles of so many progress and now
one of the things you talked about was the Community
Health Choices Waiver program, right, yes, okay, what else you
have going? And if you want to tell me anymore
that's well, first of all that one has you have
to be approved for. Well everybody is approved pretty much
for Medicare, but that's Medicare and Medicaid pays for it.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Right, it would be Medicaid would pay would be.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Okay, So what is that? What makes that difference in
anything else that's available.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So just to get into what that program is. So
this is really for anyone who's eighteen years or older.
So when I talked about who do we serve all
of our in house program so options CSP, those programs
or protective services, those are going to be specifically for
individuals over the age of sixty, but individuals that may
(10:31):
need long term care, they can be under the age
of sixty. So we assess anyone over the age of
eighteen or older may request this functional Eligibility determination assessment.
And it's really individuals who have a personal care need
or disability and they're seeking some type of personal care assistance.
So that could be through the Community Health Choices waiver program,
(10:52):
or they're seeking personal care home placement through the Supplemental
Security Income or nursing facility placement, which will be primarily
funded by Medicaid. So to drill into and I would
say this is the most popular choice where we see
a lot of individuals applying is going to be for
that Community Health Choices waiver program because they want to
remain their homes in agent place exactly. So this program
(11:15):
provides critical services that allow individuals, as I talked about,
agent places, and remain their home. Those services are as
I talked about, primarily funded and may include, but not
limited to, homehoalth services, adult day daily living services, home
delivered meals, subsidized transportation, personal emergency response systems, companion services,
(11:37):
home modification services, as well as respite services.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
A lot of people ask me about the home modification services.
Can you get that and stay in your home? That
is correct, Okay, what are we talking about here? That's
just modification.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
So home modifications, and I would say the most common
ones are going to be an individual has impairments with
going up and down the stairs, could be funding could
be used to put in a stairlift or a ramp
to their home to make their home more accessible, or
to put grab bars in areas where they might need
more assistance. Most commonly would be a bathroom. Now that
(12:16):
can so those home modifications can be through the Community
Health Choices waiver program, but individuals that might only have
one impairment with an activity day living, our office also
subsidize home modifications. So it would be an allotment, a
one time, lifetime allotment of up to five thousand dollars
through our Caregiver Support program where we would provide that
(12:38):
funding for a home modification.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
I'll be programmed. Don't you get them confused, because I'm
already confused. Seriously.
Speaker 3 (12:45):
You know, I've been with the agency since twenty sixteen
and understanding our programs can be challenging for new hires,
but I have several years of reviewing and understanding these programs,
so I'm able to keep them up in a sense.
But what I want to emphasize with our Caregiver Support program,
individuals cannot just be referred just for the home modification.
(13:09):
There has to be an ongoing monthly reimbursement need. And
this is going to be the program that our office
provides reimbursements to a designated caregiver. So we touched on
that a little bit earlier.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
So do you have to reapply every year? Say you're
in a nursing home. Must you qualify for this another
the following year?
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Great for the rest of your life?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Great question. So for individuals receiving Medicaid, their managed care
organization will complete an assessment and then our office is
tasked with doing a desk review to review both assessments
to determine if they still qualify now in our family
or in our caregiver support program. We have a contact
(13:50):
plan that we follow, so we complete a and a
reevaluation if you will, every six months to ensure that
they continue to qualify as well. We have a contact plan,
so we're reaching out right after services start as well
as at three months.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
You work in Cuverland County too. You're familiar with this
because I said, but you grew up with it. How
do we compare with other other counties, other states as
far as the ability to take care of all the
needs of our seniors?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (14:21):
Great question? So, I mean I think we in thinking
through what our population is doing. So it is absolutely booming.
So what we can anticipate over the next several years
is that one in three individuals in Pennsylvania will be
over the age of sixty. So I see the strain
on our infrastructure and services occurring. So we are very
(14:43):
fortunate in Pennsylvania as the lottery Fund is the primary
funding for all these programs that we receive from the state,
So we're very unique in that in that facet, as
not every state is set up the exact same way
for the funding streams for these programs to be funded.
So I think we are well positioned to continue to
serve those individuals in Dauphin County as well as cross Pennsylvania.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Okay, I want to talk to about other things too,
other than whether you're in nursing home or your home.
But there are things out there that I don't know.
It's typical like you administered this or this is your
own personal program. That gets confusing too. One of the
things is adult daycare. Talk to us about that one.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yes, our office, this is going to be through our
options program under that options umbrella, so our office will
subsidize up to five days of adult daycare for an
individual that's in need. And really the cost is going
to be on a cost share based on the client
and the client's spouse's income. So if their income is
(15:44):
on the lower end, the county could subsidize one hundred
percent of that cost. Or if it's on the high end,
it's going to be a cost share, So maybe it's
fifty to fifty seventy thirty. But I would encourage anyone
who's interested to reach out to our office and will
complete a an assessment it's called the Needs Assessment tool.
(16:05):
Will have a care manager come out and meet with
that individual to discuss the program as well as all
of our programs to assess their needs and if they
qualify for the program.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Are you satisfied with what we're doing in Douphin County?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Do you think?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I mean, you've been doing this for quite a while.
Just I'm sure things come up. We think, boy, we
could use this, we need that. What about what's your
opinion about that? Are what services might not be? Aren't
being met that you would like to see?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
That great question keep saying that.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
So for me, I'm never satisfied and I'm always looking
for process improvement. So I want to continue to improve
the way that we are serving Douphin County residents, and
you know, there's three big issues that we touched on
briefly where I see a huge need where individuals are
being underserved, and that's not just going to be Dolphin County,
is going to be across Pennsylvania. So the first one
(16:55):
is going to be related to housing. So the availability
of affordable and accessible housing off for old adults continues
to be a major concern. From the stories of old
adults and the individuals we served, they are faced with
great difficulty in finding suitable living spaces that meet their needs,
so that could be single level homes or units equipped
(17:17):
with age friendly features like grab bars, ramps, or things
of that nature. On the kind of in line with
that is also the rising housing and rent costs and
a lack of inventory specifically tailored to senior citizens can
really make it difficult for individuals to remain in their communities,
(17:37):
which is our fundamental goal at Dauphin County Air Agency
on aging.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
I'm glad you said that because you know why, twenty
thirty years ago, Bobby Kasey used to come in here
when he was ordered to general and the one thing
he was said was the seniors want to stay in
their homes. You would think that there would be some
sort of program across Pennsylvania where they listen to these
seniors that's what they do. Instead new homes, I would
imagine across a heck of a lot, let's let them
(18:03):
stay in their own homes.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Do you find that to be the case?
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (18:09):
And like I said, that is our number one goal
is to assist individuals, connect them or resources and really
allow them to age in place.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay, you know there's something else I want to mention.
There's so many different things that I don't know if
we're going to have time even in two weeks, But
one of the things I want to bring up is
the fact that the county is looking for people who
want to be part of is it.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
A council to discuss senior issues? Tell me about that?
Do you know anything about that? Yes?
Speaker 3 (18:37):
So in Dauphin County, we have a Dolphin County Advisory
Council that advises Dolphin County Urgency on aging as well
as the commissioners. So really through this council, we're looking
for new initiatives as well as team players to collaborate
to really benefit the benefit the community. So we meet
on fundamentally a monthly basis, so there's either an executive
(19:01):
meeting or a general meeting where we meet to discuss
these issues and come up with what is achievable for
us to move the needle in our community.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
How's that working for you?
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I would say outstanding. So we have a great council
with several outstanding members that are very engaged and really
care about their community. So that aligns with me in
meeting the needs of older residents in Dauphin County.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
We want to talk about more of that other two things,
but also what I wanted to talk about is you
have a what you call a information assistance program, a
resource center which you can reach out to Ben at
the courthouse. You can reach if you're in northern Dauphin County,
they have another number two, or call the county asked
for a specific office. But this resource center is a
(19:52):
resource Yeah, I guess you call it a resource center.
They can direct you in almost any direction. They understand
because they're specialists in helping elderly right.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Else about that absolutely, and this is going to be
regardless of age, So we're not going to turn anybody
away that is under the age of sixty. And this
is really operated by our Intake unit, who specializes in
gathering community resources and really being a one stop shop
for information on a variety of community resources and services
(20:20):
in Dauphin County. As you talked about, we're located downtown
on the third floor of the Dauphin County Administration Building,
as well as there's a satellite office in Northern Dauphin
County at the Northern Dolphin Human Services Building, and as
well as we can be reached by phone, so either
coming into our office or calling us with any need
you may have. Even if we don't have the resource,
(20:42):
we will try our best to get it for you
or connect to other Dauphin County departments to connect you
to those resources.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
I'd like to talk about one of the things you
had mentioned before, some of the services that are available,
Like we've all heard about meals on Wheel.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
What's that? I mean, how do you qualify for that?
How do you get it set up?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And I know it's it's a good meal, Like how
often does it come? Yes?
Speaker 3 (21:08):
So I would say home delivered meals is our most
visible program. So we have approximately eight hundred individuals receiving
those home delivered meals, and really to qualify you have
to meet one of the following criteria. You have to
have either some type of physical impairment, cognitive impairment, could
(21:28):
be lack of resources. So if an individual's low income,
they could qualify based solely on that, or they reside
with somebody who's unable unwilling to cook for them. Because
one of the fundamental things is we need our community
to get a nutritious meal. So those meals are provided
five days a week, so Monday through Friday.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
You know what, the thing that bothers me the most,
and this happens rather something a couple of weeks ago
in York County was horrible. Years are abused one way
or the other. But in Dauphin Country for some time
you've had a task force. Tell us about that and
how you're trying to help seniors stay safe, and what
(22:11):
do you need to do if you find out somebody
is being abused or if someone need the person being abused,
what do they do?
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Great question? So we receive a last year, we received
approximately one thousand, five hundred reports of needs, so allegations
of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Wh wha, wha wha Like, tell without identifying anybody, like,
what do you consider abuse and what's going on a
thousand people?
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, so that's going to be a thousand reports that
were sent to our office. Okay, but I want to
touch on that Elder Abuse Task Force. Okay, So I
believe it was in two thousand and four that Elder
Abuse Task Force was created through the collaboration of local
stakeholders as well as the support of the Board of Commissioners.
(23:00):
So we can't thank them enough for the support that
they give to our office. And really our members that
make up that task force are going to be local
hospital systems, police, the postal inspector, District Attorney's office, as
well as other various state agencies to really talk about
the trends that are occurring in our community, and they
(23:20):
meet on a quarterly basis. They also will do case reviews,
so if we have a difficult case that we're working,
we can go to them and try to tap into
the resources they might have and really give us some
guidance on how to navigate and bestor of this individual.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Give me an idea like what A typical situation would
be somebody in neighbor calls and says, well, first of all,
it has to be anonymous, right.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
It does not need to be anonymous, but anybody that
wants to report abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment can remain anonymous.
So when they're talking to the intake worker to make that,
we call them reports of need use the term RONS.
They can choose to be anonymous, or they can disclose
their name, but the name would never be given to
(24:04):
the alleged perpetrator, so we don't use the reporter's name.
We don't give that out to anybody, so that remains
confidential with our office. But they can choose to give
their name because at times we want to follow up
with them and have an additional discussion of how can
we best serve that individual.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Okay, now we're talking about abuse. Are we talking neglect too?
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Yes? Okay, so it could be self neglect, which I
would say is the most prevalent case that we get,
and then there's also caregiver neglect.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Well, self neglect.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
People are getting older and yet well I don't know,
you don't know how it is, but trust me, as
you get older, you forget things you think you did things.
Typically when a situation about that neglect is that kind
of the they're aging.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
That could be okay, So I'll first go over self neglect.
Then this is really the inability or a failure of
an individual to care for themselves in a way to
meet their physical, mental, or emotional wealth being. And some
examples of this could be poor hygiene, poor personal hygie,
not showering or bathing regularly, unsafe living conditions, poor nutrition,
(25:10):
lack of medical care or medication, mismanagement, social isolation, declining
cognitive or mental functioning, financial mismanagement, So their bills go unpaid,
maybe they're not paying their taxes, and really it's a
failure to obtain goods and services on their own.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
Well a lot of times every think you talk about
things like not paying your taxes. No one would have
to report that you check on things like that all
the time.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, this could be that someone might be at risk
of losing their house, and that's what I'm talking. Yeah,
So someone might be at risk of losing their home
and they're having an increased difficulty with making those decisions.
So they might call our office to see what information
resources we may have as well as the complete a
comprehensive investigation. So when we receive those reports of need,
(25:57):
we don't only specifically look at what the allegations are.
We investigate for all areas of abuse. So it's not
so if it comes in as self neglect, we're still
going to be looking for caregiver neglect, verbal abuse, sexual abuse,
financial exploitation. We look at all areas for every single
case that we receive.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
You know, it's another thing, as I've said, and we're
going to be for going down memory lane. But used
to be where kids took care of their parents even
if they've left town because they field there wasn't anything
for them in that town. Somebody would check in on
mom and dad. But you don't see that anymore. It's
scary Or do you two kids still take care of
their parents or their grandparents.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
I would say there are many individuals who provide immense
support and care to their parents.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
That's good.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
But there's also individuals where they're really socially isolated. And
you know, I do have that listed as one of
the three major concerns for Dauphin County is social isolation. Yes,
so many older adults face the risk of social isolation
due to physical limitations, cognitive impairment, mobility issues, or loss
(27:08):
of close family members or friends, and without regular social
interactions that can provide or be a detriment to an
individual's physical and mental well being.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So what's the answer or something like that you want
to it's mental health. That's the number one issue, not
only here but across the country is mental health. So
what do you do for these seniors? What do you
have to provide for them?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Great question. So it could be if an individual needs
mental health, we will we will offer to make referrals
to our colleagues at mental health, autism and developmental programs
who are outstanding and we work closely with all the
human services within Dauphin County. So although an individual might
be coming to us because of one issue, if we
(27:51):
uncover or have a discussion with them that they have
other needs, we're more than happy and will connect them
with the other entities or resources that could best meet
their needs.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Okay, you know we'll run out of time. We're going
to start this for next week, but I gotta thank
you again. Ben from Benza, Administrator for Dauphin County's Area
on Aging He's going to be here again, as I said,
next week to talk about this, and I want to
remind you tell everybody you know you can listen to
Inside every week under one of our iheartstations there's ten
of them, or anytime on your favorite podcast stuff. I'm
(28:23):
Sylvia Moss. This has been Inside. Thanks so much for listening.
To see you next week. Every six minutes, two hundred
(28:47):
and forty people in this country are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Right now. There is no cure, but there are ways
to manage it. For more information, contact the American Parkinson's
Disease Association at one eight half hundred two two three
two seven three two, or visit ap DA Parkinson dot org. Hi,
(29:07):
this is iHeart, Public Affairs director and host of Insight,
Sylvia Moss.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
Each week on.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Insight, we address and try to provide the best local
resources for issues that you tell me are the most
important to you, the ones that have the biggest impact
on your everyday lives. INSIGHT's also a place where we
can let you know about exciting community events and introduce
you to many of the incredible people who work hard
every single day just to make all of our lives better.
If you're not able to listen to Insight when it
(29:32):
airs on this station each week, then catch it on
your favorite podcast.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Thank you for listening.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Hope Within Ministries provides health, dential and counseling services to
low income residents of Lebanon, Lancaster, and Dauphin counties. They
need dentists, physicians, and others to volunteer their services just
a few hours a month. For more information on the
ways that you can volunteer or donate, go to Hope
within dot org. If I had a heart to heart
with my dad, I talk about what I'm planning on
(30:01):
doing with my life.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Tell me Dad that I wish we'd do more stuff
to I just want to talk.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Give your family everything, give them your time.
Speaker 3 (30:09):
From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints
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