CASS Services
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CASS Delivers for Older Adults in Southwest Ohio
CASS is dedicated to meeting the needs and promoting independence for older adults throughout Southwest Ohio. Each year, we deliver essential services to over 2,000 senior citizens.
Did you know...An older person who is active - but indigent - may lack transportation to the grocery store or a medical appointment? An older adult in a wheelchair may need help with meals? Older adults who live alone may be able to stay in their home with services and support such as bill-paying, case management and other services?
Our clients rely on us for...
· Nutrition - meals delivered to clients' homes and served at our Senior Centers.
· Protection - services to oversee and coordinate clients' personal and financial matters.
· Socialization - programs and activities offered through our three Senior Centers.
· Transportation - rides to and from Senior Centers, shopping trips and medical appointments.
Nutrition Services
CASS is the largest provider of seniors' Meals-On-Wheels in the area, and the only meals provider delivering to the inner city. Depending on the client's situation, we provide frozen or chilled meals. Each week CASS delivers over 5,500 nutritious, balanced meals to qualified home-bound seniors. Meals are delivered weekdays between 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. All meals are low in fat and salt, and special diabetic meals are available.
For many inner-city seniors, our meals are literally a lifeline. And, with the food comes another form of nurture: daily human contact and support. Private pay meals may be arranged at a fee for non-qualified seniors. For more information about CASS Home-Delivered Meals, contact the meals program staff at (513) 721-0445.
Protection Services
CASS offers a range of services including:
-- Community-Based Case Management
-- Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP)
-- Representative Payee Program
-- Substance Abuse Case Management
Community-Based Case Management: Simple social isolation or infirmity can open the door to exploitation, even from family members and acquaintances. Perhaps a medical condition is going untreated, a once-healthy bank account is suddenly emptied, or a declining senior is neglecting himself. Our licensed, experienced social workers assess each referral and provide ongoing case management. We find appropriate community resources such as locating appropriate household help or securing bank accounts against fraudulent use to help ensure safety and independence.
Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP): The senior who is both very compromised and completely alone is a special, and often desperate case. Typically a group home or nursing home resident age 60 or older, this client may require a court-appointed Guardian to advocate for his or her interests, make health care decisions, and provide the comfort of human contact. Guardianship is a legally defined process. While it may pertain to the individual, the estate, or both, our program is solely involved in the care and management of the person. GAP recruits and trains guardians for this compassionate task, providing legal and social services support. CASS also holds quarterly training sessions to monitor program quality and assure dignity in the face of decline. To learn more about what it means to be a GAP Guardian, click here.
Representative Payee Program: CASS is the only organization providing money management in the home setting. This service may be needed when the inability to deal with finances leaves clients vulnerable to loss of housing, utilities, and more. We combine the expertise of social workers with trained staff who pay bills, set-up budgets, do grocery shopping, and even assist with Medicaid, Medicare and pre-need funeral planning - all in partnership with the senior, in their home.
Substance Abuse Case Management: Alcohol or chemical dependency can turn aging into an even more desperate struggle. Hamilton County residents age 55 and older can get hands-on-help, education, and ongoing case management from CASS social workers to help maintain sobriety and prevent a relapse. CASS also offers older adults sobriety meetings.
Transportation Services
CASS provides two kinds of vital transportation for those age 60 and older:
Senior Transport from various older adult communities to our Senior Centers, from those Centers to the grocery and other shopping, and on regularly scheduled recreation trips and outings - all helping seniors remain independent and actively engaged. Transportation to daily activities at the CASS Senior Centers helps keep vital social connections alive for many seniors who otherwise would be isolated and alone. For information about participation and schedules, contact the CASS transportation department at (513) 721-0375.
Medical Transport in wheelchair-equipped vans to doctors' offices, clinics and dialysis units is a crucial link for those confined to home. CASS provides door-to-door medical trips, many for non-ambulatory people. Seniors must qualify under the PASSPORT or ESP programs. Contact to Council on Aging at (513) 721-1025 for information.
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Cincinnati Area Senior Services, 2368 Victory Parkway, Suite 300, Cincinnati, OH 45206
Phone: (513) 721-4330 Fax: (513) 721-8304 Website: CASSdelivers.org