Who We Are

Commonly Used Terms in Aging

Access Services	One of the three priority service areas designated by the Older Americans Act in the 1978 amendments. Includes such services as transportation, outreach and case management.
Activity of Daily Living	(ADL) Activities such as eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, etc. which permit an individual to maintain an independent lifestyle. See also Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL).
Administration on Aging	(AoA) Federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for administering all programs authorized by the Older Americans Act.
Adult Foster Home	A residence providing accommodations, supervision and some personal care service for one or two unrelated adults. Adult Foster Homes are certified by the Ohio Department of Aging, through the Area Agencies on Aging.
Adult Protective Services	(APS) Services for persons age 60 and over who are known or suspected of suffering from abuse, exploitation or neglect, to the extent that either life is endangered or physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness results or is likely to result.
Advisory Council	Voluntary group of citizens who provide the Area Agency with information, guidance, advise and support to develop, coordinate and administer services to the planning and service area.
Advocacy	Responsibility to act on behalf of an individual or group to obtain a service or outcome.
Affirmative Action Plan	Documentation of need, citing circumstances, specific objectives, action steps and timetables to achieve equal opportunity.
Alzheimer's Respite	Day care and respite care for persons with Alzheimer=s Respite.
Annual Report	Summary of the Agency's activities, services and general operation for a calendar year.
Area Plan	Document created by each Area Agency on Aging and submitted to the Department of Aging in order to qualify for Title III funds under the Older Americans Act. The Area Plan contains a detailed statement of the manner in which the Area Agency is developing a comprehensive and coordinated system of delivery for activities funded under the Older Americans Act.
Assisted Living	A housing facility that may combine apartment style living with supportive services, designed to help older adults live in an independent setting for as long as possible.
Audit	Examination of the Area Agency's finances and records to assure the utilization of resources is consistent with the Agency's goals and objectives, and with accepted accounting standards.
Block Grant	Sum of funding for the following programs: Aid to Independent Living (AIL) Community Care Coordination State Match to IIIA Housing Coordinator State Home Delivered Meals funds State Transportation funds Home Repair
Case Management	Coordination of various services needed by vulnerable clients or patients.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services	(CMS) (Formerly HCFA) Federal agency created in 1977 to provide quality assurance for the Medicare and Medicaid programs under the Social Security Act.
Co-insurance	The portion of reimbursable hospital and medical expenses that, after the deductible has been met, Medicare does not cover, and for which the enrollee is responsible.
Community Based Care	Non-institutional services provided for individuals at the community level.
Community Focal Point	A place or facility (usually a senior center) designated by the Area Agency to be the coordinator of services delivered to older persons.
Congregate Meals	Program authorized by the Older Americans Act which provides at least one meal five or more days a week in a group setting. May also include nutrition education and other services.
Continuum of Care	A range of services developed and organized to address the variety of needs individuals have as they age.
Co-payments	Co-payments Cost sharing between insured persons and their insurance carriers to meet the costs of medical services.
Dementia	A state of mental deterioration caused by organic impairment and characterized by extreme forgetfulness and inability to reason.
Dietitian	Trained and licensed individual who oversees the nutrition program.
Disability Insurance	Federal benefits available to covered individuals who have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, lasting or expected to last not less than twelve months, which prevents substantial gainful activity.
Discharge Planning	Programs that coordinate continuing or follow-up care for a patient after his or her discharge from the hospital.
Equal Employment Opportunity	(EEO) Personnel practices based on merit, relative ability, knowledge and skills, not factors of race, color, religion, creed, country or origin, ancestry, political affiliation, sex, age or physical disability when such factors are not pertinent to job performance.
Fiscal Year	January 1 thru December 31
Geriatrics	Specialty in medicine focusing on the physical disabilities and diseases associated with aging and older persons.
Gerontology	The scientific study of aging in the physical, emotional, social and political realms.
Home Delivered Meals	Provides a nutritious meal delivered to the home of an older person who is homebound due to illness, incapacitating disability or isolation.
Home Health Care	Health services provided in an individual=s home, including nursing, physical, occupational or speech therapy, medical appliances, and health related or homemaker or social services.
Hospice Care	Care that addresses the physical, emotional, familial, social, psychological, legal and financial needs of a dying patient and family members.
House Bill 1084	(HB 1084) Grants to build/renovate senior centers.
Information & Referral	(I&R) A service mandated under Title III of the Older Americans Act to provide the link between people who need services and available community resources.
In-Home Services	Services provided to an individual in their home so that they maintain an independent lifestyle. Includes: chore, housekeeping, personal care, respite, telephoning, visiting, home repair. One of the priority services identified by the Older Americans Act.
In-kind	Third party contributions towards a project.
Institutional Care	Services provided in a group facility setting.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living	(IADL) Daily living activities that allow an individual to manage their living arrangement (shopping, meal preparation, housecleaning, laundry, telephoning, financial affairs). See also Activities of Daily Living (ADL).
Intermediate Care Facility	(ICF) Supervised environment for persons with stable chronic medical conditions requiring continuous supervision of and/or assistance with activities of daily living, but not requiring skilled nursing or hospital care.(ICF) Supervised environment for persons with stable chronic medical conditions requiring continuous supervision of and/or assistance with activities of daily living, but not requiring skilled nursing or hospital care.
Key Informant	Older person, family member or associate of an older person who provides information about services rendered.
Legal Services	One of three priority services designated by the Older Americans Act. Includes counseling, legal assistance and representation to protect an older person=s legal rights or interests.
Level of Care	(LOC) The type of professional care required to meet a patient=s or resident's health, psychological, social and rehabilitative needs. The level of care must be determined before application for Medicare and/or Medicaid benefits takes place. Includes an assessment of an individual's ability to perform daily living skills. See ADL's and IADLs.
Local Share	Portion of the costs of a project that are to be contributed by service providers as local cash or in-kind support.
Long Term Care	A continuum of services to meet the personal, health and social needs of vulnerable individuals whose needs will continue and possibly increase over an indeterminate period of time.
Long Term Care Ombudsman	Monitors concerns about nursing homes and in home services and works to resolve those concerns with both parties involved.
Match	A percentage of resources required to carry out a program, required of the service provider.
Meals on Wheels	Community based nutrition program that provides and delivers daily hot meals to homebound elderly individuals.
Monitoring	On-going program review to observe and analyze performance so that actual program implementation follows the designed plan.
Multipurpose Senior Center	(MPSC) Community facility which provides a wide range of supportive services, including health, social, nutrition and education; a facility for recreation and group activities for older persons.
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging	(N4A) National membership organization which represents the interests of Area Agencies on Aging in the development of national policies.
National Association of State Units on Aging	(NASUA) National membership organization which represents the State Units on Aging.
Needs Assessment	Collecting, analyzing and interpreting the difficulties of prospective clients which could be solved by provision of supportive services.
Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging	(O4A) State wide membership organization of Area Agencies on Aging.
Ohio Department of Aging	(ODA) State office responsible for services to older adults in Ohio.
Older Americans Act	Federal legislation governing services made available to older adults across the country.
Ombudsman	A person appointed to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses, to report findings and to help resolve the situation.
Operational Planning	Short term planning of the regular operation of the Area Agency, including programmatic and administrative responsibilities.
Outreach	Effort needed to locate, inform and persuade persons to participate in programs, includes any special assistance which meets their needs.
PASSPORT	Pre-Admission Screening System Providing Options and Resources Today. The state of Ohio's in-home entryway to long term care services. Provides in-person consultation of an individual's long term care needs, also provides Home Care services for Medicaid eligible individuals.
Planning	Management responsibility involving a systematic process of responsible decision making, which examines the future and exploits opportunities. The process is continual, cyclical and result oriented. The cycle involves mission statement, goals, objectives, action steps, monitoring evaluation and feedback.
Planning and Service Area	(PSA) A geographic area designated by the state for the purposes of planning, development, delivery and management of services, under the jurisdiction of an Area Agency, under an area plan.
Priority Services	Services which have the greatest relative importance. The Older Americans Act designates access, in-home and legal services as priorities.
Program Income	(PI) Includes money raised by the program or services, i.e. participant contributions, rental fees, interest income, etc.
Referral	Linkage with appropriate community resources to ensure necessary service will be delivered to the client.
Request for Proposal	(RFP) Common method used by Area Agencies to seek competitive bids from persons/groups wishing to provide services. The RFP specifies how a service will be provided.
Section 8	A federal rent supplement program specifically for families, disabled individuals or those over age 62.
Service Provider	An entity that is awarded a contract to provide services.
State Unit on Aging	(SUA) The single state agency designated to develop and administer a state plan on aging, and to be the focal point in aging issues within the state (ODA is the SUA in Ohio)
Strategic Planning	Long term planning of the total framework within which organizational design, operational and program planning takes place.
Targeting	Directing the kinds of services the concentration of programs and the distribution of funds assisting the older adults who are in greatest social or economic need, with particular attention paid to low-income, minority individuals.
Title IIIA	Administrative grant under the Older Americans Act.
Title IIIB	Grant for social services (transportation, chore, etc.) under the OAA.
Title IIIC-1	Grant for congregate meals program (provided at nutrition sites) funded under the OAA.
Title IIIC-2	Grant for home delivered meals program funded under the OAA.
Title IIID	Grant for in-home services funded under the OAA.
Title IIIE	Grant for caregiver support services.
Title XX	The title of the Social Security Act under which grants are made to states for the provision of social services (also referred to as the Social Services Block Grant).
Unit of Service	A defined part of a whole service; how the service is measured.
Unit Cost	A total cost of service divided by the unit of measure. Used in establishing fees, contract costs, and monitoring and controlling.
Universal Pre-Admission Review	(UPAR) The review of an individual's needs, used in determining appropriate nursing home placement.
USDA IIIC-1	Reimbursement from the federal government for each meal served at congregate nutrition sites.
USDA IIIC-2	Reimbursement from the federal government for each meal served through home delivered meals programs.
Volunteer Subsidy	Grant to support Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs (RSVP).