Eligibility

In keeping with Belmont Senior Services’ Mission Statement, our sole intention is to help Belmont County seniors maintain the highest degree of independent living for as long as possible. Services given where they are not needed tend to add to the deterioration of independence suffered in one’s later years. For that reason, need, is the primary determinate of eligibility once a person is found to meet age and residency requirements.

Clients are accepted for Senior Service Levy Supported services, based upon predetermined criteria that include:

1. Age and Residency are determined at the point of initial contact with a potential client, caregiver, or service professional. Persons who are not at least 60 years old, and/or are not residents of Belmont County are not eligible services through Belmont County.
2. Need, Frailty, and Family/Caregiver Support System will be assessed by trained personnel.

a. Our Assessment Nurse will make an appointment for an In-Home assessment as soon as possible (usually within 1-2 days) following initial request for service.
b. Eligibility Determination Assessment will then be presented to the Program Manager/s, and if the applicant is eligible, services will be scheduled as soon as there is an opening.

3. Persons who wish to receive Home Delivered Meals must be Homebound.

-Definitions-

-Age and Residency-

Applicants must be at least 60 years of age.
Applicants must reside within Belmont County, and cannot be a current resident of a nursing home or other in-patient facility.

-Need-

Persons who are in need of service are unable to perform some, or all of their activities of daily living such as laundry, housework, shopping, driving, meal preparation etc.
Determination of need is not related to financial means.
Determination of need is assessed by trained personnel.

-Family/Caregiver Support System-

A strong, intact family/caregiver support system is something everyone would hope to have when in need. The status of an applicant’s family/caregiver support system is one item assessed to determine need for services.

Many elderly have no one close to help them. These would be given priority over an individual who has, for example, a daughter next door.

-Frailty-

A frail person is someone who is weak, and requires a considerable taxing effort just to leave home infrequently for periods of short duration.

-Eligibility Determination Assessment-

The Client Registration Form, developed by The Ohio Department of Aging, is utilized to gather information that assists in determining an applicant’s eligibility.

-Assessment Nurse-

The best assessment tool can be useless if the person gathering information is not trained to recognize and understand medical, social, and physical problems that can be associated with aging. Recognizing and even anticipating problems, as well as having a thorough understanding of available community resources is one reason BSS Nurses are an excellent source for information and referral.

-Homebound-

Homebound is defined as: The condition of the client is such that there exists an inability to leave home without a considerable and taxing effort.