Warren County Elderly Services Program

ESP Client Profile

Kelly and his Warren County ESP Care Manager, Jena

Kelly was born in a home with a dirt floor and has lived simply ever since. But if you talk to Kelly about his rough and tumble days as a barkeep at a storied bar along the Little Miami River, you'll discover there's more to this small, 74-year-old man, than meets the eye.

Motorcycle gangs, floods, a less-than-savory clientele, gunshot wounds. These were some of the stories Kelly shared from his days working at the Train Stop Inn in Fosters, a speck of a community tucked in along Warren County's Old 3C Highway. Cheers it was not, but Kelly worked there for more than a decade and has the scars to prove it - parts of a bullet remain lodged in his back from the night some vengeful customers were tossed out of the bar.

Kelly has outlived 11 brothers and sisters. Herschel - Kelly's brother, friend and companion of 39 years - died in 2004. "That hurt me real bad," Kelly said and pointed to a cherished picture of the two brothers. It's not clear what was wrong with Herschel, but he needed to be watched after and Kelly did so faithfully for nearly 40 years, until Herschel needed more intensive care and supervision in a nursing home.

Plagued by arthritis in his back, Kelly now gets some help of his own through the Warren County Elderly Services Program (ESP). His care manager, Jena from ESP case management agency Warren County Community Services, makes sure Kelly gets the help he needs. Beyond ESP, Jena has helped raise money for Kelly when he needed to buy a burial marker for Herschel and when he needed to pay a utility fee to move into a more accessible apartment. "Jena has helped me so much," Kelly said.

WCESP helps Kelly maintain the simple, independent life he's always known. In his small Lebanon apartment, he studies his Bible (he has no TV) and watches the birds in the feeder outside his window. Kelly gets a few hours of homemaking and independent living assistance each week, and home-delivered meals. "It's great," Kelly said. "I can't do without it."

Who does ESP help?

The Elderly Services Program provides in-home care for eligible seniors who might otherwise be forced to leave their homes and enter a nursing facility. In 2008, some 15,000 older adults in southwestern Ohio received care in their own homes through the Elderly Services Program.

The typical ESP client is a woman in her 80s. She lives alone on a modest income of between $1,400-$1,700 per month, from which she pays between $240-$320 in out-of-pocket medical costs. Her income is too high to qualify for Medicaid, the government insurance program for the poor, but too low to allow her to hire in-home help.

From ESP, she receives an emergency response device, a daily home-delivered meal, and several hours a week of housekeeping help. ESP also added grab bars to her bathroom. With the help of her family and these basic services, she avoids premature placement in a nursing home.

What services are available?

ESP provides services such as Meals on Wheels, personal care (bathing and grooming), home-making and emergency response devices, to name a few. ESP clients also have a care manager who advocates for their needs, answers questions, and makes sure they receive the right services. Care managers have their clients' best interests at heart.

Who qualifies for ESP?

You may qualify for ESP if you are:

A Warren County resident
Age 60 or older
Impaired in everyday activities such as bathing, driving and preparing meals

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How much does ESP cost?

Care through the Elderly Services Program is free of charge or set at an affordable level, depending on income and assets. (More information)

Warren County Senior Services Tax Levy

In southwestern Ohio we are fortunate to have senior services levies in Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties. Throughout Ohio, more than 70 percent of counties have similar levies. Council on Aging administers the Elderly Services Programs in four area counties: Butler, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren.

November 2006: After levy victory, program grows and ends waiting list
After voters approved a 1.21-mill senior services tax levy in November 2006, care managers for the Warren County Elderly Services Program wasted no time in enrolling people who had been on a waiting list. The list had grown to nearly 300 people at the time of the levy. By spring of 2007, the list was gone. The levy was approved by 55 percent of voters and will raise $6 million a year for five years.

May 2002: The first Elderly Services levy is passed in Warren County by 60 percent of voters. The levy generated $3.9 million per year for five years.

For more information about the Elderly Services Levy and Program in Warren County, read the 2008 Warren County Elderly Services Annual Report.

How is ESP different from the PASSPORT program?

To qualify for PASSPORT, clients must be low income (Medicaid eligible) and severely disabled. Council on Aging works with area Department of Job and Family Services to determine Medicaid eligibility.

Most people do not qualify for Medicaid but still cannot afford to pay privately for in-home care. Friends and family may provide some help, but it's often not enough. This is where the Elderly Services Program steps in. ESP is a taxpayer supported program that, for many, may be their last option before nursing home placement. ESP clients can have a higher income level (some ESP clients have a co-payment) and a less-severe level of disability than PASSPORT clients. Because ESP is supported by county tax dollars, it is reserved for those who have no other options; it is the payer of last resort. In other words, ESP clients may not be eligible for services through another source such as Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.

Despite differences in income and disability qualifications, PASSPORT and ESP offer many of the same in-home care services, including housekeeping, personal care, medical transportation and home-delivered meals.

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