Reflecting on 2024 brings into view just how important it is that new growth be built upon the success of the past.

We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Area Agencies on Aging and the aging network. We have evolved to reflect the demographics and changing needs of the 60+ population over these 50 years. We have provided home-based services and built a provider network using federal Older Americans Act dollars.

We have developed alternatives to nursing home placement as the administrators of the state’s PASSPORT community-based Medicaid Waiver program. We have also used the expertise gained in PASSPORT, combined with our superior customer service approaches, to create a successful partnership baseline for the members joining in the implementation of Medicaid-managed care for dual eligibles in MyCare Ohio.

We have used this history to position ourselves for continued growth.

2024 was the first year for Abigail Morgan as the new President and CEO. At the beginning of her first year in this role, Ms. Morgan oversaw the implementation of new programs in three of our four counties using healthy aging grant funds from the State of Ohio; these programs were designed to provide digital and internet connections, home repair, and in-home services.

Under her leadership, the Agency also received $4m in new funding for an expanded program offering in-home care coordination, internet access with tablets and training, and home modifications and repair that allowed elders to age in place. She built a new leadership team bringing together new talent and tenured executives. This team oversaw the transition of leadership and location of our headquarters to our new building in Green, Ohio.

There were several significant goals for the coming years set by Ms. Morgan and her leadership team.

Healthcare providers are now assessing for social needs that impact individual health, known as Health-Related Social Needs. These needs, like transportation, housing, and access to healthy foods impact the health and well-being of a patient and are the supports provided by Area Agencies on Aging for 50 years.

We are positioned to assist the medical community in adapting practices and approaches by combining their medical knowledge with Direction Home’s proven approach to community-based supports, all built around our comprehensive assessments.

Closer to home, we have started to reframe the purpose and practices of our fundraising arm, the Direction Home Foundation.

We spent 2024 envisioning and planning for a new way to raise and distribute funds that emphasize the aging experience so that individuals are empowered to achieve the positive future they envision for themselves. We must expand our target to provide for these individuals in ways that allow them to achieve what positive aging means to them.

We will develop the next generation of older adult solutions by creating resources, innovation, and implementation of grants and programs that can make a difference to thousands of adults in our area.

We are proud to look back 50 years on the history of our network and see all the good accomplished, the lives positively impacted, the relationships built with stakeholders, and the value provided to those wishing to remain in the community.

Our current situation is one of the strengths borne from this history combined with a passionate vision for what our future holds as we each age. We are thankful to have had 50 golden years and looking forward to 50 more with you joining us in our efforts.

Celebrating 50 years of the 1973 Older Americans Act establishing Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) as the organizations responsible for helping older adults live independently in their home and communities.

PORTAGE COUNTY: Movement formally introduced

STARK COUNTY: Completes needs assessment in Phase 1

SUMMIT COUNTY: Age Friendly Coordinating Council formed

Ohio aging advocates hard at work attended the USAging 2024 Aging Policy Briefing in Washington D.C., including several representatives from Direction Home Akron Canton who advocated on reauthorization and funding for the Older Americans Act (OAA). The OAA funds Area Agencies on Aging across the country, which have been the leading experts on providing aging services for over 50 years.

Abigail Morgan was announced as the new President & CEO of Direction Home following Gary Cook’s retirement. Abby was formerly Direction Home’s Chief Operating Officer.

Healthy Aging grants in Portage and Stark Counties begin accepting referrals for home care, digital inclusion, home modifications, and legal services. The Healthy Aging grants are akin to Summit County’s Aging in Place program, also aiming to address service gaps for individuals not qualifying for Medicaid but still unable to privately pay.

Direction Home hosts its ribbon cutting ceremony to open 1949 Town Park Boulevard to the public.

Direction Home becomes one of 20 organizations to be awarded funding through the USAging Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care (COE). The COE is supported by the U.S. Administration for Community Living and will support community care hubs in their work to assess and address individuals’ health-related social needs and promote whole-person care.

Direction Home hosted the Customer Service Quality Improvement Project closing event for 6 participating Summit County nursing facilities. Facility project teams engaged in an intense 2-year project led by Julie Esack, Quality Improvement Ombudsman, that focused on the admission process, dining experience, activity programming, direct care staff, and physical environment. Bob Pacanovsky facilitated trainings about leadership, excellence, hospitality, and strategies to improve the resident and family experience.

Call volume to the Aging & Disability Resource Center increased a dramatic 45%, marking an era of unprecedented need. A large portion of the increase was due to Summit County’s Aging in Place program and other Non-Medicaid programs expanding services to greater amounts of people.

Direction Home staff joined other Ohio AAAs (& 1,400 other professionals!) in Tampa, FL for the USAging Conference. Direction Home, Bay Aging/VAAACares & WellWise Services Area Agency on Aging presented a workshop- Healthcare and Social Care Systems Integration: Technology Solutions & Critical System Capabilities.

Direction Home’s annual conference welcomed 200 attendees.

DISCUSSING:

• Shifts in Health Care
• Social Drivers of Health
• Personhood
• Care Crisis

IMPROVING OUTCOMES IN:

• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Behavioral Health
• Social Factors

Chris Fagerstrom, Senior Vice President of Home & Community-Based Services, is awarded the Area Agency on Aging Staff Person of the Year Award at the o4a conference. Congratulations, Chris!

• Focus on Direction Home
• Assistance and Collaboration with Ohio AAAs
• Transitioning to NextGeneration of MyCare in 2026
• Leading Groups and Advising Organizations

Chris helped navigate a 12% increase in care managed individuals in one year at Direction Home.

SeniorSubstanceHelp.com, a new Direction Home website with resources for opioid and substance use in older populations, protects and equips a vulnerable population more susceptible to mental and behavioral influences.

53% increase in older Ohioans seeking addiction treatment from 2009-2020.

12% Of substance use treatment-admitted Ohioans are older adults.

The Foundation Raffle Campaign directs its proceeds to advocacy efforts bettering the lives of older adults through the influence of public policy.

The last Medicare Made Simple seminar of the season takes place at Direction Home’s new office building. Over 150 people attended seminars to get free, unbiased information during open enrollment.

Awardees are recognized for outstanding citizenship, home care, service, advocacy, and scholarship at the annual Direction Home Awards Ceremony held at The Venue, Tallmadge. Summit County Councilman Jeff Wilhite was recognized with the Harvey L. Sterns Lifetime Achievement Award.

Thanks to additional Non-Medicaid funding such as Aging in Place and Healthy Aging grants, an additional 3,800+ people received assorted services from Direction Home in 2024.

Healthy Aging/ARPA

• 700 individuals received food box delivery
• 1,580 members of the Diners Club received over 4,250 restaurant meals
• 125 individuals received home-delivered meals and emergency response systems through Care Coordination Express
• 120 individuals received minor home modificatio ns and/or chore services
• 175 tablet/hotspot devices distributed
• 122 digital workshop attendees

Summit County Aging in Place

• 294 enrolled in care coordination services
• 345 enrolled in Care Coordination Express
• 87,000 meal deliveries
• 10,433 personal care hours
• 429 emergency response system deliveries
• 1,139 Adult Day Service days
• 1,500 one-way transportation trips
• 38 home modifications
• 306 chore services
• 250 tech devices delivered
• 669 Internet service months provided
• 735 individuals trained to use tech devices

watch stories on YouTube

• Aging in Place Success Stories
• Juli’s Journey
• William and Mary Ann’s Story Digital Inclusion Program