Resources

Your children are probably grown. You may have grandchildren. And, hopefully, you've accumulated some wealth. The people you appointed to step in in the event of incapacity when you were 35 may not be in a position to assist when you're 65. You may have retired or are contemplating doing so. ...

Go native this year. The Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio encourages folks to use and appreciate native plants. Use them the way nature does and reap the benefits. If you're new to gardening, or just new to natives, you might be surprised at the variety of easy-to-grow plants that you can incorporate into your backyard flowerbeds. Resistant to pests and diseases, natives are no-fuss additions that bring texture and color to yards. You won't have to worry about the vagaries of Ohio's weather when you stick with plants and trees that grow here naturally. From milkweed to trout lily, it's not difficult to find something that will work with your garden plan. ...

Chromebooks, which look like a laptop, and Chromeboxes, which resemble desktop computers, may be appropriate options for many who use a computer mostly for email and web surfing. Misconceptions regarding Chromebooks are rampant due to their widespread use in schools, but they’ve evolved nicely for personal and professional use and are budget friendly. ...

A Gift of Independence card can be a way to celebrate or reward a family member or anyone else with special needs who has opened an ABLE account.  The cards are offered in denominations from $25 to $200. There is no expiration date for redeeming the funds. ...

 The number of older borrowers increased by at least 20 percent between 2012 and 2017. Some of these borrowers were borrowing for themselves, but the majority was borrowing for others. The study found that 73 percent of student loan borrowers age 60 and older borrowed for a child’s or grandchild’s education. ...

The Cuyahoga County Division of Senior and Adult Services is partnering with the Cleveland Clergy Alliance to launch a new program to connect seniors with County services. An unveiling of the partnership was held last Friday at St. Aloysius Church in Cleveland.

The collaboration, funded through the County’s Health and Human Services Levy, will deploy church ‘navigators’ to connect seniors in need to services such as: health care benefits; property tax and prescription drug discounts; home energy, food and housing assistance; and legal and employment services.

“One of the County’s top priorities is to ensure all residents are safe, supported and able to care for themselves,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “The new church navigator program will help connect seniors to services that are already available to them to help meet their immediate needs.”

The Cleveland Clergy Alliance is a non-profit organization that serves as a hub for faith-based community engagement. Chief Executive Officer Reverend Lorenzo Norris expressed his pride in the new program by saying, “We are coming together to make the City of Cleveland and the County senior friendly.”

The program originated in 2015 when the partners conducted a need assessment among seniors in their congregations and identified that many of them were not aware of services available to them or how to access them. The partners determined that the best way to reach the seniors was in their homes and at their houses of worship since they did not frequent senior centers or other venues due to transportation issues.

Jacquelyn Adams, the program’s outreach administrator, will lead a team of ten navigators from churches throughout the County, as they reach out to seniors in their communities. “The navigators are community members who are trained in the issues of aging and the resources available,” Adams explained. “Their role is to help the seniors identify needs and connect with the right resources.”

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A caregiver agreement (also called a personal care contract) is a contract between a parent and a child (or another family member) in which the parent agrees to reimburse the child for caring for the parent. These agreements have many benefits. They provide a way to reward the family member doing the work. They can help alleviate tension between family members by making sure caregiving is fairly compensated. ...