The services provided by a multipurpose senior center shall be available to all residents of the area served by the center who are sixty years of age or older, except where legal requirements for the use of funds available for a component program specify other age limits. Persons who receive services from the center may be encouraged to make voluntary contributions to the center, but no otherwise eligible person shall be refused services because of inability to make a contribution.

Services provided by the center may include, but are not limited to, the following:

(A) Services available within the facility:

(1) Preventive medical services, diagnostic and treatment services, emergency health services, and counseling on health matters, which are provided on a regular basis by a licensed physician, pharmacist, or registered nurse or other qualified health professional;

(2) A program to locate full- or part-time employment opportunities;

(3) Information and counseling by professional or other persons specially trained or qualified to enable older adults to make decisions on personal matters, including income, health, housing, transportation, and social relationships;

(4) A listing of services available in the community for older adults to assist in identifying the type of assistance needed, to place them in contact with appropriate services, and to determine whether services have been received and identified needs met;

(5) Legal advice and assistance by an attorney or a legal assistant acting under the supervision of an attorney;

(6) Recreation, social activities, and educational activities.

(B) Services provided outside the facility:

(1) Routine health services necessary to help functionally impaired older adults to maintain an appropriate standard of personal health, provided to them in their homes by licensed physicians, registered nurses, or other qualified health service personnel;

(2) Household services, such as light housekeeping, laundering, meal preparation, personal and grocery shopping, check cashing and bill paying, friendly visiting, minor household repairs, and yard chores, that are necessary to help functionally impaired older adults meet the normal demands of daily living;

(3) The delivery, on a regular schedule, of hot or cold nourishing meals to functionally impaired older adults and the determination of the nutritional needs of such persons;

(4) Door-to-door vehicular transportation for functionally impaired or other older adults.

Other services, including social and recreational services, adult education courses, reassurance by telephone, escort services, and housing assistance may be added to the center's program as appropriate, to the extent that resources are available.

Services may be furnished by public agencies or private persons or organizations, but all services shall be coordinated by a single management unit, operating within the center, that is established, staffed, and equipped for this purpose.

The department of aging, or the local entity approved by the department under section 173.11 of the Revised Code for the operation of a center, may contract for any or all of the services provided by the center with any other state agency, county, township, municipal corporation, school district, community or technical college district, health district, person, or organization.

The department shall provide for the necessary insurance coverage to protect all volunteers from the normal risks of personal liability while they are acting within the scope of their volunteer assignments for the provision of services under this section.

As used in this section, "functionally impaired older adult" means an individual sixty years of age or older who requires help from others in order to cope with the normal demands of daily living.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 265, §1, eff. 4/5/2019.

Effective Date: 07-26-1984.