CEO Blog

Predicting the future is hard. Predicting the recent past can be even harder. What seemed significant or important in the moment, upon reflection, may not have been. Something trivial or random turns out to be consequential or life altering. Picking out milestones is easier if you have traveled a great distance. Looking back over one year in an organization that has been around for over a century is a bit like describing a trip based on backing out of the driveway.

But, it is the end of the year. It is human nature to pause and reflect and predict. So here goes. A lot happened in 2023.

A new look

You may have noticed our refreshed logo, or some changes to our website or our stationery. This year, we launched a rebranding effort to simplify and streamline our messaging and promote greater awareness of Benjamin Rose and our mission. The focus is on the people we serve in the community, their needs and their success. Over the past decade, Benjamin Rose has undergone a metamorphosis in our programs and services. We stepped back from direct healthcare programming and increased our emphasis on social and community programs that address social determinants of health. As part of that, we merged other nonprofits into the organization, and expanded on partnerships with others. The new branding emphasizes the common themes of all our programming and focuses on those who we serve. Programs and services are aligned around four serviced pillars:

Home and Community-Based Services

Whether it is a hot home-delivered meal, a chair yoga class, a friendly visit from a Senior Companion volunteer or counseling provided to an older adult or the family member who cares for them, Benjamin Rose has always focused on promoting the health and dignity of the people we serve.  This past year, we expanded our caregiver support program, WeCare…Because You Do. We continued to build upon our   Nutrition Solution service that provides “medically tailored” meals and counseling supports for persons living with a chronic illness or recovering from a hospital stay. And we added new training offerings for mental health professionals providing Behavioral Health Services for older adults. 2,500 people participated in one or more of these programs in northeast Ohio this past year.

Housing and Home Ownership

Affordable, accessible and available housing has always been part of the mission of Bejamin Rose. It is part of our “origin story,” the example Mr. Rose used to describe his intent in establishing the Benjamin Rose Trust. This past year, we increased our commitment. We broke ground at Margaret Wagner House on the renovation and expansion of affordable housing apartments for older adults. We expanded rent and utility assistance for older adults. And we added new courses and programs to enhance homeownership opportunities, including more first-time homebuyer preparation classes, and supports for older adult homeowners who may struggle with housing costs or property taxes.

We also focused our attention on public policy around affordable housing and homeownership. This included public policy forums featuring our staff alongside leaders from Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. The intersection of policy and practical application provides a powerful impact on what works, and why it matters. We understand that housing is a lifelong issue, and the effective policies and programs that promote homeownership and affordable housing options at all ages are critical to supporting people along the aging journey.

Financial Wellness

2023 saw the continuation of a variety of financial wellness and literacy programs. Income tax preparation assistance and benefits enrollment, programs to promote savings, zero-interest loans and educational workshops all help promote financial literacy and financial security for older adults. COST (Connecting Our Seniors to Technology) is a program that helps older adults span the “digital divide.”  Computer literacy, combined with consumer education and financial literacy, helped older adults access the internet, and surf the web safely. Course completers also received free laptop computer assistance with low-cost, high-speed internet access. A recent survey found that only one client in four had a computer available at home, and fewer than half had access to broadband. COST is just one example of our more than 1,000 people benefitting from the financial education counseling services in 2023.

Research, Education and Advocacy

Pioneering work by the professional staff at Benjamin Rose helped establish the field of gerontology. That work, and the emphasis on applying research in the real world, continued in 2023. This is most notable in our work to support family and friend caregivers, the informal, uncompensated friends and family who provide the care that makes community-based care possible. Evidence-based caregiver support programs developed by Benjamin Rose were used in 60 communities across the US last year.  People also accessed information through Best Practice Caregiving, which provides information on proven tools for caregiver support. Our staff is also at the forefront in the implementation of the GUIDE model (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience), a pilot program to support people living with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. GUIDE will, for the first time, include caregiver support as part of the care plan services covered by Medicare. We also partnered with the Ohio Department of Aging, Ohio State University and other organizations to launch the new Golden Buckeye Center for Dementia Caregiving. This project will help expand resources for family caregivers in Ohio.

Looking back, 2023 was a year of activities that built the experience and expertise of Benjamin Rose. It was a year that we were able to “rethink aging” and consider how to best meet the needs of the people we serve. And, like that car that is just backing out of the driveway, we are just getting started.