What should I do if an assisted living facility in Cleveland won't resolve my complaint?

If direct conversation with facility management doesn't resolve a concern, escalate to the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman (1-800-365-3112) for advocacy and mediation, or file a formal complaint with the Ohio Department of Health at 1-800-342-0553 if the issue involves possible abuse, neglect, or a licensing violation. These paths can run in parallel; an ombudsman advocacy effort doesn't preclude also filing an ODH complaint.

What does the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging actually do for families?

The Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA) covers Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina counties, offering benefits counseling, care coordination, funding for congregate and home-delivered meals, caregiver support, long-term care options counseling, and administration of the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. It does not cover Summit or Portage counties, which fall under a different agency, Direction Home Akron Canton.

What's the difference between an Area Agency on Aging and a Long-Term Care Ombudsman in Ohio?

An Area Agency on Aging (AAA), like Western Reserve or Direction Home Akron Canton, coordinates a broad range of aging services, meals, caregiver support, waiver assessments, benefits counseling, across a defined multi-county region. A Long-Term Care Ombudsman focuses specifically on advocating for residents already living in a nursing home or residential care facility, investigating complaints tied to that resident's care and rights, and in this region the ombudsman program is actually administered through the AAA network itself.

How does Adult Protective Services actually work in Ohio?

Ohio Adult Protective Services is state-supervised by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services but administered county by county; unlike some states, there is no single statewide 24-hour hotline. Each county's Job and Family Services or Department of Job and Family Services agency runs its own APS intake, with a statewide online portal and backup number (855-644-6277) available if the correct county contact isn't immediately clear.

What's the phone number to report suspected elder abuse in Cuyahoga County?

Cuyahoga County's Division of Senior and Adult Services runs a 24-hour reporting line at 216-420-6700 for abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation of adults 60 and older living in the community. Call 911 first if someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm.

Ohio's PASSPORT Waiver, Explained | Cleveland Senior Advisor

Short answer

Ohio's flagship home and community-based services (HCBS) Medicaid waiver, designed to keep Medicaid-eligible seniors who need nursing-facility level of care at home instead of in an institution.

What PASSPORT covers

Personal care, home-delivered meals, adult day care, minor home modifications, personal emergency response systems, medical transportation, and, added in October 2024, Structured Family Caregiving.

PASSPORT does not pay for assisted living room and board, anywhere. PASSPORT is an in-home program; it does not pay for room and board anywhere, including assisted living. Families sometimes assume PASSPORT can subsidize a move into a Residential Care Facility. It cannot; that is the separate Assisted Living Waiver's role.

Who delivers it

Ohio Department of Aging, delivered through PASSPORT Administrative Agencies (in this region, the Area Agencies on Aging). In this region, that means the Area Agency on Aging serving your county — Western Reserve for Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, Medina and Geauga, or Direction Home Akron Canton for Summit and Portage.

Source: Ohio Department of Aging: PASSPORT

Where to get free help in the Cleveland area

Short answer

This site's 7-county area is split between two Area Agencies on Aging. Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging covers Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities covers Summit and Portage counties. Do not assume one agency covers the whole region.

This site's 7-county service area is split between two different Area Agencies on Aging. Do not assume one agency covers the entire region.

Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA) (PSA PSA 10A)

Serves Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina counties. Benefits counseling, care coordination, funding for congregate and home-delivered meals, the Region 10A Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, caregiver support, and long-term care options counseling.

WRAAA covers 5 of this site's 7 counties. It does not cover Summit or Portage. Website

Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities (PSA PSA 10B)

Serves Portage, Stark, Summit, and Wayne (of this site's area: Summit and Portage only). Address: 1949 Town Park Boulevard, Uniontown, OH 44685. Phone: 800-421-7277.

Summit and Portage counties are served by Direction Home, not by Western Reserve. A family in Solon or Aurora searching by county rather than by AAA territory can easily reach the wrong agency. Website

Other Cleveland-area organizations worth knowing

Benjamin Rose Meals on Wheels — 216-373-1994. Home-delivered meals for Cleveland and Cuyahoga County residents unable to shop for or prepare meals independently. Meals are free for participants age 60 and older; self-pay is available for those under 60. Website
Meals on Wheels Cleveland West — 440-871-2551. Serves the western Cuyahoga County suburbs. Eligible recipients are elderly, disabled, temporarily ill, convalescing, or homebound individuals unable to safely shop for or prepare their own meals. Website
Meals on Wheels of Northeast Ohio (VANTAGE Aging). Serves Summit and Portage counties (as well as Stark, Wayne, Carroll, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties outside this site's coverage area). No formal eligibility requirements; meals are offered on a sliding fee scale. Does not currently list Medina County in its service area. Website
Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging — 216-791-8000. Cleveland-based nonprofit founded in 1908. Runs adult day services, the WeCare telephone care-coaching program for caregivers of people with chronic conditions, the Senior Companion Program, behavioral health services for adults 55 and older, and Rose Centers for Aging Well senior centers. Located at 11890 Fairhill Rd., Cleveland, OH 44120. Website
Greater Cleveland RTA Senior Fare and Paratransit. Riders 65 and older can buy a discounted Senior fare or All-Day Senior/Disabled Pass on Greater Cleveland RTA buses and trains with a valid photo ID or RTA-issued ID card. RTA ADA Paratransit provides curb-to-curb or door-to-door shared-ride service for riders who cannot use fixed-route buses due to a disability; ADA-certified paratransit riders can also use fixed-route bus and rail at no cost. Covers Cuyahoga County; does not extend into Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, Geauga, or Portage counties. Website
Laketran Dial-a-Ride and Seniors on the Go — 440-354-6100. Lake County's transit authority. Dial-a-Ride is a door-to-door, assisted transportation service within Lake County and to select medical facilities in Cuyahoga County. Seniors on the Go, launched with the Lake County Board of Commissioners in May 2025, provides fare-free Dial-a-Ride and local bus rides to Lake County residents 60 and older who complete a Reduced Fare Application. Website
United Way 211 — 2-1-1. Free, confidential, 24/7 information and referral service confirmed to cover Cuyahoga and Geauga counties (also Ross County, outside this region). Ohio's 211 network is a patchwork of locally operated providers rather than one statewide system; families in Lake, Lorain, Medina, Summit, or Portage counties should still try dialing 2-1-1, since local coverage (for example, United Way of Summit & Medina operates its own 211 helpline), but should confirm coverage directly at 211oh.org or 211.org rather than assuming statewide coverage the way Texas 211 works. Website

Ohio's PASSPORT Waiver, Explained