While all Area Agencies on Aging in the US share a central mission under the federal Older Americans Act, each agency also provides services unique to their community needs.

In addition to the clinical excellence we are known for, COAAA is also forging the way with new programs aimed at prevention and stabilization.

Learn from Angie Wise about our work as Ohio’s first Statewide CarFit Coordinator and what we are doing to increase the safety on Ohio’s roadways and from Frances Krumholtz about our home-sharing platform, Nesterly, and our work with older homeowners. 

Let me know what you think of this podcast, as well as any ideas you have for an episode. Email me at kwhite@coaaa.org!

Copyright 2024 Central Ohio Area Agency On Aging

Welcome to pretend I know nothing about. I'm Katie White, your host, administrator of COAAA. On today's episode, we are learning about a couple of unique programs at COAAA. So we will learn all about CarFit as well as Nesterly. Let's get into it. Well, good morning. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm gonna have you introduce yourself. Let's start with Frances.

Sure. My name is Frances Krumholtz, and I am the volunteer and engagement coordinator here at COAAA.

Thank you, Angie. And I'm Angie Wise. I'm the statewide Ohio CardFit coordinator.

Welcome. Thank you for being here and talking a little bit about Some unique programs, that we offer that a lot of people, I think, might not know about. So, Today's conversation is gonna be a little bit about housing and a little bit about transportation, and, hopefully, a lot of bit about resources that we can plug into. So, Frances, let's start with you. Give us an overview of your role and what you do here.

Yes. So I have been at COAAA for about 4 years, And my position was created to focus on intergenerational home sharing, which we do through Nestle, which I'll be excited to talk about today. And I also work on I spend a significant amount of time on our friendly caller volunteer program. So those kinda my 2, big headliners for my role.

And can you give me a little overview of Nestle?

Sure. So Nestle is an intergenerational home sharing platform. We are the 2nd market that Nestor Lee partnered with. So Nestor is actually its own kind of freestanding company, that CO Triple A brought to the region because we saw this need for home sharing. And home sharing is really just this idea of if you've got a spare bedroom, then they make it safer and easier to rent that out to somebody else. So they'll be helping you out with rent, certainly. They might be helping you out with chores, and it's just a good win win.

And so your staff here dedicated to helping liaise and helping individuals that might be interested navigate. But, really, Nestle is a Software that we kinda buy into. Right? That's correct.

Yep. And so if someone has questions about how the process usually works or things that they may want to consider ahead of time before they decide whether or not they are ready for home sharing. I can kind of talk them through that process. But Nestorly is available to everyone. It is free. It's easy to use. You go to their website, and you can kind of see what the current listings things look like, draw a little bit of inspiration from that, and they really do walk you through the process.

Great. Thank you. So we're the 2nd market in the US to launch Nestorly. And, Angie, talk to us about CARFIT. We're the first Statewide Ohio position to do CAR FIT. So give us a little background.

Getting that elevator speech down. Practicing. I've been practicing. So when we think about these 2 programs, in my mind, Nestor Lee and Carfit, these are sort of more up Stream, services and programs that we offer to help people stay in their homes in different ways and to make sure that people are driving safely. And a lot of this work is rooted in some background data as to why we're doing this. So, let's go back to Nestor Lee and talk a little bit about homeownership, trip, in Central Ohio. And can you give us just a little overview of kind of the state of homeownership and and property taxes for that matter?

Sure. So I think that, likely, anyone who is listening understands that we are in a bit of a housing crunch, Looking at affordable housing specifically, and this data is from a few years ago, but Central Ohio is at least 54,000 affordable housing units short. So that means that there are at least that many families, who are who are spending disproportionate amounts of their budget simply to, stay in safe housing. You know, one of the goals of Nestor Lee is to provide another vehicle or another tool, Particularly for homeowners to, you know, take advantage of this asset that they already have, which also happens to be their home where they want to stay, and be able to generate a little bit of additional income. We know that the, recent property tax reappraisals have come out, and a lot of people are seeing an increase, in their in their projected taxes. And so, Nestor Lee, again, if you have the additional space, you've got the the space in your Home and kind of in your in your mind for having another person in your house, that's another opportunity for you to, you know, meet that gap or stay ahead of it so that you're not feeling a crunch necessarily.

Yeah. So as housing costs Increase of cost of living increases, individuals, that are on a fixed income or even a retirement income, most likely that is not increasing. We know Social Security isn't increasing at the same pace. And so we do a lot of work in people's homes whether they rent or own. And so this Nestor Lee, specifically, is all about homeowners and making sure that we have some processes and programs in place to make sure that, We help people have options to stay where they wanna stay.

Mhmm.

Alright. Let's keep with the data and talk a little bit about Why CARFIT is, here in Ohio and why your position started. Can you give a little background on the data?

Sure. And I'll start by saying that while it's important to talk about what CarFit is, I always like to mention what car fit is not. So it's not any type of assessment of your driving ability. We're not here to take away your Keys, we're not here to do an inspection on your car. No one has come to an event yet and asked me about that, but I have heard from others. We are an opportunity to provide education in a safe space people. It can be kind of touchy when people are trying to tell you how to drive, even your own spouse perhaps. So we want to offer a welcoming space. So CarFit is a drive through program. It can it's held in parking lots or in the bays of fire station. So any parking lot that has enough space for someone to arrive in their car, They, get welcomed at a check-in station and then they go to the check up station which is staffed by trained volunteers to go through a 12 point checklist. We review items such as making sure your seat belt is placed comfortably on your collarbone and low across your lap, Adjusting your mirrors to try to eliminate your blind spots, making sure you know that your head restraint is adjustable because many people do not know that, myself included. And we have a really great response rate. People are very open to hearing how they can make these adjustments in their car. And we try to have occupational therapist practitioners at events so they can discuss adaptive equipment if someone were needed, and then everyone gets a resource bag that's filled with lots of useful information, about their area and about their cars.

And it really is, a, dare I say, fun. Right? So once you understand that you're not pulling up for someone to evaluate whether or not they're gonna take away your ease. But it's the chair adjustment. It's the mirror adjustment. It's it's leaving the event knowing that you are in the safest position with all your blind spots covered as much as possible, and a little more information about your car. You know, they ask you things like, do you know how to, I don't know. Pop the hood or, you know, whatever. Some of those things where it's like, I haven't really taken the time to think about all of these different things in my car.

So Right. We try we use the tagline, it's free, fast, and fun. So an appointment's typically gonna last 20 to 30 minutes. I've found it very interesting When people arrive because we go over vehicle technology. So I say, do you have forward collision warning? They say, yes. Do you have lane departure warning? They say yes. I don't even have that in my car. So I took the, AARP smart driver tech course. It's a free online Steaming it course that goes all over all of these technologies, and I encourage anyone if you have them in your car to check it out. But, yeah, it's just these little simple adjustments that can be made in our car to help us feel more comfortable as we're driving.

Great. And, Frances, if someone is interested in Exploring Nestle. Can you walk us through what that process is like from interest to posting your room?

Yeah. So from interest, I think the Best first step is to go to the website. You can take a look at the listings that are already there, which I think gives people a really strong lay of the land. And then if it is a host, so for speaking from the host's perspective, if a host is interested enlisting their room, the very first thing they'll do is create a profile. You know, they have an option if they would like to include a picture of themselves to make it a little bit more personal. Either way, they'll explain a little bit about themselves and what they're looking for in a home share agreement. So, you know, one of the considerations is whether or not that host would like to have some additional help around the house. They could sign up for or elect into, what they call the task exchange feature. So, a host might say, you know what? If I can get a guest in the house who would be willing to rake my leaves in the fall and shovel my drive in this in the winter, I would take a 100, $150 off rent each month. Like, it would be worth it to me to not have to worry about that. That's one of options that you'll consider. And then they'll fill in, you know, the date that the room is available. The host gets to set what The, rent would be, so how much they'll be getting paid each month for that space. And then they also get control to think about sort of what they want their house rules to be. So are there, you know, quiet hours in the evening, or what's the expectations around meals? Will we be eating together, or is it gonna be more independent. So those are all of the types of things that you'll think about ahead of time. I'm available as a resource if people want to discuss any of the options. Nestor Lee also has their own customer support team, so there's a lot of wraparound support. Nestor Lee will, run background checks also for both host stand guest. So before a home share is agreed upon, they run 5 different background checks. So they'll make sure that that person really is who they say they are, and see if there's anything else that, you know, would warrant a discussion. And then payment is also Process through Nestorly. So all of that is automated. Don't have to worry about a, you know, a late rent or oops, I'm gonna be. I forgot about it this month. It's already been kind of automatically deposited at the same time each month, which is really nice.

And are there photos? And when you go on Nestor Lee, I think there's even an interactive map. Right? Like, you could think about what, part of town and click on and see some photos of the rooms that are available for rent too.

Yep. So absolutely. Because that really is going to give the guest the best idea of, you know, what kind of space that they are looking at, how big the rooms are, you know, kind of what the what the house is gonna look and feel like ahead of time. Yeah.

So these programs are super unique. And, again, they're really about Sort of preserving and protecting what individuals currently have and what they want. Right? Their choices for how they might get around, their choices for where they're going to live. We know we don't have enough low income or affordable housing. We also don't have enough transportation services and options. And so I love that we're leaning into this space of, really advocacy and thinking ahead around making sure that we have some sort of upstream services available. So in the same vein of having unique positions, Let's talk a little bit about you both and how you got here. So, Angie, tell me about your background and sort of, how you got into this CARFET Position?

I'm a physical therapist assistant by education. So sometimes I feel like I'm the only non Social worker or nurse in the building, even though that's not true, we I know that there's a lot of

You got another one in the room. Yes. I

did home health for 10 years. And in that position, we very often had people, and we would train them how to safely get in and out of their car, Mostly as a passenger, I would say. And then, I took a break for a while. I took a maternity leave, and when I was, Looking to come back, I that's when I was hired at CO Triple A in the screening department. So I feel like I've had a really unique Experience where I've got to see in the in the screening department where everything all of the calls come in and how it gets dispersed throughout the agency. So people might call the screening department and ask about housing, and then we can offer them Various resources such as Nestor Lee. So I've had a really great, opportunity to learn a lot about the agency and see in that way. And and like I said, I had been here for a year when we got the NHTSA grant to start this position, and I just feel like It's one of those things where you think that you're on a path and you're gonna do this one thing, but then this other opportunity presents itself, and you're oh, this is the place that I'm supposed to be, and I didn't even know it.

Yeah. And I couldn't agree more. I mean, statewide, you were just absolutely making waves in a way and nationally, really stepping into this leadership role. And I hear time and time again, people are like, Angie is just perfect for this role. So I absolutely appreciate the background that you bring, not only to the position when you're here. But even when you're in the community too running these events and people have questions, who better to know how to answer those than someone that has worked in the screening department? So Thank you.

Yeah. Thank you for saying that.

And some other nonsocial workers, 2 in the room, which is kind of rare but also awesome. Frances, how did you get here? Tell us about your background.

Yeah. My background was not. It was very much not like, oh, I thought I was on this path and then this thing happened. Like, the the path the dots felt very unconnected, and it's been very interesting to me to see how those various dots Have kind of all pointed to this role at CO Triple A in a very cool way. So back during my undergrad, like, my interest in housing Goes goes pretty far back. I studied sociology in Spanish, but as part of that, Part of that educational work, I did an independent study about housing and homelessness. So that kind of research side of it, You know, runs runs deep for me. And then my 1st job out of school was at an adult day care center here in Columbus. Actually, Erica Drury was my executive director there.

Love that.

Small world. So I was doing fundraising there, but was also you know, it was very much, you know, the all hands on deck kind of thing. So some days I'd be, writing thank you letters. Some days I'd be, you know, planning for an upcoming luncheon. Some days I would be, you know, covering the front desk because We were short or helping out with lunches. Right? Like, it was really just whatever was needed. From there, I did a lot of fundraising for different organizations in Columbus. And with those fundraising roles was where I got my volunteer coordination background as well. So For about 5 years, coordinated the volunteers for the Columbus Marathon, And so it's just been very funny to see a lot of those points kind of reflect back to this role at CO Triple A.

Yeah. That's interesting. I definitely did not know about all The volunteer and fundraising. Now I'm like, oh, fundraiser. Put that right in there. And you recently, I think maybe Happily, when I asked you, have stepped into a leadership role in the homeowner and property tax space. Do you mind sharing a little bit about how you're representing CO, triple a as a leader in that?

Sure. Very excited to now be, cochair of the Franklin County property tax assistance program. So this is a program that has Existed for a long time, but we anticipate a higher volume this year with the recent, home appraisals that went out. But the idea the general goal of the program is to help older homeowners, stay in their home. They one time assistance, for an unforeseen circumstance. In this case, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that a significant hike in somebody's property taxes was an unforeseen circumstance. So you're, an individual is available or is An individual has an opportunity to apply for assistance, and get this, one time assistance that may pay, you know, some or all of their property tax for the year to help them to be able to stay

in their home. And so this PTAB program is just for Franklin County. And, obviously, we Serve 8 counties, but I feel like there'll be a lot of learnings here that we can, gain through your leadership on that committee and really think about how we protect, Homeowners in our 8 county region. And I just I feel like having the both of you on today is really solidifying An example of where I hope CO triple a is going, where we are looking ahead. We're looking out. We are bringing together individuals, From COAAA and outwardly facing in these leadership roles to say, we have this background. We have this experience. We see that this need is coming, and we're ready, and we're really going to meet that need with success. So it's been really fun to watch both of you. And it hasn't even been that long since either of you well, you've been in Nestor Lee for a while, but not necessarily this this PTAB role. But I just so enjoy and appreciate how you both show up and, represents your triple a in both of these roles. So thank you for that. Alright. Let's get into the typical day or week. So, Angie, what's your typical day or week like in your car fit role?

This is an interesting question because it is about to change. So I started May 30th, and we had a couple of events Throughout the summer in that lovely Ohio heat that we had, and we did some trainings to try to get more technicians, involved with the program, but I I didn't see this coming, and in hindsight, maybe I should have. October, we are going to have a lot of events. Was looking at my calendar before I came into your office. In 1 week, I have 4 events planned throughout the state. Wow. Yeah. October, there's lots. Car fit works best when it can be held in conjunction with another event where older drivers are already attending, such senior expos or senior health fairs, and and those seem to be happening a lot in October. So I'm very excited to Get out throughout the state, and go and do those. But last week, I drove to Stark County and did a Technician training with their Safe Communities Coalition. I feel very fortunate that in the state of IO mobility managers and safe community coordinators have really embraced CARFIT and want to have events, and are very open to participating in in the trainings and and doing events throughout all of Ohio. So I also attend the, CARFET National Advisory Council. And Later today, I think that you will be also be in the older road users emphasis area

Yes.

Meeting. Go where

my calendar tells me, and Calendar tells me, and I guess I did see that today. So it's a

So much like any sort of new program or a Startup. You're doing a lot of the day to day tasks. Yes. Because this is volunteer driven, you're also doing outreach and trying to engage more people to participate. Yes. You're also leading those trainings

Yes.

While, starting for the first time the statewide conversation Work and getting individuals that have been doing this to start to sort of standardize how things are done and even more importantly, standardize How we collect the data and show our impact. So Exactly. It's a lot of moving parts in all kinds of micro, meso, macro, All in the same day sometimes, I would imagine.

It is, but I like it. It keeps it interesting. Yeah. We've had the opportunity to, create a post event questionnaire that we're start giving to drivers so we can start getting that feedback from them about what they thought about the event, what worked well, what information they received, if they found that full. Just this week, we're we have a a team's meeting plan with all of the Ohio event coordinators so that we can start to create this connection among ourselves that we just didn't really have before because there wasn't 1 person who was kind of leading the effort. And then now I'm gonna start receiving all of those checklists that everyone completes at CARFED events. So those are gonna start heading my way. I Just made a joke with, the staff at the front door before I came in. They said, no boxes are here for you today. And I said, oh, well, there will be some soon.

You do have a lot of supplies. I do have a lot

of supplies. We're trying to create toolkits for all of, ODOT's Twelve districts, which also are the districts that triple a's are in. So we're doing outreach to triple a's to ask them if they would be the keeper of these toolkits. I like to call it CARFID in a box. So it's everything that you need to host a CARFID event.

And to tie all of that daily work again back To, the beginning of the conversation. Older road user fatalities and serious injuries have been increasing year over year for the last 10 years. We know more older adults are coming. We know they still need to get to and from where they need to go. And so CAR FIT, by formalizing and standardizing this, is being funded by federal NHTSA dollars so that we can track and measure whether or not having all of these CARFIDs is making an impact on decreasing the fatalities and serious injuries. So just close that loop up. And then let's stick with you around your biggest challenge that you in your role. My biggest challenge with the CARFIT program is that it's volunteer run, so it can be difficult To get those trained technicians and occupational therapist practitioners. You know, they're busy professionals who are working during the day, and that's when most carpet events are held. So if anybody listening knows of anybody that would like to be a technician, please send them my way. Thank you. Okay. So, Frances, what's your typical day or week like?

You know, typical day or week, both can vary pretty, pretty Wildly. And some of that is the nature of the programs that I'm working on, and, you know, which which program kind of has a higher volume of things happening in any given moment. Thinking specifically about Nestorly, you know, I will often be getting I'll be the 1st phone call someone makes. So especially if, someone is Curious or maybe they heard from a friend or maybe they've just seen a flyer. Sometimes I'm that first, point of contact to kind of learn about the program. I'm talking them through a very high level, kind of how Nestor Lee works. Sometimes I am providing Additional support for someone who knows that they are ready to list a room in their home, but maybe they don't, feel comfortable taking photos or the, you know, the phone or camera that they have isn't great. So I will sometimes go out to a person's home to help them, you know, take pictures of the spaces that are available. And that can be really interesting too because I I get a deeper understanding Of who the hosts are, what their what their goals are for home sharing, so that can be really interesting and good. So kind of looking at, different ways that we can get the word out in the community. So we've got, some really good partners through the Greater Columbus network of villages, and through there are several, age friendly initiatives who have named home sharing generally or Nestle specifically as one of their approaches for, housing in the area. So Making sure that I'm in good communication with those partners as well.

Great. And then what about your biggest challenge?

I think for me, individually, the biggest challenge is, getting a phone call from someone who has heard about Nestor Lee, But they're probably a a bit too close to that crisis zone for Nesli to work really seamlessly for them. So, you know, sometimes I'll get a call for someone from someone who's looking for a room to rent, but they'll say I need to be out of my apartment by Friday. You know, that timeline is is pretty challenging for a program like Nestor Lee. You know, I think that I'm fortunate to be within the triple a, so we've got other resources that we can kind of point people back towards. But I think that that that's one of the toughest things.

I'm sure. Yeah. And then Do you refer them to our housing Yes. Program? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That's one nice thing. Well, there's lots of nice things about this, but I feel like there's always, Hopefully, another resource to refer to, particularly in your 2 programs where they are, again, those sort of more independent people that just in case. We've got some other, Support nets here. So alright. I know Angie really wanted to answer this question, so I'm gonna make sure we ask the miracle question.

Thank you.

What what is one thing you would change or add to CO triple a?

Well, I've already, pitched it to you that I would like us to have it rezoned so that we can start having a cafeteria in here. I will, like, Oh, I I attended an event at ODOT, and I saw their cafeteria who has blue and Fig. But I know that that can be kind of a challenge, so I've been thinking about this question some more. And I thought that, my 2nd pitch to you would be that if, as an agency, we could Participate as a whole in the MLK day of service. So I attended The Ohio State University, and and they offer an Opportunity to all of, their faculty and and students to find local events, and I thought that would be something that could connect us as an agency.

Very cool. I've never heard of that MLK day of service. Is that a citywide thing?

I'm not sure. I feel like

it might be national.

Yes. I think it is national on Monday.

Yes. So many, like, local organizations will kind of take it on, to either create, you know, hubs of here are different volunteer are opportunities that you can find on this particular day. But, yeah, there's lots of good opportunities for engagement. It's great that you pitched that while sitting across I

was just gonna say, oh, did you just sign Frances up for a new Because we joined right?

Because we can partner with some agencies, but we could also, So I'm sure with the brains in this building, figure out some good, you know, opportunities for even kind of an in house situation.

Definitely. Whether it's check-in calls, whether it's PTAB calls, or maybe it's Working with some of our title 3 agencies and going out and seeing what our funding, looks like boots on the ground when people are delivering transportation services or counseling or home delivered meals. Cool. I love that idea. I also love the cafeteria, of course, which, you know, I obviously tried to put a little mini cafeteria in, and then That just,

I know. I supported it while it was here. I did my best to support it. I'm only 1 person.

I wanna I don't wanna say we got tricked, But we did, we thought that there would be fresh food forever, and we apparently weren't meeting a minimum wasn't in the contract, but anyway.

You know, that's why Andrea sees recommendation of a community garden

Yes.

That we could kind still food, which is My main point.

Yeah. Yeah. We need some fresh options. I keep finding myself more and more at Arby's, and I just don't wanna be there. And then I'm there all the time because just calling right there.

We've got the curly fries.

And the mozzie sticks.

And the turnovers are back over the phone for a while, but I hear

you're back. Problem. Wouldn't even think about it if it wasn't right outside. Okay. Frances, what's one thing you would add or change?

I mean, I wasn't really prepared for the Question. So I'm just gonna say I love Angie's idea, and I'm on board. And, you know, let's try to to figure something out. I do think here's what I'll here's what I'll kind of add on to that. I, I would love to see more, kind of like Interdepartmental swapping. Okay. You know, and some of that is kind of selfishly motivated because I'm kind of a A person of of 1 for the programs that I that I work on. And so, you know, opportunities to Shadow or pitch in or, you know, just kind of have some, like, mutual learning opportunities, would be would be exciting and interesting to me.

Well, those 2 ideas seem to really intersect well. Right? So if it is an internal MLK day of service, maybe it is all about switching up departments. Okay. This is how the magic is made. The answer is yes. Go forth. Create the program. Report back. Let me know what you need, and let's do this. This is that's it. Done. 5.

I love when the universe works out

in this way. I know. That's right. Okay. So then our final thoughts, I just you know, Our primary listenership is our staff. And so what are some final things, Angie, that you want staff to know about CarFit?

I want them to know that we are always looking for a technician. So if they would like to participate in a training, they are Welcome to email me, and I will make that happen. But they can also look at it, to the consumers that they're providing services to. So maybe while they're not driving themselves. They have somebody that's driving them that could come to a CarFit event and benefit from the information that we provide to them. So I think there's always an opportunity to, reach someone who who could really Have an opportunity to come to a CarFit event.

So whether it's about improving their own safety or if they're a passenger, the safety of those driving. And you do have Additional resources for, like, helping people transfer in and out and all of that. Exactly. Good closing thoughts. Thank you. And, Frances, how about you?

Mostly, I think I want people to know that necessarily exists. Tell your friends. Tell your family. You know, I think that when people first hear about Nestor Lee, they often think, oh, that's such a good idea For somebody else. I think it takes a few times of hearing about it, learning about it, thinking about it, Learning about some of the success stories that are involved. But even, you know, if you know someone who is looking for housing, Average rent, that we've seen through Nestor Lane in Central Ohio is about $500 a month, and that includes utilities. Wow. So if you know someone who is looking for a place to live, you know, whether they do necessarily, you know, longer term or even short term, they know they want to sign a year lease eventually, but they, you know, have, like, a 3 or a 6 month gap. Nestorly can be a really great option with the added bonus of, you know, living with someone potentially from another generation, doing some mutual learning, you know, kind of having some, Sneaky anti ageism sentiments and learning being built. Right? I think that, there there are a lot of opportunities for mutual wins with Nestor Leigh. And to talk about it early, because, again, sometimes it takes a few repetitions, before it starts to maybe sound like a good day a good idea for you personally versus for, someone else theoretically, and that all of the resources are right there too. So anybody can sign up. It doesn't require a referral. You can just go to nestorley.com to get started.

And I think we're right on the precipice of this idea taking off. You know, sadly, we've we are in some financial crunches. I should say many people are in a financial situation that they didn't necessarily anticipate. Right? So, again, cost of living and cost of housing going up. So While home sharing might not be everyone's 1st choice right now, if we look ahead 5 years and the changes that are coming to Central Ohio, I'd be willing to bet that it is a concept that is really embraced as just another way of doing things. Right? Whether it's accessory dwelling units or home sharing, I think this concept around homeownership is changing right in front of us, and we're at the forefront. Well, thank you both for being here and sharing about your unique programs, and once again for representing COAAA in the community as professionally and as wonderfully as you Both do. Super appreciate you. Thank you. Thanks for having us. Thanks for listening. I hope now you know something about CarFit and Nesterly.