For any type of social work, community engagement and widespread support help promote the interests of all patients involved. In today’s healthcare, community outreach is especially essential given the plethora of caregiving sources in any given locality.

Thus, one might wonder just how healthcare professionals go about exploiting the assets at their disposal to maximize the caregiving potential of their respective communities. Haven J. Ohly of the Cleveland-based Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging (WRAAA) has the answer.

Ohly, the WRAAA’s Aging & Disability Resource Center Supervisor, oversees care for the elderly in a five-county area in Ohio. He helps promote effective elderly care through various programs and advocacy initiatives.

“We fund a lot of transportation, home-delivered meals, and senior centers,” Ohly said. “We’re very happy to go out and give presentations.”

Ohly said the WRAAA often partners with other local organizations to further its projects.

“We already have a natural partnership that we have to enhance and pay attention to,” Ohly said. “You have to know who your champions and who your supporters are in any community.”

Ohly added that the nuances of Medicaid and other waiver programs sometimes slip under the radar. He said the WRAAA continually seeks out “new sources of referrals and information” to help everyday residents understand the impact of government policy on their daily lives.

“Success of the client is really all about locating what they need,” he said. “Success of the organization is having the latest information and being able to deploy it in a way that’s user-friendly.”