Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City Celebrates National PACE Month
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Numerous seniors in Jersey City, as well as thousands across the nation, are celebrating the first-ever National PACE Month throughout September. This special month gives residents aged 55 and older the opportunity to recognize Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City as a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®)
Lutheran Senior LIFE and programs like it follow the PACE model of senior healthcare–coordinating and providing all needed preventive, primary, acute and long-term care services so older adults enrolled in the program can continue living at home in their community. The PACE model of care is centered on the belief that it is better for the well-being of seniors with chronic care needs and their families to be served in the community whenever possible. The fully integrated, provider-based model of care revolves around an interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietitians, drivers and others who provide direct care and services to meet the individual needs of program participants.
Since first opening its doors in the Fall of 2010, Lutheran Senior LIFE, a part of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, has served elder residents in Jersey City and additional zip codes in Hudson County. We believe a program based on the PACE model offers the best opportunity for our staff to deliver quality care to the seniors we serve,” notes Lutheran Senior LIFE Vice President & Executive Director Wanda Cooper. Every senior enrolled in a PACE model program meets the requirements for nursing home care, yet, nationally, 95 percent of those enrolled in such a program are able to continue to live in the community.
The theme of the first National PACE Month is “Delivering Independence,” celebrating the role of PACE drivers in promoting independence for seniors. “Only in a fully integrated model of care like PACE could transportation play such an important role in keeping seniors with long-term needs living safely in the community,” says Shawn Bloom, president and CEO of the National PACE Association (NPA). Drivers employed in PACE model programs don’t just offer curb-to-curb transportation. They enter the enrollee’s home to help them to the van and are trained to look for changes in the home environment or in the level of assistance an enrollee needs.
By identifying changes quickly, the program’s staff can plan treatments and interventions immediately before larger issues surface. “Building relationships between enrollees and the members of our interdisciplinary team is critical to Lutheran Senior LIFE successfully addressing the diverse needs of our participants,” adds Ms. Cooper.
Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City is just one of the 239 PACE model programs across the country serving more than 40,000 enrollees in 31 states. PACE is an innovative healthcare model that continues to adapt and change as public policy, technology, and the seniors it serves change.
To learn more about Lutheran Senior LIFE at Jersey City or to find out if you qualify for its services, please call (877) 543.3188 or visit www.lifewww.lsmnj.org.