Elder Connection: Partnership aids senior health and housing
Toolbox
By BARBARA HANSON - Published: February 10, 2010
Today, I'd like to tell you about an exciting new partnership that will strengthen community-based services for local seniors.
I've shared with you in the past information about the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly Vermont and the fact that we have a PACE site right here in Rutland offering all-inclusive services for eligible elders.
PACE Vermont Inc. has announced a new partnership with Volunteers of America and On Lok to operate PACE programs in Vermont. This groundbreaking partnership, effective Jan. 29, provides a wealth of resources and expertise that will allow PACE programs in the state to grow and thrive into the future. This support will be provided directly to the current PACE Vermont organization.
The health care and other services now provided to participants will not change as a result of this new partnership, nor will the organization that provides them. The cost of the program and the means by which participants pay for services also will remain the same.
PACE Vermont opened its first PACE site in 2007 in Colchester and added a second site in 2008 in Rutland on the Maples Senior Living campus on General Wing Road. PACE Vermont serves seniors living in Rutland and Chittenden counties and has been growing steadily.
"We are thrilled to welcome Volunteers of America and On Lok as our partners," said Sue Watson, executive director of PACE Vermont. "With the expertise and support they bring, the PACE program will enable more seniors to age in their homes and communities."
"We are delighted to offer our 30 years of PACE experience to help the PACE program in Vermont be even more successful in the future," said Bob Edmondson, CEO of On Lok.
The PACE model is centered on the belief that seniors with chronic care needs should be served in their home communities whenever possible. PACE serves people 55 or older who are certified by their state to need nursing home care, are able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment and live in a PACE service area. If a PACE enrollee subsequently needs nursing home care, the PACE program pays for it and continues to coordinate the enrollee's care.
With headquarters in Alexandria, Va., Volunteers of America has provided services that address the needs of seniors for more than a century. The organization – which provides a spectrum of human services in 400 communities in 44 states and Puerto Rico – is the largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing, fourth-largest nonprofit provider of skilled nursing care and sixth-largest provider of assisted living in the United States. Its Northern New England affiliate will be supporting Volunteers of America's involvement in PACE Vermont. Volunteers of America already operates a successful PACE program in western Colorado and recently launched "Aging with Options," an initiative aimed at expanding home and community-based services to all seniors.
On Lok, based in San Francisco, pioneered the PACE model more than 30 years ago. The organization started providing comprehensive health services to seniors living in the Bay area in the early 1970s as an alternative to nursing home care. These services allow residents to remain within the community, enjoying the comforts of home and family, for as long as possible, inclusive of medical and personal care assistance. The model established by On Lok ultimately became the basis for PACE programs now established nationwide. On Lok operates 10 PACE centers in three counties in the San Francisco Bay area, serving more than 1,000 seniors. In addition, On Lok operates several senior housing facilities.
As stated earlier, participants in PACE will not see any change in the services offered by the program or in the payment mechanisms. This new partnership with these two well established organizations which have much expertise and resources will only further enable PACE Vermont to grow and flourish.
If you are interested in learning more about PACE, call Marlee Mason at 776-2900.
Barbara Hanson is director of community resource development for the Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging. For information about senior services, call the Senior Helpline at (800) 642-5119 or 786-5991 or visit www.svcoa.org.
Meals on Wheels
Today: Italian chicken fingers, barbecue sauce, O'Brien potatoes, sliced carrots, wheat bread, butterscotch pudding with cream.
Thursday: Barbecue meatloaf, ride pilaf with vegetables, diced beets, wheat bread, strawberry shortcake.
Friday: Pot roast, vegetable gravy, mashed potatoes, spinach, dinner roll, chocolate chip cake.
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