Published: June 12, 2008 08:56 pm      

PACE fulfilling needs of Southwest Va. seniors

RICHLANDS, Va. — As the baby boomer generation slowly faces retirement, a new program in Southwest Virginia is working to address the complex needs of seniors while providing a multitude of services under a single roof.

PACE, or the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is now operational in the Southwest Virginia counties of Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson and Russell counties. The ALLCARE for Seniors program was awarded $750,000 from Medicaid and Medicare in 2006 to expand the PACE program into rural Southwest Virginia.

The program became operational on May 1 after nearly two years of planning, Rose Hurley, program director of ALLCARE for Seniors, said.

“Since May 1, we have enrolled around 11 (individuals),” Hurley said. “Right now we anticipate capacity enrollment to be around 125.”

PACE is a model of care built around the belief that seniors with complex health care needs should be allowed to live in the least restrictive environment as possible while maintaining their independence. The program provides preventive, primary acute and long-term care to individuals who are at least 55 years old, live in a PACE service area and are certified by the state to need nursing home level care, according to a company letter.

“I would say at-home care is one of those vital components, and the daycare piece,” Hurley said. “Especially if you have an individual who needs care and supervision. But the fact that we can provide that daily supervision at a central environment where they are receiving socialization, nutrition, recreation and even primary care is a real bonus. Just the day-to-day care and close monitoring and close supervision of their health care needs. So if they do experience a decline in health, it can be addressed quickly.”

Nationally, more than half of the PACE participants have been diagnosed with dementia. Locally, common ailments among participants include diabetes and lung disease, Neva Bryan, public relations director for the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens and ALLCARE for Seniors, said.

Bryan said PACE puts the comprehensive needs of the seniors together in a central location, which means they don’t have to travel to Bluefield or Lebanon and other far away locations to receive needed services.

With a growing number of baby boomers reaching the retirement age, Bryan said the need for such programs as PACE in Southwest Virginia becomes even greater.

“A lot of the services can be coordinated here at the center where they can get a lot of things done in one day,” Hurley said. “They are getting a lot of their services at one location. They can come to the center and see their physician for a check up. They might get a session for physical or occupational therapy if they have the need. Or they might work with a dietitian on meal planning.”

As a rural-based PACE program, the agency has the ability to reach those who are older, or have greater functional limitations, as well as those at a lower income level and those who may be at a greater risk of being placed in a nursing home.

Coleman said the program allows more seniors to stay independent at their own homes, and provides a helping hand to family members who are currently caring for their loved ones.

“They are staying in their homes,” Hurley said of the program participants. “For most folks, that is their wish. They want to stay in their homes in their final years.”

– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com