PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Services Help Older Adults Age In Place

Author

LIFE PITTSBURGH

Posted on

Dec 17, 2019

Book/Edition

Pennsylvania - Greater Pittsburgh Area

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Many older adults would prefer to age in place instead of being transferred to a long-term care center or nursing home. LIFE Pittsburgh is part of the National program (PACE) for adults 55+ who have health needs that affect their daily lives.
The LIFE program is a Medicare/Medicaid managed care benefit for adults aged 55 or older who choose to live in their homes despite being certified by the state as nursing home eligible. The goal of the LIFE Program is to help their participants remain as independent as possible, while living in their own home and community.
The core of the LIFE program is the interdisciplinary team. The team works to provide comprehensive medical and social services to the LIFE participants. This team includes a primary care physician, nurses, dietician, nursing aides, drivers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists and social workers.
The interdisciplinary team meets daily and is responsible for determining care needs, allocating resources, coordination of all services, and development of a comprehensive care plan, which is developed for each individual participant. The care plan addresses a set of functional issues that are relevant to the overall health of the older adult participant. These include cognition, emotional status, social activity, mobility, diagnoses, medications, nutrition and other activities of daily living. Payment for services and monitoring of the quality of the services is authorized and directed by the interdisciplinary team.
By caring for frail, older adults through this model, prevention of acute illness and conditions can often be prevented, thereby reducing the number of emergency room visits and hospital readmissions while allowing the individual to age in place in their own home.

To be eligible for LIFE Pittsburgh, a participant must:
Be 55 years of age or older
Reside in an area served by LIFE Pittsburgh
Be determined medically eligible
Be able to be safely serve in the community
Be determined financially eligible or be able to privately pay

Editors Note: This article was submitted by Manager of Outreach & Enrollment. She can be reached at 412-388-8050.  Visit their website at www.lifepittsburgh.org 

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