By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Season Bryant has been with Mercy Life since 2019, and began her role as a sales and enrollment manager at the end of 2020. Bryant’s favorite part of her job is outreach and education to professionals and families, highlighting the benefits of PACE (Programs for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly).
Prime asked Bryant to explain the PACE program for readers. Here’s what she shared:
Q: What exactly is the PACE program from Mercy LIFE?
“The PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program is comprehensive, coordinated care that is community based and focuses on preventative care to reduce cost and avoid nursing home placements. The goal of PACE is for the participant to receive coordinated care to age in place where most comfortable.
“PACE is based on a model of care developed in the early 1970s on the West Coast by a group of people who thought it was culturally inappropriate and financially unfeasible to place loved ones in nursing facility for care as they aged. The approach was called On-Lok, which is Cantonese for ‘a happy healthy abode.’
“People in elder care started to take note that these elders in On-Lok were living a better quality of life and longer than those in facilities, and the idea for the PACE program was born.
“In a nutshell, the PACE approach attends to not just the physical heath of a client, but his or her social wellbeing as well. The goal is to keep people in their home in the least restrictive environment possible. People want to age in place … you don’t hear too many people say ‘When I grow up I want to live in a nursing home.’”
Q: What does care under the PACE program provide?
“The PACE program offers clients care from multiple disciplines working together to coordinate their healthcare needs. Care under PACE includes a wide variety of support and services – anything from primary care, nursing, physical therapy services in the home, home care like bathing or getting dressed, occupational therapy services, adult day health care in our PACE wellness center and transportation to and from medical appointments and onsite PACE centers.
“The PACE facility, located at 300 Hillside Dr. in West Springfield, in the completely renovated Brightside building, is really the hub of the PACE program. That’s where we operate our medical clinic, our rehabilitation gym and our adult day health program. Having participants physically in the building for some of their care lets us lay eyes on them to see if there are any physical or emotional changes. It also gives participants the ability to interact with their care coordination team.
“People in the PACE program have a primary care provider that is part of their care team. One of the big differences between the PACE program and the traditional model of care is that PACE is a lot smaller and providers get to know participants in a close relationship. Mercy LIFE’s PACE program has less than 300 participants. The average primary care physician in a traditional medical practice sees 2,500 patients a year. Our providers spend 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour with a client. [They] meet them where they are and get to know their goals and what they want as a quality of life.”
Q: How do you enroll in the PACE program?
“An applicant must be at least 55 years of age and live in the PACE service area – Mercy LIFE covers all of Hampden and Hampshire counties. The individual must be clinically eligible to be in a nursing home but wish to remain in their own home. The average age is 77 years old and the client has difficulty with three to five activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating, walking, toileting, etc.
Following an inquiry we will meet a potential client in their home, then provide a tour of the PACE facility and any information they request. The PACE program is paid for through MassHealth, so there is an income requirement but there is also a community waiver program that expands eligibility. With the waiver program there are no out-of-pocket costs and no co-pays for specialty providers for PACE participants. PACE care covers everything, whatever is needed there is no cost if you qualify.
The PACE program does not accept private insurance, and for people who are outside the income requirements there is a self-pay option.
Enrollment start on the first of the month and once a client gets clinical approval and financial approval from MassHealth we can begin to provide some services, such as personal care, homemaking and grocery shopping right away. Then we have the client come in for a half day to meet with the care team and make a care plan. Every plan is fluid and changes can be made as needed.“
