New Caregiving Options for Families Needing Senior Services

Many families today are caught in a complex web of demands. Adults in their 50’s and 60’s are often supervising care for their elderly parents and raising children while simultaneously nearing their own retirement age.

 

These issues have created demand for Florida PACE Centers, Inc., which provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medical care with specialty services, such as rehabilitation therapy, cognitive activities, dentistry and podiatry, to Medicare or Medicaid participants. Most importantly, PACE is designed to keep seniors out of institutional care and living independently. Additionally, it relieves the pressure on families.

 

Florida PACE Centers, Inc, is sponsored by Miami Jewish Health Systems (MJHS) a long-time leader in providing healthcare to seniors. This 71 year-old organization treats 25,000 people of all ethnicities and religions annually across South Florida. Miami Jewish opened the Hialeah PACE site near Okeechobee Road in late 2010. At this 12,000 sq. ft. facility, teams of social workers, nurses and therapists coordinate daily social activities, housing assistance, periodic medical examinations, physical therapy, meals, transportation and much more.

 

Eligibility for this governmental program includes seniors age 55 and older who live in zip codes near the designated service area and are eligible for nursing care. This satellite follows the success of the first PACE location on the Douglas Gardens campus north of Midtown. A third site, in Westchester, is slated to open in December 2012.

 

Participants and their families benefit from the team approach at Florida PACE Centers. Caregivers such as Alberto Martinez, 79, who provides care to his wife at their home, are relieved and supportive.

 

“Words aren’t sufficient for me to express my gratitude for the Florida PACE Centers program,” said Martinez. “It has been a great help in providing care to my wife, who has dementia, as I myself am fairly old too.”

 

Research proves that seniors who are socially engaged stave off dementia. PACE activities involve patients while also providing respite to their caregivers.

 

“The PACE program provides excellent treatment and gives me the opportunity for rehabilitation and to expand my mind,” commented Alberto Crossier, 79, who comes to the PACE center almost every day.

 

Caregivers are forced to spend thousands of dollars a year on supervised care for the seniors in their families. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, in 2009, 65.7 million caregivers – approximately 29% of the U.S. adult population – provided care to someone who was ill, disabled or aged. Often, the cost of care is born entirely by the families who would like to avoid isolating their loved ones in a traditional nursing home or Adult Living Facility.

 

In the quiet of the meditation room, participant Lenora Holman (seated) focuses on Luz Galeano, activities coordinator, while improving her motor skills and attention, and increasing her affect.

“PACE is a government program focused on maintaining and improving health levels in seniors, many of whom can live at home with the right support,” commented Jeffrey P. Freimark, President and Chief Executive Officer of MJHS. “Our goal is to provide enhanced quality of life for the elderly. PACE works effectively for all concerned … patients, caregivers, families and the federal coffers,” said Freimark.

 

The statistics about caregiving are startling. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, 70 percent of working caregivers suffered work-related difficulties due to their dual caregiving roles, and six percent stopped working entirely. For most caregivers, leaving the workforce means smaller Social Security checks and retirement accounts when they reach their golden years.

 

By helping seniors maintain independence, PACE’s holistic approach helps caregiver families retain their quality of life. For the employer or economy, skilled workers who drop-out create a brain drain. Innovative programs such as PACE help alleviate this growing problem.