The Ohio Department of Aging is expanding a program intended to help older adults live longer at home, instead of in a long-term care facility.
The Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, offers a wide range of services to seniors in need of nursing home level care, from transportation to physical therapy, meal deliveries to doctors appointments.
“What we’ve heard repeatedly from older Ohioans is that they’d prefer to spend their golden years at home,” said Ursel McElroy, the director of Ohio’s Department of Aging.
“PACE expansion helps us to support aging in place across Ohio and it gives families peace of mind that their loved one is receiving appropriate care within their community.”
What is PACE?
PACE is a national program that’s been around for about two decades. But until a few years ago, the service was limited in Ohio.
Now, more PACE programs are starting across the state, including in northeast Ohio’s Lorain County.
Lori Lozier is the site administrator for the PACE program there. A former nursing home administrator, she says the expansion reflects a shift in thinking.
“Back in the day in Ohio, we built a lot of nursing homes because brick and mortar is what we thought we needed,” she said. “That's not what's happening. There's been a flip in Ohio. So we're doing more community-based services to try to keep older adults at home and less institutionalized.”
Instead of living in a long-term care facility, PACE meets participants where they're at, providing care through an interdisciplinary team.
“They all live at home, but we have doctors. We provide their healthcare. We are their social network. We provide meals. We provide nursing care, dieticians, social workers, medical transportation to and from all medical appointments,” Lozier said.
Who’s eligible for PACE?
The ODA estimates nearly a quarter million Ohioans older than 55 are eligible for PACE.
Most participants are Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries, but people can pay privately for the program too.
It’s intended for people who need a nursing home level of care. That means they can live safely in the community, Lozier says, but maybe need help bathing, managing medications or taking care of household chores like grocery shopping.
There are currently PACE facilities in urban counties, like Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, and Mahoning, with plans to open in Montgomery and Lucas counties next year.
And McElroy says the state is considering how to expand the service into more rural counties too.
“Rural spaces are one of our more challenging areas,” she said. “But the interesting thing is they're one of the areas that perhaps could benefit the most. And so we are committed to seeing how we can uplift this model in our rural spaces as well.”
