By Danna Downing
Cherie Allen’s father called her one day in 2009. “Cherie, I need your help!” he said. Trying to manage his own health and welfare had become too difficult for him to handle on his own. Cherie is a strong believer that being in a family includes stepping up when someone is in need. So began her decade-long odyssey to make sure her dad was as safe and comfortable as possible in his later years.
When Cherie’s dad moved into their home, she and her husband Roger were both working full-time with teen-agers still in the house. Although her father was a successful salesperson, he had no pension, and his only income was from Social Security. At first, the family was able to find affordable and appropriate daytime home care right in the community. But as time passed, finding the help they needed became increasingly difficult. It was not long before managing her father’s growing health issues became overwhelming. Cherie’s Aunt Janet suggested that she and Cherie visit South County Community Services (SCCS) in Vicksburg to see what help might be available. Soon after, Cherie and her dad met with the SCCS social worker, who helped them reach out to the professionals at the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Kalamazoo.
PACE is an alternative to nursing home care. Operating with an interdisciplinary care team, including, physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, therapists, trained van drivers and aides, the group coordinates and provides preventive, primary, acute, and long-term care to older adults to help them to continue live in their home community versus a long-term care facility. The PACE program began in 1971 in San Francisco. It was the creation of Dr. William Gee and social worker Marie Louise Ansak. Today the care model has been expanded into a nationally proven and replicated, federally funded program, designated as a permanent Medicare option since 1997.
The PACE team collaborates with seniors and their families to create a comprehensive personalized and coordinated personal care plan, make all necessary medical appointments, coordinate all specialists, fill prescriptions, and even provide transportation to their adult daycare center for each member. Most healthcare services can be delivered right at the PACE Center. The agreed upon monthly fee does not change, no matter what services the member requires. There are no co-pays, no deductibles or coverage gaps. “As you can imagine, this was a huge blessing to our family,” said Cherie.
With PACE care and support, the family was able to give their father a remarkably quality of life. In fact, Cherie’s father was even able to live independently for a period of time at Sunset Cove. There, he had his own space and an opportunity to move about in the community—a wonderful gift for her father. However, when his health took a sudden turn for the worse, he returned to Cherie and Roger’s home. There, the family, with support from Centrica Care, provided palliative care and hospice care for their father until his passing in 2020.
Upon reflection, Cherie expresses her awe and deep gratitude for what she labels “an amazing group of professionals” at both PACE and Centrica Care. “They not only provided loving care for my father,” she said, “but they also regularly acknowledged and supported my self-care and the care I provided for Dad at home.” Her father’s passing left a void in Cherie’s family, despite the many challenges they faced. However, she and the family are left with a profound sense of peace when they think about the loving care brought to her father. “My dad was a people person, and he truly loved them all,” she said.
For more information about the PACE program in the Kalamazoo area, call 269-441-9319. For CMS and MDHHS audit results for the program, call 269-888-6160. To discover how Centrica Care Navigators can help you and your family through the journey of serious illness, call 373-3200.
