United Methodist Retirement Communities and Porter Hills Celebrate National PACE Month
September 10, 2019
CHELSEA, MI–The National PACE Association has declared September as National PACE Month, an opportunity to celebrate the work of Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®) nationwide. This year’s theme of “Many Hands, Many Minds and ONE Goal” highlights the central role of the PACE interdisciplinary team in improving the lives of participants and their family caregivers.
United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) and Porter Hills, two senior living organizations that affiliated in March 2019 under shared governance and leadership, are partners in four of Michigan’s 13 PACE organizations with a total of five PACE sites across the state. Together, UMRC and Porter Hills make up one of the state’s leading providers of PACE services, serving approximately 1,000 older adults across 15 Michigan counties. These locations include:
- Huron Valley PACE in Ypsilanti
- Thome PACE in Jackson
- Senior CommUnity Care of Michigan in Lansing
- LifeCircles PACE in Holland
- LifeCircles PACE in Muskegon
Huron Valley PACE is celebrating with an Open House on September 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at its Day Health Center located at 2940 Ellsworth Road, Ypsilanti.
“The PACE interdisciplinary team is one thing that really sets PACE apart from other care delivery models,” said Huron Valley PACE Marketing Manager, Lindsay Mann-Shanahan. “So often individuals and families who have health care needs experience a fractured, hard-to-navigate health care system. PACE is just the opposite. In PACE the interdisciplinary team members work together to develop effective care plans and solve problems that PACE participants are experiencing. We have had so many enrollees and their families tell us how PACE has impacted their life.”
PACE is a proven, cost-effective alternative to nursing home care, designed to specifically meet the social, medical, and supportive needs of low-income, nursing home eligible adults ages 55 and over. PACE participants must live within the PACE service area and be certified as meeting the State of Michigan criteria for nursing facility level-of-care, but who are able to live safely and independently in their homes and communities with the help of PACE services.
The PACE interdisciplinary team of professionals provides participants with a “one-stop” shop model for all their healthcare needs. These include comprehensive medical, occupational and physical therapy, pharmacy needs, nutrition and meals, health education, social and recreational activities, and door-to-door transportation.
Building on a foundation of 113 years of service, United Methodist Retirement Communities (UMRC) is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that promotes the wellness, dignity and independence of older adults, by providing high quality, innovative and compassionate senior residential and supportive services. UMRC recently affiliated, under shared governance and leadership, with Porter Hills, based in Grand Rapids, MI. Together, these organizations represent the second largest nonprofit senior living organization in Michigan serving more than 6,700 older adults each year, from 24 locations and service lines, across 22 counties in Michigan’s lower peninsula.