Message From President & CEO, Peter Szutu

 

When Mr. B (73 years old) enrolled with the Center for Elders' Independence (CEI) he was nearly comatose, unresponsive to questions and rarely moved on his own. He sat in his wheelchair for most of the day and a casual observer could not tell if he was awake or asleep. His family wanted to move him to a nursing home.

 

Through our care team approach, CEI changed his care plan to maximize his independence, enabling him to enjoy a higher quality of life. One of the problems for Mr. B was the number of prescription drugs he was taking. Before enrolling with CEI, he was cared for by three different physician specialists who never coordinated their care plans. The PACE care team modified his medications to prevent unwanted interactions, and now Mr. B is very much awake and conversant, participating in activities at the day center, working out in rehab to improve his balance and enjoying field trips to lakes and parks. He can even walk a few steps.

Mr. B's story is more typical than rare at CEI, where participants average 7 to 8 diagnoses and chronic conditions each. With the combined resources and services of more than a dozen disciplines and virtually all health care specialties, each participant is closely followed with an emphasis on prevention, maintenance and early intervention. Each has a customized care plan. The majority of these participants live in their own homes and that is what makes the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) unique.