Element Care Announces Top 12 Ways to Support Healthy Aging for Older Adults

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Katie Martinson
Marketing Communications Manager
Element Care kmartinson@elementcare.org
617-678-5394

Element Care Announces Top 12 Ways to Support Healthy Aging for Older Adults

Lynn, MA – September 15th, 2020 – Element Care, a non-profit, health care organization serving adults 55 and older through its Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), has released its Top 12 Ways to Support Healthy Aging for Older Adults. This list was created to help older adults age well so they can continue to live independently and to build awareness for National PACE Month and National Healthy Aging Month, both of which are celebrated in September. Among the top 12 items included on the list are:

• Get your immunizations. Get ready for flu season! Make sure to get your annual flu shot and other vaccinations for shingles, pneumonia, etc.
• Be Mindful of Your Medications. Remembering to take all your medications can be challenging, especially if like many older adults you take many medications each day. Taking too many or too few of your medications can put you at risk for dizziness, falls or other serious side effects so it is important to use a system such as a 7-day medication planner to ensure that you take all your meds every day.
• Consider using telehealth tools to stay safe. With the onset of COVID-19, telehealth tools have been growing in popularity. See if your provider offers these convenient, fast and safe ways to see your doctor and other clinical professionals.

“The mission of Element Care PACE is to help people live safely and comfortably in their homes and their communities for as long as they can, keeping their stays in hospitals and nursing facilities as minimal as possible,” said Nick Pappas, Director of Sales and Marketing at Element Care. “This list of ways to support healthy aging for older adults provides a good reminder of some easy things people can do to maintain their health so they can remain independent and enjoy their golden years.”

To read the complete Top 12 Ways to Support Healthy Aging for Older Adults and see how Element Care helps its participants address them, click here.

About Element Care
Element Care, founded in 1995, is a non-profit, healthcare organization with a simple mission: to help people live safely and comfortably in their homes and their communities for as long as they can, keeping their stays in hospitals and nursing facilities as minimal as possible. Element Care provides complete health care to eligible people through PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) throughout the Massachusetts North Shore, the Merrimack Valley and the northeast region of Middlesex County. For more information, please call 877-803-5564, or visit www.elementcare.org.

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Element Care PACE Celebrates National PACE Month

Element Care PACE Celebrates National PACE Month

  This Year’s Theme Reflects Program’s Success in Keeping Low-Income, Older Adults Safe during Pandemic

Lynn, MA – September 8, 2020.  Element Care’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is celebrating National PACE Month in September.  This provides an opportunity to raise awareness and acknowledge the difference that PACE makes in the lives of older adults, their families and their communities. The PACE model of care helps nursing home-eligible individuals remain safe in their home and community for as long as possible.  This mission has been successful in keeping more than 95 percent of its enrollees in the community and out of nursing homes. The theme of t
his year’s National PACE Month is “Your Care, Your Community, You’re Home.” It echoes the success PACE organizations have had in keeping participants safe during the pandemic.

“Caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions who are self-quarantining at home during the pandemic can be quite challenging,” said Bob Wakefield, Jr, CEO at Element Care.  “The PACE model of care with its built-in flexibility has enabled Element Care to quickly pivot from caring for participants in our PACE Wellness Centers several times a week – to creating a home-centric and telehealth-enabled model of care where nurses, home care workers, behavioral health clinicians, activity specialists and other care team professionals pro-actively support participants in their homes.”

 

During the pandemic, Element Care has provided comprehensive medical and social services to participants’ homes including:

  • Over 5,000 deliveries of medicines, supplements and supplies
  • Over 16,000 telehealth and outreach visits
  • Over 23,000 clinical and care visits
  • Over 27,000 meals on wheels delivered
  • Over 100,000 total home visits

“Over these last few months, we’ve learned to develop new care strategies and skills, and utilized new technologies that will help us support the vulnerable population that we serve in new and better ways during COVID-19, the flu season and for years to come.  That’s one of the valuable outcomes from the pandemic and something worth recognizing during National PACE Month this year,” added Wakefield.

About Element Care

Element Care, founded in 1995, is a non-profit, healthcare organization with a simple mission: to provide the support and services necessary to allow people to remain safe and comfortable in their homes and communities. Element Care provides complete health care to eligible people through PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) throughout the Massachusetts North Shore, the Merrimack Valley and the northeast region of Middlesex County. For more information, please call 877-803-5564, or visit www.elementcare.org.

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Bringing Element Care PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) to Assisted Living Facilities Creates a Powerful Market Share Advantage. Judith Roark Mackey, Business Development Manager, Element Care

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, assisted living communities have provided extraordinary care and services for residents, including:  around-the-clock care; monitoring for symptoms; implementing infection control and cleaning protocols; screening of employees; ensuring social distancing; adjusting activities; hiring, and training, They also have heroically managed “move ins” for residents, sometimes in emergency situations.

Health Dimensions Group (HDG) https://healthdimensionsgroup.com) recently published its Top Trends in Aging Services: Preparing for Historic Changes list for 2020, and it reports: “Like never before, senior living and care organizations are facing a time of great uncertainty. The speed and diversity of change seems unparalleled.”

Of interest on the list is the apparent convergence of two trends: occupancy and growth challenges, with the growing need for assisted living for middle income seniors. A quick look at the local landscape shows how investors and developers have focused almost entirely on the upper end of income levels. For lower income seniors, state and local programs, such as Medicaid, provide some housing and some care-related services, but the assisted living industry has not focused on the senior living needs of the middle income market.

Opportunities:

A proven care model like Element Care’s PACE enhances the quality of life of residents, expands existing support, and makes assisted living

more affordable for middle income individuals.  A partnership with Element Care is a true differentiator in the marketplace and an additional tool to augment the facility’s accessibility and occupancy goals.  Element Care PACE enhances a participant’s quality of life and addresses the family and caregivers’ need for hands-on comprehensive medical care, insurance, and supportive services. We have partnered with several select assisted living partners in Middlesex and Essex Counties.  Our partners are now able to cast a wider net to attract individuals with more limited resources.

If you would like to learn more about Element Care’s Partnerships with Assisted Living Facilities, please contact Judy Mackey, Business Development Manager, email:  jmackey@elementcare.org.