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December 11 , 2007 - The Times-Picayune
Care center keeps elders thriving
By Sheila Stroup
Before she started coming to PACE of Greater New Orleans last month, Myrtle Nixon, 81, spent most weekdays by herself.
Her daughter works and her grandchildren are in school, so she was home alone.
"All I had to do was look at the TV, and I got tired of that," she says. "This place gets my mind working." This place" is the Shirley Landry Benson PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Center at St. Cecilia, a lovely old Catholic church in the Bywater.
The decommissioned church, which was renovated to accommodate the Catholic Charities program, opened in September to serve seniors in Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson parishes.
"It's beautiful," Myrtle says. "I feel blessed to be here."
Keeping elders at home
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but PACE provides much more than meals, entertainment and daytime activities.
The brochure calls it "a comprehensive package of health services to keep elders at home." Director Stephanie Smith says it's "like a nursing home without walls."
A doctor, a nurse-practitioner and registered nurses are on staff, and numerous services are offered.
It's drugs, physical therapy, dental care, optometry, mental health, basically everything," Stephanie says.
To qualify, clients must be 65 (55 with a disability) and certified by the state to need nursing-home level care. The program is paid for by Medicaid and Medicare, so clients need to be eligible for one or both programs to make it affordable.
Transportation is provided, and PACE provides in-home care for clients evenings and weekends when it's needed.
A main criterion is that they can live safely in their homes," Stephanie says.
Peace of mind
Marketing director Aziza Landrum has been visiting hospitals and community centers to let families know about PACE.
"I always say, 'I can tell you tons of stuff about it, but when you see it, that makes all the difference,' " she says.
I agree. With its gorgeous ceiling, warm staff and bustling activities, it makes you feel right at home.
When I visited, people were singing carols and making holiday flower arrangements. On Wednesday, the bell choir from St. Michael's Special School will perform at 11:30 a.m.
The center, at 4201 N. Rampart St., is one of 38 sites across the country, and the first to open in Louisiana. A second one is scheduled to open in Baton Rouge next year.
PACE offers a wonderful community-based alternative to putting a loved one in a nursing home. There is peace of mind for the caregivers. And, for the clients, there's a reason to get up in the morning.
"Everyone here is friendly and has a nice smile for you," Myrtle says. "I'm not lonely anymore."
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For more information about PACE, go to ccano.org/pace.htm. To schedule a visit to the center or arrange for a home visit to see whether a loved one qualifies for PACE, call Aziza Landrum at (504) 941-6043.
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