(Photo caption: Virginia McAuliffe (far right), executive director of Complete Senior Care, along with her family, staff and participants, celebrated the non-profit agency’s 7 year anniversary with many special events and activities in September, including marching in the Peach Festival Parade.)
Complete Senior Care Celebrates Caregivers
During National PACE Month
September 2018 (Niagara Falls) – The National PACE Association proclaimed September as National PACE Month, an opportunity to celebrate the lives improved by Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE®). This year’s theme of “Caring for Caregivers, Caring for You” highlights the role of caregivers and the support provided to them by PACE programs.
The caregiver burden of family members is significantly reduced when a loved one is enrolled in PACE, according to a new survey by the National PACE Association. PACE is an innovative Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their health care needs in the home and community and at day centers rather than in a nursing home or other care facility.
The survey on caregiver burden found that 96.6 percent of family members are satisfied with the support they receive through PACE, and 97.5 percent of family caregivers would recommend PACE to someone in a similar situation.
Nearly half (49.6 percent) of family members reported high caregiver burden at the time their loved one enrolled in PACE. After enrollment, more than 58 percent of those who had rated their caregiver burden as moderate to high experienced less burden.
Complete Senior Care (CSC) is a PACE organization that has served Niagara County for seven years. A total of 124 PACE organizations serve more than 45,000 enrollees in 31 states. PACE enrollees are age 55 and over and need a nursing home level of care, but more than 95 percent are able to live in the community with the services and support they receive through PACE.
“Caregiver support is among the key services that sets PACE apart from other models of care,” said John Kinner, President & CEO. “We have had so many enrollees and their families tell us how PACE has impacted their life. It is gratifying to see this reflected in the data of the first national survey of PACE family caregivers.”
The new caregiver survey was conducted by Vital Research on behalf of the National PACE Association using the Zarit Burden Interview.
Complete Senior Care has been celebrating National PACE Month throughout September with a number of events and festivities, including an agency birthday party, the Peach Festival Parade (photo attached), movie parties and mocktails, field trips to Platter’s Chocolates and the Casino, cookie baking and decorating, manicures, yoga and so much more.
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* CSC is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) which provides a wide range of services to help seniors remain living in their home and community for as long as possible. CSC is located within HANCI Headquarters on Main Street in Niagara Falls.
