AKRON, OH — In our ongoing series about problematic nursing homes in northeast Ohio, the News 5 Investigators don’t just highlight the issues. They search for helpful solutions. A program designed to keep seniors in their homes is providing some hope for residents and the state.
To say it’s been a struggle for Rick Mitchell, 71, from Akron, might be an understatement.
“You’ve hit a nerve here,” said Mitchell.
He said he’s been in nursing homes before to help with physical rehabilitation, but he also noticed others there in pain.
“When I woke up and I heard (other patients saying) ‘Ohhh’ and ‘Help!’ I don’t want to do that,” said Mitchell.
So now, he’s enrolled in the McGregor PACE program that occupies what was once the first floor of a nursing facility in Akron, but it’s a lot different. It allows him to live in his own home.
“If I need a ride somewhere, they take me,” said Mitchell. “If I need anything at all, they take care of me.”
WHAT THE PROGRAM DOES
PACE stands for Program for All-inclusive Care of the Elderly.
Danelle Stover is the Site Administrator.
“They can be seen by the doctor while they’re here. They can participate in therapy,” said Stover. “We have our day center where they can meet and socialize with others.”
People on Medicare, Medicaid and even self-pay can come to the center for check-ups, from health screenings to dental needs to foot care and more.
“We really work as a team,” said the Nurse Practitioner Kelly Cervenka. “What’s nice is if you have a fragile disease, you can be seen often. Right? There’s no copay,” said Cervenka.
There are several PACE facilities in northeast Ohio. The one in Akron got started a year ago with help from legislators. State Representative Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) helped secure $50 million to get the place up and running, but said it also saves the state $30 million a year by keeping the elderly out of nursing homes and piling up big Medicare and Medicaid bills.
“Now they’re not in a skilled nursing facility,” said Roemer. “They’re at home where they really want to age in-place. And at the same time, they’re getting better care than they would have ordinarily.”
PROBLEM NURSING HOMES IN THE DISTRICT
Two nursing homes in Roemer’s own district really struggle with care. We’ve reported on Blossom Care Center of Cuyahoga Falls, but there’s also Momentous Health at Richfield that is on the federal Special Focus Facility list of homes that the feds have said have ongoing problems and need consistent quality improvement.
Momentous Health at Richfield just last year had a 305-page inspection report full of deficiencies like resident-to-resident physical abuse, failing to develop comprehensive care plans for residents, and actual harm noted multiple times.
We invited Momentous Health and Blossom Care Center to on-camera interviews. Neither of the SFF homes chose to do so.
“I like the fact that the spotlight is being placed on those nursing homes that are underperforming,” said Roemer.
PLANS TO EXPAND PACE
Meanwhile, with the new Ohio House Bill 750, Roemer wants to expand the PACE program into additional Ohio counties.
The folks at Akron’s PACE program said they are looking to help more people, too.
“Imagine entering a whole new territory with people who need your help but who don’t quite know that you’re available yet,” said Stover.
“We invest our money in our participants and the care we give…so, spreading the word is always an ongoing challenge,” said Cervenka.
People like Mitchell have seen their own challenges, but said the PACE program is like a weight off their shoulders.
“When both of my parents were, excuse me... when both my parents were in a nursing home it was real tough for me,” he told us while tearing up. “And to not have to be in a nursing home means the absolute world to me.”
One of the benefits of PACE is that it can train loved ones to be caregivers of their parents, grandparents, and so forth. Those loved ones can be paid for the care they provide, and that way, they don’t have to lose out on making money when they have to quit their regular jobs to take care of mom and dad.
