Providence ElderPlace: a Nursing Home Alternative

Gestin Suttle

There’s little question that nursing homes fill an important need along the healthcare continuum. And yet, most healthcare experts agree that it’s preferable for seniors to live independently for as long as possible.

ElderPlace participant Delores Versoza enjoys taking advantage of the many services the program provides

Providence ElderPlace in South Seattle helps seniors remain in their homes and maintain their independence. It is one of several dozen providers of PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) in the nation, a program started in San Francisco to care for the city’s disenfranchised elderly who did not want to leave their homes.

“People want to stay in their homes and be close to their families,” says Ellen Garcia, Providence ElderPlace executive director. “It gives seniors a sense of independence that people in our culture really value.” Living at home can be less expensive than a nursing facility, and individuals who suffer from dementia do better in familiar surroundings, she adds.

By providing comprehensive care in one location, ElderPlace helps participants maintain their independence for as long as possible. ElderPlace offers medical and social services at its day center in South Seattle. It provides transportation to and from the center, where participants can visit with doctors, nurses and social workers. The care goes beyond doctor visits and includes physical, occupational and speech therapies, nutrition counseling, optometry, dentistry, spiritual care, lab and X-rays, prescriptions and home services.

The strength of ElderPlace is in its team approach to care. “It goes beyond physical concerns to also address the emotional, spiritual and social concerns,” Garcia says.

And when participants need nursing home care, ElderPlace works closely with local facilities. If, for example, a participant needs to enter a nursing home to recuperate from surgery, ElderPlace will coordinate their stay. “Our use of nursing homes tends to be for more short-term placement,” Garcia says.

ElderPlace also appears to help slow participants’ physical decline. A 2005 study by the state Department of Health Services found that ElderPlace participants were more physically stable when compared to residents of assisted-care facilities and nursing homes.

Participant Harry Poy in front of an art display

The program, part of Providence Health and Services, is also noted for the way it handles individuals’ chronic illnesses, something that unfortunately is an all-too-common condition of aging. ElderPlace’s model of care ensures that its participants’ chronic conditions are kept in check.

Under a traditional healthcare model, a patient with multiple chronic health problems may bounce among several specialists who never talk to each other. Patients may wind up with conflicting advice, a confusing assortment of medications, and no real guidance on how to manage their condition.

At ElderPlace, all staff members routinely confer about a participant’s physical, mental and social well-being. Weekly meetings ensure that “everybody’s working from the same page” about members’ health and welfare, says Patti Plymire, ElderPlace’s nursing services manager.

Under this chronic-care model, the ElderPlace team works with participants to figure out what issues are affecting their fitness and well-being. If a participant, for example, is losing weight, he could meet with the staff dietician and physician to work out a meal plan and determine what else may be happening.

Even when participants go outside the walls of ElderPlace for medical treatment, the ElderPlace team remains involved, so a continuity of care remains.

“The care is integrated and it is comprehensive,” Plymire says. “We are all dedicated to promoting the best quality of life for our participants. That’s our main goal.”

For more information about Providence ElderPlace, go to www.providence.org/elderplace.

From Nov. 26-28, Providence O’Christmas Trees will be held in Seattle to benefit Providence ElderPlace and other programs supported by Providence Senior and Community Services. The event includes a free public Treeview to view elaborately decorated Christmas Trees, a Silver Bells Luncheon and the O’Christmas Trees Dinner Gala and Auction of the trees. For more information, go to www.providence.org/otrees.