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Keeping the Pace

By Contributor
Senior Planning

Mercy LIFE Aims to Improve Seniors’ Overall Wellness

By Mercy LIFE

 

Mercy LIFE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). We meet you where you are and help you feel better, live safer, and stay connected to what you love.

When you join Mercy LIFE, we know our participants by name; you are more than a number. Our team of healthcare providers will meet with you to discover your goals and create an individualized care plan, keeping you at the center of your healthcare decisions.

“The program does for me what I can no longer do for myself. It helps me to remain independent.”

What Makes Mercy LIFE Different?

The wrap-around care allows you and your loved ones to rest easy and experience peace of mind. A driver from our team is available to help participants get to and from our center and other medical appointments. Our center serves as a one-stop shop, with physical and occupational therapists, skilled nurses, primary care, nutritional planning with dietitians, and fun activities with our recreation therapy department. You can receive all your care under one roof.

Our team might decide home care visits are best for you. In addition to our medical and social support services, home care can help with daily tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, and light housekeeping. Our goal is to keep you living at home as long as possible, while helping you maintain your independence.

 

What Do Seniors and Caregivers Say About Mercy LIFE?

“I love, most of all, when I am not feeling good, I can call them, and they will set up time for me to come into the clinic. They don’t make you wait long — sometimes they can get me in the same day or the very next day. They find out what is going on, and if they can’t help me, they will send me to a doctor who can help. It makes me feel good I can get the help I need.” —Carolyn M.

“We have hospitals and all the doctors, but it’s different when you have one number to call, and they help you make decisions on what to do next.” —Lisa D.

“I have seen a lift in my husband’s spirits and in improvement in his health. I would recommend it to other people. He can do a few things they have taught him to do on his own, and it’s helpful to me, giving me a break as a caregiver.” —Margaret K.

“The program does for me what I can no longer do for myself. It helps me to remain independent. I can’t come and go as I used to. The program comes, they bring my medications, they pick me up at the door, they bring me into the center. I’m never lonely anymore.” —Sandra G.

 

How Can Mercy LIFE Improve Mental or Spiritual Health?

As seniors age, isolation and loneliness can cause concern, not only for mental health, but also physical health. Mercy LIFE understands social connection is a priority for wellness. When participants visit our center, they have access to primary care and rehabilitative therapies, as well as engaging recreational therapy activities like chair yoga, pet therapy, and crafts.

Our care model treats the whole person — in mind, body, and spirit. Participants have access to spiritual care, designed to honor your values, preferences, and cultural traditions. We prioritize making sure participants know we care about them as individuals and ensure they are treated with dignity and reverence.

The most important thing is that our colleagues are fully present with every interaction and open to receive what you want to share, whether that’s celebrating a milestone or companionship in times of loss or grief.

Social workers will work with you to help make decisions and connect you to resources like counseling services, caregiver education, or access to legal support. If a senior is eligible for housing assistance, our team will work closely with participants to ensure they have a safe, accessible place.

Our team is committed to going beyond treating your physical health, and we are dedicated to your overall wellness. Leading with compassion and healing with heart, we treat the whole person.

Learn more about the comprehensive care at Mercy LIFE by calling (413) 827-4238 or visiting mymercylife.com. 

Fallon Health Welcomes Dr. Jean Jaoude to Massachusetts Program

By
Insurance

Keeping the PACE

Fallon Health announced the recent appointment of Dr. Jean Jaoude as vice president and medical director of its Massachusetts Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), locally called Summit ElderCare. In this role, Jaoude is responsible for supervising the medical care delivery of approximately 1,400 participants enrolled in the organization’s five PACE centers in Massachusetts, located in Leominster, Lowell, Springfield, Webster, and Worcester.

The primary goal of PACE is to allow older adults to live independently in their homes and communities instead of a nursing home, while maintaining or enhancing their quality of life with a dedicated care team, transportation, full medical care, and opportunities for socialization.

Dr. Jean Jaoude

Dr. Jean Jaoude brings deep experience in family medicine, geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care to his new role with Fallon Health’s PACE program.

Jaoude comes to Fallon Health with deep experience in family medicine, geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care. Most recently, he served as chief medical director of the Supportive and Palliative Care department within the ChristianaCare Health System in Newark, Del. Prior to that, he was chief medical officer for Baystate Home Health’s Hospice and Community Palliative Care division in Springfield. He has also served as a volunteer physician for free medical clinics for underserved populations in Iowa and was a missionary in South Africa providing education and free hospice care for underserved communities.

Jaoude is board-certified in family, geriatric, and hospice and palliative medicine. He earned his medical degree from Lebanese University in Lebanon and a master of health care administration degree from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He also holds a medical director certification from the American Medical Assoc. Society for Post-acute and Long-term Care Medicine and completed the Physician Leadership Academy of the American College of Physician Executives at UnityPoint Clinic in Des Moines, Iowa. He is multi-lingual and is fluent in written and spoken Arabic, French, and English.

He is an active member of the American Assoc. for Physician Leadership, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Director Assoc., the American Geriatrics Society, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, as well as the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

The PACE model is centered on the core belief that given a choice, most elders, the disabled, and their families would choose to receive care in their homes and communities rather than in a nursing home. All PACE programs feature several essential components:

• An interdisciplinary team made up of healthcare and social-service professionals, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, and nurses;

• An individualized healthcare plan for each participant that outlines what services are needed to stay safe and healthy; and

• A PACE center that serves as the hub of services and activities, including a doctor’s office, rehabilitation gym, and social-work offices, as well as an activities center. Once enrolled in PACE, most medical services are provided at the PACE center, although services may be provided in the home or at another facility.

Backed by nearly 30 years of experience in PACE, Fallon Health boasts the largest PACE program in New England and among the largest in the country. The not-for-profit healthcare organization also operates a PACE program in Western New York.