New Suncoast PACE Day Care Center & Medical Clinic Opens in Pinellas Park

By Karen Wells, Suncoast PACE Executive Director                                                                                                            

Karen Wells

Excitement abounded at our Suncoast PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) day care center and medical clinic official ribbon cutting in Pinellas Park on May 14.

Our Suncoast PACE participants advisory council president, Barbara LeFranc, brought the crowd to tears when she shared what PACE has meant to her. Barbara told us that she felt alone after her sister’s death shortly after they had moved to Florida. Barbara enrolled in PACE, and we have become her family and she ours.

Suncoast PACE board chair Kathryn Hyer (left) 
presents Barbara LeFranc at ribbon cutting

Many other supporters graced our opening, including local and state elected officials and representatives from their offices, individuals from our parent organization Suncoast Hospice and its other affiliates, and others who provide services to the elderly in our community.

Improving Quality of Life

If you haven’t heard about PACE, it’s a nationwide program that’s quite special and different from other programs. PACE provides a wide array of services to individuals who:

• Are ages 55 and older
• Live in a PACE service area (for Suncoast PACE that’s all of Pinellas County)
•  Meet the state standard of being eligible for placement in a nursing home but wish to remain at home or in an assisted living facility

Suncoast PACE Day Care Center

The day care center is the heart and soul of PACE, where the sense of family is born. All PACE participants spend time in the center receiving hearty meals (always within dietary guidelines), socializing with peers, and above all, keeping active.

Generally speaking, PACE participants are Medicare and Medicaid eligible. Once participants are officially enrolled in PACE all of their necessary services (whether medical care, therapies, medications or home care) are authorized by the interdisciplinary team and paid for by PACE. For our Suncoast PACE participants there are no co-pays or deductibles for services, helping them to stretch their incomes a little bit farther each month.

Our Suncoast PACE primary care physician, Dr. Laurence Petty, is on staff and available on site in our medical clinic. We contract with a wide range of specialists in the community in order to ensure the highest quality of medical care.

Without seeing Suncoast PACE’s center and clinic it’s very difficult to fully grasp our capacity to change the life of a frail, older adult. We’re located at 6774 102^nd Ave. N., Pinellas Park.

For information on enrollment or to arrange a tour, please call 727-289-0062. We hope to see you soon.

Is it Time for Palliative Care?

By Wayne Anderson, M.D., M.P.H.
Suncoast Hospice Palliative Care Physician

Dr. Wayne Anderson

The number one question I’m asked is, “What do you do as a palliative care doctor?” A primary part of my job is listening.

In my five years as a Suncoast Hospice palliative care physician doing consults in the hospital I’ve heard wonderful stories from patients and families. Couples married for 65 years to those looking forward to their first anniversaries have shared their stories with me. Some people have told me the names of all their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and even a few great-great-grandchildren.

I’ve listened when patients and families need to talk about their feelings. Parents wonder if they’ll see their children graduate from high school or get married. Those who have cancer express concern about losing their hair and experiencing nausea and pain. Others worry about what will happen to their loved ones or how they can help their aging parents.

Education & Coordination of Care

When someone is faced with a serious diagnosis his or her entire world is turned upside down. He or she may ask, “What do I do?” Too many times patients are told by their doctors what they need to do. Oftentimes patients are unaware of the options they have for their treatment. They need their doctors to help them understand all of the options of care and to understand who they are as people.

One option is palliative care – a type of medical care focused on improving the quality of life for patients with chronic or advanced illnesses and their families. Palliative care is an extra resource that works together with the patient’s own physicians to form a plan of care that’s medically sound and fits the patient’s wishes. Palliative care can sometimes include therapies that are designed to bring comfort. Unlike hospice care, palliative care is not confined to the final months of life.

As a palliative care physician, I want to know what my patients actually understand about their diseases. I spend time with them so I can understand their concerns, fears, wishes and goals.

It’s my hope that you’re never faced with difficult medical decisions. However, if you or a loved one is unsure of what to do about care, perhaps talking with a palliative care physician or other care team member may help. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ll work with you to find a level of care that’s right for you.

Call us to learn more about our palliative care at 467-7423.

Saluting Nurses In Recognition of National Nurses Week

Nurses Care at Care Center

It’s National Nurses Week May 6 to 12 and we’d like to acknowledge our fabulous nurses who take loving care of our patients and families.

Our nurses are compassionate and uplifting and bring comfort in so many ways. They’re experts at resolving the pain and symptoms of our patients. They also give education and emotional support to our patients and families, helping them understand what to expect with their illnesses and listening to them as they cope with their feelings.

Working with the Care Teams

Collaboration with the other care team members is also an integral part of their job to ensure the best possible care to patients and families. Melanie Harmon, a registered nurse (R.N.) with our supplemental staff-PRN department, celebrated ten years with Suncoast Hospice this year. She shared how she and one of our chaplains worked together swiftly to bring comfort and peace to a patient right before she died.

R.N. Home Visit

“One of our patients had a debilitating illness and was close to death. I rubbed her swollen foot, and she liked it. I called one of our chaplains to help her and he came that day. He baptized her and said the Lord’s Prayer with her family all around her bedside.  It was amazing what he did and wonderful to be there,” Melanie said.

Fulfilling Careers

Two of our other nurses say that working in hospice care is extremely meaningful. “It has been an honor and educational experience going into people’s homes and hearing their stories,” said Stephen Mitchell, a licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.) with our supplemental staff-continuous care department. Cynthia Peterson, an R.N. with one of our care teams shared, “I just don’t think there’s anything more rewarding than being at the bedsides of the dying and helping their families. It’s the best job.”

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of patients and families? Check out our current job openings.