PACE enrollees use fewer inpatient services

When compared with other elderly populations, enrollees in the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) are most similar to nursing home residents, according to the National PACE Association in San Francisco. (For more information on long-term care opportunities through PACE, see p. 115.) Here are some characteristics of PACE enrollees:

• PACE enrollees’ average age is 80; about one-third are 85 or older.

• PACE enrollees are dependent in 2.9 activities of daily living on average.

• PACE enrollees each have an average of 8.1 medical diagnoses.

• More than half of PACE enrollees are incontinent.

• More than two-thirds of PACE enrollees suffer from mental disorders including dementia and depression.