About PACE enrollees . . .
At the end of 1997, around 5,000 frail, elderly people were enrolled in Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). By law, they are all at least 55 years old, live in the catchment area of the PACE program, and are certified as eligible for nursing home care by an appropriate state agency.
More than 70% of PACE enrollees are age 75 or older. Most have close to eight diseases; nearly half suffer from dementia. The 10 most prevalent conditions include:
• hypertension;
• diseases of the eye;
• arthritis;
• dementia;
• anxiety or depression;
• cerebrovascular disease;
• diabetes;
• coronary artery disease;
• diseases of the ear;
• peripheral vascular disease.
PACE enrollees need help with both activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental ADLs like taking medications, preparing meals, and doing laundry. On average, they are dependent in 3.5 of the five ADLs and most need assistance with all eight instrumental ADLs.
In 1998, the average number of prescription medications taken by the enrollees of 12 PACE programs ranged from three to five and a half. Those same programs reported that from 20% to 94% of their enrollees received in-home personal care. The average number of monthly personal care-home chore hours per user ranged from 19.8 to 124.1.
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