Category: All-Inclusive Care

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At CenterLight Healthcare PACE, our participants come from diverse cultures and speak different languages. Across our service area, our participants speak over 25+ different languages and dialects. More than half of them speak Chinese, Bengali, and Spanish. To ensure every participant feels supported, our staff members reflect the cultures of those we serve.

We have access to interpreters who can help facilitate effective communication. We also offer materials and resources in the primary languages most often spoken by our participants. Our Day Health Center (DHC) becomes a friendly, welcoming place where our participants' unique worlds collide. They get to socialize and connect with one another, making it the perfect place to learn a new language!

Learning a new language opens doors to social interaction and is also a way to keep the mind engaged, which helps maintain cognitive health in older adults.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes at the Day Health Center

At CenterLight PACE, ESL classes are offered at our Westchester, Rockaway, and Flushing PACE centers, as well as our Jamaica South Asian Cultural Alternative Care Setting.

Lessons are taught by an ESL teacher or a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (TRS). These classes meet up to four times a month and are open to any participant who wants to learn or strengthen their English. The lessons consist of first learning common phrases the participants regularly use at home, during social interactions, or any phrases they would use when coming to the site. Once these phrases are learned, the participants will play personalized and fun games/activities such as role-playing, multilingual Bingo, and Pictionary to review what they learned. The lessons also encompass language and phrases the participants may encounter during their medical visits.

Building Confidence

At CenterLight Healthcare PACE, our staff mirrors the cultural makeup of those we serve. We are able to communicate with participants in their own language. But we have seen that learning common phrases in English to use for medical care makes participants feel more comfortable communicating their needs to other providers, specialists, and medical professionals, such as when they have outside appointments. It also gives them the confidence to speak with individuals they may encounter in the community.

Making New Friends

TRS also notice that participants who have taken the language classes are more likely to come out of their comfort zone and interact with their peers and staff who may not speak their language. At the CenterLight PACE Westchester site, for example, our Chinese participants are learning Spanish while our Spanish participants are in turn learning Chinese and both Chinese and Spanish participants are learning English.

In addition to the social aspects, the development of language is another way for our participants to maintain cognitive health. It allows the participants to make new friends and avoid social isolation. Participants who wouldn't have met otherwise now get to learn about each other's cultures and embrace diversity. Even those whose primary language is English have grown an interest in learning a new language to communicate better with their non-English speaking friends. It's all about bringing participants together and making them feel excited to be part of a community. Besides, learning a new language here at CenterLight PACE is never too late!

Source:

National Institute on Aging (2024). Cognitive health and older adults | National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/brain-health/cognitive-health-and-older-adults

H3329 LanguagesBlog Approved 12192024
Updated November 19, 2024

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At CenterLight PACE, we understand that growing older may present health challenges, and that the pace of aging can get overwhelming.  

More and more, there’s a growing need for services for individuals who are aging and/or may have a form of disability. Let’s look at the numbers: Currently, New York State has more than 4.3 million older adults, ranking 4th in the nation in the number of individuals age 60 and over.* The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University previously projected that the number of older adult households in the United States in which at least one person has a disability will be at an estimated 12 million by 2035—with many of them requiring assistance with activities of daily living to be able to stay in their homes.**

It’s not easy for anyone to deal with healthcare concerns—it can be expensive, stressful, and may get confusing. For older adults, it can be especially tough, not just for them but also for their caregivers. As we age, our health issues may start to multiply, and managing multiple conditions, along with other aspects of life, can feel too much to handle even with support from family and friends.

Depending on need, there are programs that can help. I have devoted my career to the health and well-being of older adults, managing nursing homes, managed long term care, and other community-based programs. Based on my experience, I can confidently say that PACE is a great option for those who need complete care but want to remain in their homes and communities.

PACE stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. This Medicare and Medicaid program for adults 55+ provides all the services our participants need to help them stay well and living independently in their own homes. CenterLight PACE is the largest non-profit and one of the oldest such programs in the nation. Our services include, but are not limited to, medical and home care, dental, vision, hearing, rehabilitation services, access to open gym, therapeutic recreation services, prescription drugs, Over the Counter (OTC) items, transportation, and more.*** We manage and coordinate our participants’ care, so that they don’t have to.

We understand that in addition to their health, older adults also face other issues brought not only by aging but the ever-changing and fast-paced environment we live in as well. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, for example, brought with it social and economic hardships that many are still recovering from. CenterLight recognizes this, and to help with basic needs such as food and toiletries, our PACE participants get a My Needs Card with $170 a month**** to spend on eligible items.

There are aspects of aging that do not necessarily come to mind when planning for the future, or when thinking of solutions as health issues arise. Living well as one ages does not mean only worrying about health, but also keeping true to who the person is—their own unique histories and cultural traditions—so we work to ensure that care is individualized according to each of our participants’ needs and preferences. The goal is to help them make the most of each day whether doing activities they love, or even discovering new passions and making new friends at our PACE centers.

The CenterLight PACE Interdisciplinary Team (IDT)--which includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, rehab therapists, social workers, dietitians, and therapeutic recreation specialists--provides care and support that can help navigate the challenges faced by older adults and their loved ones. We believe in a holistic approach: caring for the person as a team and making sure their needs are met medically and have positive effects on their social, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Together with our growing network of providers, our participants, and their caregivers, we can keep up with the pace of agingr to provide high quality care to those we serve.

This blog post is written by Tara Buonocore-Rut, President and Chief Executive Officer at CenterLight Healthcare PACE.

H3329_2022Blog_PACEofAging Approved 10122022
Last updated October 3, 2022

*From the New York State Department for the Aging
**Data from Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, 2017 Study
***Medical necessity is determined by the IDT.
****No rollover. The My Needs Card does not substitute for required or already provided Medicaid and/or Medicare covered services under the PACE standard benefit package.