Why I support PACE — a compassionate and cost-effective model of care

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OPINION — Caring for our loved ones as they age is one of the most important responsibilities many families will ever take on. My sister and I have come to understand this with our father, who is 74 and enrolled in a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, known as PACE. We have seen firsthand what a difference the program has made for him and for our family.

My father participates in a weekly PACE program, where he stays active, shares meals and spends time with people who look out for him. What touches me the most is how personal the program is catered to his needs. In the mornings, he is served oatmeal which to many may feel like nothing special but that reminds him of how my mother used to serve it to our family.

Knowing he is safe and cared for gives our family peace of mind and is something thousands of California families count on every day. Most importantly, he can continue living independently in the neighborhood he has always called home.

This work is personal to me. Before I was elected to the Legislature, I spent 13 years at a nonprofit that provided meals and support to seniors in our community. That experience is part of the perspective I bring to Sacramento. It has led me to advocate for and secure $800,000 dollars in state funding to eliminate PACE enrollment barriers and help medically frail older adults receive the care and support they need, when they need it.

PACE is one of the most compassionate and cost-effective models of care California offers. This year alone, the program is projected to save the state approximately $350 million compared to providing the same participants with care outside of PACE about $13,000 in savings per enrollee each year. 

PACE brings medical, social and transportation services together ensuring older adults can age with dignity and gives them autonomy they need in their own homes and communities. A team of doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists coordinates a participant’s care, so families do not have to navigate it all on their own. The program is designed for adults 55 and older who need significant daily support, and it adapts as their needs change.

PACE programs in California serve more than 30,000 enrollees in 28 counties through more than 120 centers and alternative care settings across the state. And the people who use the program value it. An impressive 92% of participants report being very satisfied with their overall care, and 92% say they would recommend PACE to a close friend.

AltaMed’s PACE program has been invaluable to my father and to thousands of families like mine. Programs like these help older Californians remain in the communities they spent their lives building. And more families are turning to them. Over the past 10 years, the number of PACE programs in California has more than doubled and enrollment has more than tripled.

PACE also supports the families and caregivers around each participant. When a parent’s medical, social and daily needs are met through one coordinated program, adult children can keep working and stay involved in their parents’ lives without having to manage every aspect of their care themselves. That kind of stability matters not only for seniors, but for families.

The need for this care is only growing. California is aging faster than almost anywhere in the country. As the state works through difficult budget decisions, we should be looking for ways to strengthen PACE, not scale it back, precisely because more families will come to depend on it.

Protecting PACE is also sound policy. Programs that help seniors stay healthy and remain at home can ease pressure on the rest of our health care system. They allow people to maintain their independence while making better use of public dollars. That is good for seniors, good for families and good for California.

Caring for those who came before us is a promise that crosses generations and party lines. Our loved ones who helped build California deserve to grow older here with dignity and support. I see what that means in my own family, and I am committed to keeping this care strong and available for my father and for every family who will one day need it.

Assemblymember José Luis Solache, Jr., represents California’s 62nd Assembly District (D-Lynwood).