Retirement News : Seniors : Philadelphia Housing Authority and St. Agnes Continuing Care ...

Philadelphia Housing Authority and St. Agnes Continuing Care ...

Date Added: 12-04-2005

PHILADELPHIA, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) and the St. Agnes Continuing Care Center have opened a state-of-the-art senior care center on the premises of one of PHA's largest and newest affordable housing developments, Greater Grays Ferry Estates (GGFE), located at 3001 Moore Street.
The St. Agnes facility is located on the first floor of PHA's brand new 72-unit Conswiller B. Pratt Apartments. At the site, St. Agnes will deliver a comprehensive, long-term senior care program named LIFE (Living Independently For Elders). LIFE enables participants to live as independently as possible through a full spectrum of services while keeping them out of nursing homes and hospitals. LIFE is a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE) and is funded by Medicare and Medicaid.

"Today is a great day for senior PHA residents and their families," said PHA Executive Director Carl Greene. "Our innovative collaboration with St. Agnes gives qualified residents access for the first time to nursing home- level care without the high cost, and in a state-of-the-art facility. The service is original, affordable and a tremendous source of support for older adults who have a variety of medical, therapeutic and recreational needs."

To qualify for LIFE, older adults must be at least 55 years of age, need help with activities of daily living, and live in LIFE's service area. Participants will benefit from a broad range of services through the LIFE program, including medical care, in-home care, social services, recreational programs, prescribed medication, rehabilitation, nutritional counseling, and caregiver relief.

Qualified residents at the apartment complex at GGFE will enjoy immediate access to LIFE services on the premises. However, LIFE services will not be restricted to residents of the GGFE building. Participants who live at certain PHA locations within the LIFE program service area will receive wheelchair-accessible transportation to and from the LIFE center at GGFE. Those PHA sites (besides GGFE) are:

      -- Cambridge Plaza              -- Richard Allen Homes
      -- Cassie L. Holly              -- Spring Garden Apartments
      -- The Courtyard at Riverview   -- Wilson Park
      -- Martin Luther King Plaza

"With the support of HUD and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, this collaboration offers an exciting opportunity to deliver needed services to the affordable housing community," said Greene. "PHA extends special gratitude to Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman for her support in making this collaboration possible."

The new LIFE Center offers expansive accommodations including an adult day center, a primary care clinic, rehabilitation, and a dining facility. The overall space will serve up to 120 members with 65 participants attending a day and a staff of 30. The first St. Agnes LIFE Center on Columbus Boulevard opened its doors in October 1998.

"LIFE is the most advanced long-term senior care program of its kind," said Dr. James Flowers, president and chief executive officer of St. Agnes Continuing Care Center. "It tailors care to each participant's need and follows the individual across all levels of care and all care settings, including home, day center, hospital and nursing home, for lifelong care of the older adult. Where else can you find that?"

Added Greene, "Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population, and we are competing for that business with a top quality product." Last year, more than 3,000 seniors received help at PHA Senior Centers across Philadelphia; the new center is designed to continue that important focus.

The Conswiller B. Pratt Apartment Building is named for a decades-long resident and community activist of the former Tasker Homes, the PHA project that occupied the site until it was demolished in 2002. Ms. Pratt was the honored guest speaker at today's event.

PHA, the nation's fourth largest public housing authority, has emerged as a recognized national leader in the development of the highest quality affordable housing.

St. Agnes Continuing Care Center, a member of the Mercy Health System, provides quality, compassionate continuing care services to meet the healthcare needs of the communities it serves.

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