As she lay in a nursing home bed last year, Jean Delusa wasn’t looking forward to her future.
The 78-year-old Prospect native knew she couldn’t take care of herself, but she didn’t want to stay in the Good Samaritan Nursing home much longer.
That’s when she heard about SeniorLIFE Johnstown’s alternative.
It turned her life around.
“You couldn’t ask for a better place,” Delusa said at the 401 Broad St. center.
SeniorLIFE Johnstown is one of a growing number of Living Independence for the Elderly centers in the state.
The center’s programs cover every aspect of its members’ lives, said Mark Irwin, chief operating officer.
LIFE is Pennsylvania’s version of national Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. The LIFE acronym was chosen here to avoid confusion with Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly, the state lottery-funded prescription program.
The Johnstown center recently received Medicare approval, opening its services to more elderly residents.
Under a program that replaces all other Medicare insurance coverage, SeniorLIFE receives $3,700 a month for each of its members. In return, it takes care of members’ medical needs and makes sure their daily living needs are being met.
“I come here three days a week,” Delusa said.
“I come for everything: Companionship and for my health, and for the people. They help you out with our physical needs, and I see the doctor when I want to.”
The other four days, she handles her own care in her Dale apartment.
To qualify for the program, seniors who need more complex medical services must be eligible for both Medicare and meet low-income requirements for Medicaid. They must be referred by their primary doctor and be evaluated by SeniorLIFE’s medical staff, Irwin said.
Once accepted, seniors must transfer all their medical coverage to SeniorLIFE, making the center their primary care provider.
In addition to medical needs, the plans cover personal care, meals, transportation and prescription drugs.
It’s comprehensive care, Irwin stresses.
“Our therapists, doctors, aides, nurses, drivers – we all communicate on a regular basis,” Irwin said. “We develop a care plan that addresses their needs.”
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Randy Griffith
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SeniorLIFE: ‘You couldn’t ask for a better place’
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Boil-water notice issued in Upper Yoder Township
A boil-water notice has been issued for a portion of Upper Yoder Township as crews work to repair a leak along Route 271. -
No NDIC jobs to stay in city
After years of political clashes and fiscal uncertainty, these are the facts of the National Drug Intelligence Center’s final days:
• 87: The number of employees losing their jobs as NDIC operations wind down this year.
• 57: The number of staffers, aside from those 87, who will be offered jobs in Washington, D.C.
• Zero: The number of NDIC-related jobs that will remain in Johnstown. -
Blogging with heart
I had a couple of interesting interviews over the past 24 hours. The first was with an ambitious Forest Hills High School junior who organized a Red Out across the district today in support of American Heart Association. Like many of those involved in Heart Association benefits, Spencer Ivock was inspired by his own family members' experience with heart disease.
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Forest Hills junior puts his heart into Red Out
Forest Hills junior Spencer Ivock is “redding out” the schools today for his senior project.
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Local pair accused of robbing home twice
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In brief: Somerset motorist dies in crash
A 28-year-old Somerset man was killed Thursday morning when his vehicle left the road, hit a drainage ditch and rolled over.
- Births 02/03/2012
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[VIDEO] Party in Punxsutawney: Groundhog Day is about more than seeing shadows
For the thousands who show up at Gobbler's Knob as early as 8 p.m. on Feb. 1, Groundhog Day is about more than whether or not Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow: It's an excuse to party.
The Tribune-Democrat's Justin Dennis spent the night among the masses and captured all of the festivities on film. -
[VIDEO] Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction
More than 18,000 people – some representing states as far away as Arkansas and Oregon – crammed into the outdoor amphitheatre of Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday for the annual weather party known as Groundhog Day.
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