EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series describing services available through Pacific Aging Council Endeavors and resulting from an extensive interview with Cathie Bannister and Shelley Daulton at PACE, headquartered in Ilwaco.

PENINSULA – Since 1979, Pacific Aging Council Endeavors, better known as PACE, has been providing in-home care services including personal care, bathing, dressing, shopping, transportation to medical appointments, laundry, housework and meal preparation as well as serving 70 in-house meals a day and currently delivering to 80 to 85 recipients.

The two drivers Cynthia Pride and Bette Brandley start their day at 9 a.m. and finish at 3 p.m. PACE is committed to keeping their senior clients safe and independent so they can stay in their homes as long as possible. Often PACE personnel are the only people clients see all day. Provided at a very reasonable cost, a year’s supply of home-delivered meals costs about the same as a single day in the hospital.

PACE’s nutrition program is funded 50 percent by recipients and 50 percent by state and federal subsidies. In 2002 cash donations equaled $106,000. In 2003 PACE received $142,000, and anticipates $175,000 in 2004.

Due to lower interest rates on some of the contributing foundations’ endowment funds, donations are down this year. Most charitable foundations only contribute their interest income each year and do not touch their principal. Fund raising is an important part of what PACE does, but it equals only 12 percent of the annual budget.

The nutrition program alone is supported by donations from clients, the community, county, state, and federal governments. Gifts of cash, food and equipment are also given periodically. Numbers served in-house seem to depend on the menu which is published in the Chinook Observer. Seven staffers cook and serve the meals in Ilwaco; seven others serve PACE clients in Raymond.

Home care services are supported 85 percent by state and county and 15 percent by private parties. Due to state budget cutbacks this year, PACE has been faced with unprecedented challenges. Increased costs include higher L& I and unemployment insurance premiums.

Services that the state will authorize are down also. New contributors need to be aware that PACE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. There are 30 home-care staff in the Raymond office and 35 in the Ilwaco office. In-home care serves seniors, the majority of whom have physical or developmental disabilities caused by injuries, heredity and age in general.

Caregivers help seniors access community services and achieve their goals. Willapa Counseling works with PACE by helping to acclimate Willapa’s clients once living in institutions and now in the community and using the services of PACE to help their clients in making this transition. Contracts are written with the state and also with private organizations to coordinate these activities.

Another program PACE provides is a Senior Employment Program which administers Title V that encourages non-profit organizations to hire seniors.

A farmers’ market program has been in place since 2001. It is coordinated with ReachOut Food Bank directed by Mickey Padgett. The program buys local produce and gives it to low-income seniors. To receive a bag of produce, one simply has to apply at the PACE center in Ilwaco or Raymond. The program begins in July and continues through November.

Another program called Take Charge of Your Health or BASIC is led by PACE dietitian Karen Voss. It offers age-related nutrition classes. The next class will be held May 20 at 12:45 p.m. in the PACE dining room in Ilwaco. The topic will be fruits, vegetables and physical activity.

PACE is governed by a board of directors which sets policy. Program managers run the programs. There are currently three vacancies on the board. If interested, one should fill out an application at the PACE office and complete an interview. They especially need north county representation to balance out the board geographically. The board meets once a month on the third Tuesday at 10 a.m. in Ilwaco.

Periodic fund raisers are held to support the centers. A recent raffle of an afghan netted $407. The winning ticket held by Roxie Archer was drawn by Joseph Strubelt, age 2. A volunteer in the hospital gift shop, Archer bought 12 tickets and said she has never before won anything in her life. Workers have begun another afghan from donated yarn. The majority of fundraising is done by writing letters, giving presentations and writing grants to large foundations.

The Ilwaco site is the main administrative office. The Raymond office is a branch office also providing home care and a dining room. Statistics show 62,600 meals served in 2003 and 14,242 in 2004 as of March 31. Over 700 clients were served in 2003 in all of Pacific County.

May is Older Americans Month, first established in 1963 to recognize the many contributions of older Americans in our country. PACE nutrition and home care programs are a central part of many senior lives in Pacific County, so in honoring our older Americans, we are featuring this organization and appreciating its efforts to make a difference in so many seniors’ lives. The theme for Older Americans Month is “Aging Well, Living Well.”

The Older Americans Act (OAA) was enacted in 1965 to help communities with local needs identification, planning and funding of services. Services provided include in-house and home-delivered meal service, legal services, mental health, adult day care, minor home repair, a family caregiver support program, medication management and transportation.

Service providers supply matching funds to operate each program. Case management, senior information and assistance, and the ombudsman program are also supported with Older Americans Act funding. It is estimated that over 44 million Americans are serving in family care-giving roles; that number will increase rapidly as the population ages. The National Family Caregiver Support Program since 2000 provides new resources to help communities assist family members who are struggling to care for their loved ones.

Anyone can join PACE by paying the annual $5 membership fee. In doing so, you can support an organization that provides services to the elderly and disabled. PACE is currently conducting a membership drive. Dues are valid from January through December of each year. Paul Wilson, Outreach Committee Chair, is leading the drive. He can be reached at the Ilwaco PACE office at 642-4300 or 642-3378.

State and federal funding from OAA is funneled through the Olympic Area Aging Council. Eligibility and billing for its programs are authorized by the Washington Department of Human Services and Case Management.

As of November 24, 2003, seniors over 60 comprised 29 percent of Pacific County’s population, according to a Washington State University survey. Density of seniors on the Long Beach Peninsula according to recent census figures is over 30 percent. Throughout Washington state the average is 15 percent.

Future plans for the Ilwaco PACE site include placing the administrative offices in the basement and moving the meal serving program upstairs. This will involve a major remodel and upgrade of the building which is a former Ocean Beach hospital building.

A recent drop in numbers of in-house meal service is attributed to lack of advertising and awareness of the services provided, the location, and lack of parking especially during the adjacent hospital remodel. The possibility of moving PACE to the Senior Center in Klipsan Beach was discussed over four years ago, but was too difficult to coordinate funding. The Peninsula Senior Center does not receive state or federal funding so the kitchen regulations are less stringent. PACE receives state, federal, and county funding as well as private donations. The city of Ilwaco leases the building to PACE at a very reasonable rate; the county owns the Raymond site.

PACE is an excellent opportunity for volunteers to help out in the kitchens and dining rooms, with building maintenance, janitorial duties, and meal delivery. Meals are served at noon and provide a great opportunity to meet new people, and celebrate birthdays and holidays. For those 60 or older, a meal is served for only $2.50. Menus are written and approved by a dietitian and contain up to 50 percent of minimum daily requirements. Special diets are available. Located at 152 N. First Street in Ilwaco and 242 N. First Street in Raymond, come on down and join them. If you are at least 60 years of age and home-bound, you may qualify for home delivery. PACE delivers Monday through Friday and offers frozen meals for weekends and holidays.

Adequate nutrition is essential to healthy aging, the prevention or delay of chronic disease and disease-related disabilities, and for improved quality of life. Poor nutrition is a major problem for older adults. Almost 90 percent of seniors have diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or osteoporosis. About 40 percent of older adults have inadequate food and nutrient intake.

DSHS provides grants to support nutrition services to older adults and their caregivers throughout the country. Home delivered nutrition services enable older adults to avoid or delay costly institutionalization and allow them to stay in their homes and communities. These services successfully target adults who are older, poorer (typically below $10,000 in income), sicker, have multiple chronic health conditions and more likely to live alone, live in rural areas, and be minorities.

We recognize the efforts of all PACE staff members as well as the volunteers that help make the lives of seniors easier and more productive.