SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley and the LIFE Program: Who It Fits

PACE, with a Pennsylvania name

The federal Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly is called LIFE, Living Independence for the Elderly, in Pennsylvania. It exists to keep people who qualify for a nursing home living in the community, by taking full responsibility for their care.

Do not confuse it with PACE and PACENET, Pennsylvania's Lottery-funded prescription programs. Same letters, entirely different programs.

Who runs it here

DHS's LIFE provider list names SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley, at 3365 High Point Boulevard in Bethlehem, (610) 954-5433, with a service area of Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties. SeniorLIFE Reading lists the same three counties. Carbon County does not appear in any provider's service area.

Participants are picked up and brought to the center on scheduled days, where they see the medical team, get therapy and meals, and take part in activities.

What LIFE covers

LIFE covers everything Medicare and Medicaid would cover, and more if the team decides it is needed: primary care, specialists, prescriptions, therapy, personal care at home, transportation, adult day services, hospital care and, if needed, nursing home care. The LIFE provider pays for and coordinates all of it.

That coordination is the main benefit. Families no longer juggle separate doctors, pharmacies, home care agencies and transportation.

Who it fits

LIFE suits people who are willing to switch to LIFE's doctors, who would benefit from regular time at a day center, and whose families want one organization accountable for everything. It is a strong fit for people with several chronic conditions and frequent hospital visits.

It fits less well for people deeply attached to a long-time doctor, or who strongly prefer to stay home rather than attend a center.

LIFE compared with Community HealthChoices

Both require a nursing facility level of care for long-term services. Families can start with one and switch later.

A day in the program

A typical participant is picked up at home in the morning and brought to the Bethlehem center, where a nurse checks in, a therapist may run an exercise session, lunch is served and activities fill the afternoon before the ride home. Doctor visits, lab work and some specialist care happen at the center, which saves families many trips.

On days at home, LIFE can send aides for personal care, and the team adjusts the plan as needs change. Families have one phone number for everything.

Hospital stays and nursing homes under LIFE

When a participant needs a hospital, LIFE coordinates and pays for it, and its team follows the participant through discharge. If a participant eventually needs a nursing home, LIFE arranges it and continues to pay, which removes the usual scramble over Medicare days and Medical Assistance applications.

That continuity is one of the program's most underappreciated benefits for families who have been through hospital discharges before.

Questions to ask before enrolling

Ask which days your parent would attend the center and how long the van rides are from your town, which hospital LIFE uses for admissions, how the team handles after-hours calls, and which specialists it contracts with. Ask what happens if your parent wants to disenroll later, and how quickly regular Medicare and Medical Assistance coverage resumes.

Ask current participants' families, if the center can connect you, what the first months were like. The transition to a new care team is the biggest adjustment.

How to enroll

Call SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley directly or Pennsylvania's Independent Enrollment Broker at 1-877-550-4227. The county Area Agency on Aging does the level-of-care assessment, and the county assistance office handles Medical Assistance eligibility; people who are not eligible for Medical Assistance can join by paying privately.

LIFE does not pay a personal care home's room and board, but participants can live in one and still use LIFE for everything else.