Celebrating National PACE Month

“I wouldn’t trade my experience at Mercy LIFE for the world. Everyone is so nice and friendly—the whole team. I feel at home when I come here.”

Since joining Mercy LIFE in 2024, Clines, 74, has relied on the program through one of the most difficult periods of her life. After experiencing severe pain from a parotid tumor, Nurse Practitioner Brian Chase remained committed to finding answers.

“Words cannot express the patience, all the time Brian took. He sent me to get all these tests, and he did everything he said he was going to do... It took about a year and a half, but Brian persisted.”

Clines was ultimately diagnosed with cancer and, and she says if she did not have her faith and the memories of her husband of 54 years, she would not be here. Today, she is cancer-free and grateful for the care she receives at Mercy LIFE.

“I work with the dietitian here, Nicole. She is awesome, God bless her. Everyone is nice, but some people stand out including the bus drivers taking me back and forth to my appointments and the center – they are so patient and kind. There are good nurses here too – Taylor and Olga,” Clines said.

With a long career as a nursing assistant at Mercy Hospital, the compliment carries meaning for Clines.

Clines was born in St. Andrews, Jamaica and lived nine miles out of Kingston. She left for the United States in 1982, and after the passing of her parents, she does not visit as often. Her sister lives in her grandmother’s old house, where she turned the home into an urgent care and pharmacy called Ida May Medical Center. 

Clines mentioned her children and grandchildren’s many accomplishments with pride including her son’s own computer business, her eldest daughter working as a registered nurse, and her middle daughter’s role as a social worker. She went on to share about her granddaughter’s three-time induction into the Honors Society at Western New England University, and her great granddaughter’s full-ride scholarship to Brown University. 

If anyone meets Clines, her memories, stories, and experiences are a true reflection of her deep love for her family. 

Cline’s vivacious personality and zest for life add a joyful spirit to the Mercy LIFE center.  She shared how she has built meaningful friendships:

“When I first came to Mercy LIFE, I was sitting alone at a table, and another participant, Wesley came and asked if he could join me. He was the first one to speak to me, and ever since then, he saves me a seat at lunch and breakfast... And Virginia is a great friend; we talk on the phone sometimes, and she is a great word search partner.”

Clines’s warmth, resilience, and love for family make her a cherished part of the Mercy LIFE community.
 

“Two years before my mother-in-law came to Trinity Health PACE Alexandria, she was unable to get a diagnosis with any doctor. We knew something was happening with her mind and her balance, things like that. But no doctor would put an actual diagnosis on her, until she came to PACE.”

Alexis Long, primary caregiver for PACE participant Wilma Long, shared her experience in finding the support both she and her family needed when her mother-in-law enrolled in the program.

Wilma was diagnosed with dementia, and Alexis said PACE gave her family a clear understanding of what was going on, helping them know how to best take care of her. With a full-time job, a husband on active duty with the United States Army National Guard, and three sons aged 5,9, and 17, Alexis appreciates the help from PACE.

“With her being at PACE daily with doctors, nurses and everyone – they see her her symptoms and can pay attention to her every day. Her previous doctors would only see her once a month,” Alexis said.

When Wilma initially began attending the center, she would be left alone for an hour or so before the PACE bus would pick her up.  Wilma would pretend she was getting ready, but she wasn’t and she would miss her ride. Alexis had to leave work multiple times to make sure she got on the bus. When Alexis explained her frustration to the PACE team, they took the initiative to have someone come out, help Wilma get ready, sit with her, and help her get on the bus to ensure she’d make it to the center.

“They have an aide coming out every morning. This has been going on for about 4-5 months, maybe more,” Alexis shared.

Wilma goes to the center five days a week and though she cannot remember everyone’s names, she has friends who she met through the program including a set of twins she likes. 

“She is not confined in the home, all day, everyday, by herself,” Alexis said. 

Alexis mentioned Wilma’s walker was not the best, so she let the PACE team know, and they replaced it.

“The new one is perfect. Anything I call and ask for that she might need, they will help get it.”

PACE's medication management services provide Alexis with an added layer of support.

“I don’t have to sort through pill bottles and get her medicine together. It comes prepackaged every month. They send her medicine, eye drops, personal items, sponge bath materials to freshen up,” Alexis said.

The Long family not only collaborates with PACE to care for Wilma, but they lean on each other.

“It’s a team effort. It’s not just me. We all pitch in, even the little ones – my 5 and 9 year old sons,” Alexis said.
 

“They have him spoiled. They take good care of him. He just loves going there, and they let him walk around to visit with everyone. He enjoys cutting up with everyone, and he’s pretty social there,” said Margaret Kelly of her husband’s visits to the LIFE center.

Her husband Curtis has been a participant with LIFE since 2011 after suffering from a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side and difficulties with speech.  At the time of his stroke, his son and daughter-in-law both worked in social services and knew about the LIFE program. They took a tour and talked to the staff and then brought Margaret to the center - everyone decided they liked it.

“He goes five days a week. During the day, it gives me a break as his primary caregiver,” Margaret said.

Visits to the LIFE center might include rehabilitative therapy, doctor’s appointments, a visit with a social worker, and a healthy breakfast and lunch, depending on the participant’s needs.  

“If I need medicine for his cough or cold, they send stuff out. They’re on top of it.”

A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) works closely with Curtis.

“She knows how to work with him. She knows what he needs and what he can do. If it takes him awhile to do something, she helps him to get where he does it himself without her help – things like getting dressed and putting lotion on. She works with him to be more independent, and she’s really good with him. He loves her, and I can tell he doesn’t want anyone else. I can’t understand what he is saying, but he has a fit if she might not come,” Margaret said of their favorite CNA with LIFE.  

She said Curtis enjoys the program, and so does she. She has seen a lift in Curtis’ spirits and an improvement in his health.  

“I would recommend it to other people. It’s helpful for him. He can do a few things they have taught him to do on his own, and it’s helpful to me – giving me a break as a caregiver,” Margaret added.

When you ask Carl Scott, 59, how enrolling in a PACE program has helped him, he does not miss a beat:

“My whole life changed – they helped rehabilitate me, find a place to live, and I have met new people.”

Before he joined the Pennsylvania program, Mercy LIFE, Carl had a painful accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. 

“I was working overnight during a heat wave in the summer, the 9 pm – 6 am shift. I was doing laundry and put it in my car. By the time I got home to unload the laundry, I felt hot, the heat coming on me and I felt faint. I went upstairs to cool off, and at the top of the stairs, I fell. My son was home, but he couldn’t do anything since I was already falling, so he called an ambulance. One of my teeth went into my lung, I had a spinal injury, and I could not do anything.”

Carl said he had been on a ventilator for a week or so, he was in rehab for a month, and he could not feed himself. When he came home from the hospital, he was still very weak and needed to move out of his house. His son was moving, and Carl needed an accessible place without steps and stairs, so he could get around. 

“I moved to a nice, small apartment, but I was kind of isolated there. There were still three steps in and three steps out. “

About six to eight months later, Carl connected with Mercy LIFE Social Worker Iesha White who helped him find a new apartment. 

“His old apartment was unsafe, and it was in the very back of the complex. We worked really hard to help him with housing. Finding housing in less than a year is pretty unusual, but we were able to find Carl a wonderful apartment on the ground level with a ramp and stair chair,” Iesha said.

She added that new housing was her number one goal when she discovered his living situation was not an optimal environment. 

“It became a mission for the two of us,” she said. 

Carl described his home with excitement, adding that the kitchen was made to his height, there are boosters on the couch to help him move to and from the couch, and a recliner in the bedroom. 

In addition to finding a safe and accessible home, Carl has worked hard with his Mercy LIFE team on improving his health and mobility.

“Rehab is excellent for me. I recently started walking with the walker and I am getting a lot stronger. I am proud that I got my mobility back and that I can move on my own more. There was a time that I could not sit up on my own or get in and out of bed,” Carl said.

Iesha mentioned she, along with the rest of the team (including a nurse, primary care doctor, physical, occupational, and recreational therapists), are really invested in his care plan.

She added how hard Carl works.

“He’s a worker bee, he’s a fighter. His temperament is wonderful. He is steady, kind, and he keeps going. He is truly a partner with us,” she said.

Carl remembers the doctor’s words after his accident:

“A person with that type of accident – some people would never come out of it.”

Carl said he surprised himself and belonging to Mercy LIFE has been a blessing. Carl’s positivity radiates through his voice when he says that he is all in with his healing.

“The show is not over yet. My story is not over. I should write a book.”

“I love it. I constantly am telling everyone about it, and people don’t think it’s true. I cannot seem to convince them it’s a real thing,” Dawn Dorrell said about being part of Saint Francis LIFE.

Dorrell, 67, has been a participant in the program for over two years. When she initially joined the program, she needed both of her shoulders replaced, but the doctor said she needed to lose weight to have the operation.

“I lost 170 pounds, and the center helped me with lifestyle changes. They have classes for nutrition and how to eat right. The registered dietitian here helped me with food delivery after surgery, and they helped me learn how to cook things correctly,” Dawn said.

She had her shoulders replaced about a year and a half ago, and she said the rehabilitative therapy helped and her therapists Gabby and Paul were wonderful.

“When I had my right shoulder replaced, I had trigger finger, and they helped to fix that. Then in March, I had two more trigger fingers fixed,” Dawn said.

When she was about four or five years old, Dawn started sewing with her grandma and never stopped. She has been quilting for about 30 years, and she does not have a living room in her house, but a craft room. 

Dawn loves staying busy and said all her activities keep her going after losing her husband. She recently went on a church retreat called Walk to Emmaus where people were translating praise songs with sign language which interested Dawn. She took one semester of American Sign Language in college, and she picked it back up to sign music. 

“Before the trigger finger surgery, I could not do sign language. After the surgery I was able to open my hand again. Gabby, the occupational therapist, really helped me with that,” Dawn said. 

Center Manager Thalita mentioned Dawn refers to the surgery as the best one she has ever had. 

“She can do everything she needs to do now.” 

Dawn said that includes the ability to sew better and more often.

Dawn created two quilts for the center—one for the community room, where everyone can enjoy her talented stitch work, and another for the doctor’s office. The team at Saint Francis LIFE loves their handmade quilts and celebrates having Dawn as part of their family. 

“I would love to make more friends at the center. Come join us,” Dawn said. 
 

Regina has been a participant at LIFE since June 2024. She first heard about it from her daughter and others in her community and describes her experience as wonderful. Regina visits the center twice a week, where the team ensures her care plan aligns with her goals. She had previously undergone spinal surgeries and said LIFE helped her with mobility and healing.

Recently, Regina had a fall that resulted in stitches to her lip. She said the physical therapy helped her recover. The LIFE team also provided her with a walker and taught her how to use it.  

“I graduated from the cane to the walker,” she joked.

She was afraid of losing her two front teeth after falling but said the LIFE team took her to the dentist and took care of everything.  

Regina also appreciates LIFE’s transportation team.

“The buses are a wonderful service. I recently had to get chest X-rays. They took me right there, waited for me, and when I was done took me right back to the center.”  

Regina enjoys a healthy snack when she arrives in the morning, followed by checking out the different activities. Regina loves arts and crafts, chair yoga, games, and occasional live entertainment.  

“One of my favorite parts is the entertainment, including ‘Elvis’ the tribute artist!”  

Regina has been an Elvis fan since preschool, but she never got to see him perform live. She and her husband married young and had four children in five years, leaving little time for concerts.

“We always figured that once the kids were older, we would go see Elvis perform. Whoever would’ve dreamed he would die at 42?”  

A few years ago, Regina’s daughters surprised her with a trip to Graceland, where she had the time of her life. She even got a photo op to “sing” into Elvis’ iconic microphone.

At the center, Regina loves watching Elvis tribute artist Jeff Krick dance and sing in his costume.  

“I got a scarf! He was a very good singer, very talented. He took song requests, so I requested ‘Love Me Tender’. That was the first song my husband and I danced to at our wedding,” she said.

When Bill first joined PACE, his A1C was 11.7 and he weighed 228 lbs. Now, a year and a half later, he’s lost 24 lbs and brought his A1C down to 6.2. He credits the Mercy LIFE team—especially the dietitian, for helping him turn his health around.

“I owe that all to the dietitian here,” Bill said. “She gave me a meal plan and shopping list, and I stick to it faithfully.”

Bill’s passion for exercise has inspired others at the center. He leads a Friday morning exercise group and follows a home routine with help from the rehab staff. The group’s popularity even led to a room change to fit everyone. He also joins a walking group where he’s nicknamed “Silver Fox.”

“I feel great. I feel like I could run the Boston Marathon,” Bill said proudly.

Now 81, Bill is thriving in retirement and deeply involved at the center, attending four days a week. He helps with crafts and activities, and staff say he’s a beloved part of the Mercy LIFE family.

Center Supervisor Satonya Jackson (pictured left with Bill) shared that everyone misses Bill when he is not at the center and asks where he is that day, going on to say they are all well connected there.

“If I didn’t have the day center, I don’t know what I’d be doing,” Bill said.

He gives Mercy LIFE a 5-star rating and praises everyone from the medical team (including Dr. Brian Chase) to the drivers who know him by name.

Bill’s slogan—“Live the Good, Healthy Life at Mercy LIFE”—is now displayed at the center. Reflecting on his life, including surviving a hotel explosion during his Vietnam service, Bill says, “It was not my time to go.”

“Mercy LIFE Massachusetts is the best thing that has happened to me.”