LIFE St. Francis celebrates fifth anniversary
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
LIFE St. Francis, located in Hamilton, celebrated the program’s five-year anniversary, April 24. Joining the ceremony was Congressman Chris Smith who was instrumental in advocating for LIFE St. Francis.
St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton, launched LIFE, or Living Independently for the Elderly, a community-based long-term care model, in April 2009.
LIFE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, known nationally as PACE, and was the first program of its kind in New Jersey.
“Over the past five years, the staff at LIFE St. Francis has made an immense difference in the lives of hundreds of seniors in the Mercer and northern Burlington area,” said Congressman Chris Smith. “I am a true believer in the PACE program from which the LIFE program stems. PACE helps keep seniors in their homes and provides them the medical care they need. I’m especially proud that LIFE St. Francis was the first PACE site in New Jersey.”
Participants and staff of LIFE St. Francis gathered in the West Trenton Ballroom for lunch, entertainment and a chance to reflect back on their five year history. There were 15 participants in attendance who have been in the program since the first year of operation. LIFE St. Francis has a current enrollment of 296 participants and has served more than 460 Mercer and Burlington County seniors.
LIFE serves frail seniors throughout Greater Mercer County, enabling them to receive comprehensive health care while remaining in the comfort of their home and community. This program offers an alternative to nursing home placement.
“Each LIFE enrollee receives customized care that is planned and delivered by a coordinated, interdisciplinary team. A participant’s care plan usually integrates some home care services from the team with several visits each week to the LIFE Center, which serves as the hub for medical care, rehabilitation, social activities and dining,” said Jill Viggiano, executive director of LIFE St. Francis. “LIFE provides a new level of care to our area’s seniors.”
In order to participate in LIFE, enrollees must be at least 55 or older; certified by the state to need nursing home care; able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment; and live in Mercer County or in Bordentown, Roebling or Florence in Burlington County.
The LIFE Center is located at 1435 Liberty Street on the border of Trenton in Hamilton. LIFE St. Francis was developed in part with a grant from the NJ Health Initiatives Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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LIFE St. Francis, located in Hamilton, celebrated the program’s five-year anniversary, April 24. Joining the ceremony was Congressman Chris Smith who was instrumental in advocating for LIFE St. Francis.
St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton, launched LIFE, or Living Independently for the Elderly, a community-based long-term care model, in April 2009.
LIFE is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, known nationally as PACE, and was the first program of its kind in New Jersey.
“Over the past five years, the staff at LIFE St. Francis has made an immense difference in the lives of hundreds of seniors in the Mercer and northern Burlington area,” said Congressman Chris Smith. “I am a true believer in the PACE program from which the LIFE program stems. PACE helps keep seniors in their homes and provides them the medical care they need. I’m especially proud that LIFE St. Francis was the first PACE site in New Jersey.”
Participants and staff of LIFE St. Francis gathered in the West Trenton Ballroom for lunch, entertainment and a chance to reflect back on their five year history. There were 15 participants in attendance who have been in the program since the first year of operation. LIFE St. Francis has a current enrollment of 296 participants and has served more than 460 Mercer and Burlington County seniors.
LIFE serves frail seniors throughout Greater Mercer County, enabling them to receive comprehensive health care while remaining in the comfort of their home and community. This program offers an alternative to nursing home placement.
“Each LIFE enrollee receives customized care that is planned and delivered by a coordinated, interdisciplinary team. A participant’s care plan usually integrates some home care services from the team with several visits each week to the LIFE Center, which serves as the hub for medical care, rehabilitation, social activities and dining,” said Jill Viggiano, executive director of LIFE St. Francis. “LIFE provides a new level of care to our area’s seniors.”
In order to participate in LIFE, enrollees must be at least 55 or older; certified by the state to need nursing home care; able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment; and live in Mercer County or in Bordentown, Roebling or Florence in Burlington County.
The LIFE Center is located at 1435 Liberty Street on the border of Trenton in Hamilton. LIFE St. Francis was developed in part with a grant from the NJ Health Initiatives Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.