Eps. 14 | Living at Home Longer with Northland PACE

In this episode, we sit down with Garnet Tisor from Northland PACE to talk about senior independence and the supports available through PACE services.
Garnet walks us through how the program helps older adults stay in their homes longer while still receiving the care and coordination they need. We discuss what services are offered, who qualifies, and how Northland PACE works with families and caregivers to create a more supportive and connected care experience.
Whether you are exploring options for a loved one or simply want to better understand resources available for seniors in our region, this conversation offers practical insight and real world perspective on aging with support and dignity.

Learn more or Contact Northland PACE:
701-456-7387
northlandpace.com
gtisor@northlandhealth.com

The EmpowerND Podcast is hosted by Women Empowering Women, a membership based non-profit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women. Through community, events, and resources, Women Empowering Women helps women grow, build confidence, and explore their potential, supporting them every step of the way as they become the best version of themselves. To learn more about Women Empowering Women’s projects or how to become a member, visit wewnetwork.org.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to Empower Indie Podcast. This podcast creates a space for honest conversations about health, well-being, and community resources to help people in southwestern North Dakota live healthy, equitable lives. The Empower Indie Podcast is produced by Women Empowering Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and educating women to help them become the best versions of themselves. To become a member or learn more, visit wewnetwork.org. Most families don't start exploring senior care options until something changes. But what if there was a way to stay ahead of that? Today we're talking about Northland Pace, a program helping seniors stay in their homes with the care and support they need. We'll walk through what it is and why important why more people are turning to it. Let's get started. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Hi, I'm Garnet Tyser. I am the director of marketing and outreach with Northland Pace. So I oversee the intake and enrollment in our MyNot, Bismarck, Dickinson, and Fargo sites.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Okay. So for someone who has never heard of it, what is Northland Pace?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Well, Northland Pace is part of the National PACE Association. We are regulated under CMS and the state of North Dakota. We are located in 33 states and the District of Columbia. So we help seniors 55 years of age and older stay safe and independent in their home.

SPEAKER_01 1:45

Okay. And then how is PACE different from traditional senior care or assisted living?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Well, we are we are so different from those that you mentioned. We incorporate an interdisciplinary team, which includes our medical director, our primary care providers. Each site has a has their own primary care provider. We have nursing staff, uh CNAs. They're the ones that are going to be in the home most often. They are our hands-on, eyes-on, our participants. We also have a social worker, occupational therapy, physical therapy. We provide transportation to and from medical appointments and to and from our day center, as well as we have a dietitian for if someone is diabetic or you know have they have to watch a cardiac diet. We have that dietitian that can work with them. And then we have an activity coordinator who we have activities in at the day center as well as outside activities. Now that we have Hobby Lobby here, we don't have to travel to Bismarck because that's a big hit. So that kind of rounds out our team. And the thing that I like most about our team approach is about the hands-on that we get the hands-on with our participants. But if someone is in need of therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, you usually have to stay within a number of sessions with those specialties. Where with PACE, we get to dictate how many sessions. So we can do one or two a week forever just because we want them to be at their highest level of functioning. Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

That is really nice. Uh, so what are the biggest challenges seniors and families are facing that PACE is stepping in to solve?

SPEAKER_00 3:36

The I think it's the caregiver burden burnout for a lot of families. I know children tend to feel guilty if they do ask for help. And we try to go in there and say, you know, now you can be the child. We are doing this, and we can take that away from you. So when you come to visit, you're not cleaning, you're not doing laundry, you're not making meals, you're yeah, you're you're the child.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Uh at what point do families typically realize that they need something like this?

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Um, sometimes it's a little too late, uh, which makes me very sad because I we can help so many people, even uh individuals that have dementia or Alzheimer's, we can help them. We just put protocols in place that make them safe. Well, if they are wandering, then we can't. So right.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

So, what does it look like for a participant across a typical week?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

It's all individualized care. Uh, they each have their own care plan. I always say just like there's no two um people that are the same, no two care plans are the same. So some people we are in their home four times a day. We can do medication reminders. Um, we may help them get dressed or um put um the compression stockings on, uh, and then at night we may go and do do the opposite, get them ready for bed. But those are all based off assessments with our team.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Okay. And then what is the role of pace of the PACE day center and how does that fit into someone's routine?

SPEAKER_00 5:13

So the day center is a place where they can come and just gather. They can either sit and watch TV, um, relax in the recliners, um, do we have a new pool table at our new center? Uh, they can just visit with friends or do crafts and activities like that. The best thing about it is uh while we still have our day center at Benedict Courts, we occupy one apartment there. But um it's so much fun when you walk down the hallway and you hear all these people laughing and having coffee, just like if they were at home. Right. So that that um that makes me very happy to hear.

unknown 5:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Uh what does independence actually look like for someone enrolled in the program?

SPEAKER_00 5:58

Independence, they still have the right. Um they're they can they're their own person, so they can make their own decisions. So if they feel they don't want to take a medication, we have to educate them on what the pros and cons of that is. Right. But they ultimately can keep that independence to um we want we encourage that. We uh a lot of people say, uh, well, I don't like doing dishes. Well, can you do dishes? Well, yes. Well, then in order to stay independent, you have to do your own dishes. Right. So variety of things.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

Uh so for families comparing options, how does PACE financially compare to assisted living or nursing home care?

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Um, so our the majority of our participants are Medicaid or Medicaid and Medicare eligible. Uh, we there's about 1% of the the participants that are a self-paid premium. So if someone's um on Medicaid and Medicare or just Medicaid, they will have that recipient liability that's set by the state. We don't we don't set that. So they would pay us that amount, that recipient liability. The currently the cutoff um for them not to have one is $1,197. So anything above that, the state decides um what that recipient liability is. For someone that's a self-pay, uh, it depends on where they live and their age group. We have three age groups that they will fall under.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

And then compared to a nursing home, uh, if somebody, because they have to meet that level of care for a nursing facility, which means that they just have to have some diagnosis that would make them eligible to be there at a nursing home, we can save them over half the amount of money per month rather than going into the nursing home.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yeah, I think that that's huge for families. I think that it's the patients I've referred there, um, that I've kind of gotten reports back on, it's life-changing for them because their families come so that they can hang out with them and and do fun things instead of taking care of them. And and a lot of the burden is gone for the family, it's the financial aspect of it, you know, the the patients typically if they don't if they can't afford things or their medications, they just don't get them. Where I know that your program makes sure that they always have the medications that they need. So that's really helpful too. So uh what uh do you do for the program if their needs change?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

We adapt as they change, as their needs change. It's so if someone um like if someone comes to the program and they're doing fine, they have to have a knee replacement or a hip replacement, and they're not needing or they need more care than what we are able to provide in the home, we will do short-term rehab stays, but our goal is to always, always get them back in their home so then they can be independent again.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

So okay, so what is a story or moment that really captures the impact of this program?

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Oh, I was just telling somebody about this today. Um, there's a couple of stories. Um, if I can tell two of them. Yeah. Okay. So one was I was um it was about three months after I had started. My very first enrollment was coming out of a nursing home, um, all alone, no family. Um kind of was bucking, you know, having to have the people come in. I always tell people, give us three months because the first month is hectic, the second month you're getting into that routine, and the third month is okay, this is for me or this isn't for me. Uh, I had to do the 60-day follow-up, and it was right around, it was the day after Thanksgiving, and I was in the office by myself, and I called, and this person said, Thank you. I've never had someone care enough about me to bring me a Thanksgiving meal. Oh. And I sat in my office. It's a good thing I was by myself because I cried. I was just like, just that's a simple act to do something for somebody else. And then um the second one is when Evergreen was closing down. We helped get numerous people into um apartments so that they were able to be independent. And one um individual, I saw this person about two months ago. And every time I see this person, they go, You saved my life. I say, I didn't save your life. And they go, No, you saved my life. And it's, you know, not that I mean, we we go in and we do these services, right? But they're also able to be at home, which means the most to them. And they came from a basic care facility and they were afraid that they were gonna go m hundreds of miles away.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

So and I think that sometimes they they get to know people and and they have friends, and if they can end up in the same place together, that makes a huge difference too.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

We even had one individual call six months after they are the ones from Evergreen were enrolled in the program, called from the eastern side of the state and said, I want to enroll in pace. So it's not as simple as that, but we we got that person back here, got out of apartment, doing great.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

Right. So, what is the most commonly misunderstood thing about Northland PACE?

SPEAKER_00 11:36

There was a couple of things. When I first started, um, people think that we take their house or that we have access to their finances, which we don't. Right. Uh, we the the only way we would know anything with uh with any finances is if our social worker would help with Medicaid recertification or housing recertification. But most uh most people they if they write us a check or whatever, that's the only information that we have.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Okay. So if someone's interested or has questions, what's the best way to get in touch?

SPEAKER_00 12:11

Well, they can call um any one of our four sites, um, and my not um Bismarck, Dickinson, and Fargo. Um, for me, they can email me. Uh, if we're in the process of revamping our website, so give us a couple of weeks and maybe that website will be up, but that will be a great thing for them to look at too.

SPEAKER_01 12:32

So Northland Pace is all about helping people stay independent, supported, and home for as long as possible. If you're curious whether it's right the right fit, reach out and start the conversation. Thanks for sharing with us, Grenette.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

And to our listeners, thank you for being part of this conversation. Until next time, stay informed, stay empowered, and we will see you on the next Empower Indie Podcast.