What is Pace?

The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model is centered around the belief that it is better for the well-being of seniors with chronic care needs and their families to be served in the community whenever possible. PACE serves individuals who are age 55 or older, certified by their state to need nursing home care, are able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment, and live in a PACE service area. Although all PACE participants must be certified to need nursing home care to enroll in PACE, only about seven percent of PACE participants nationally reside in a nursing home.

If a PACE enrollee does need nursing home care, the PACE program pays for it and continues to coordinate the enrollee's care. Delivering all needed medical and supportive services, the program is able to provide the entire continuum of care and services to seniors with chronic care needs while maintaining their independence in their homes for as long as possible. The PACE model of care can be traced to the early 1970s, when the Chinatown-North Beach community of San Francisco saw the pressing needs of families whose elders had immigrated from Italy, China and the Philippines for long term care services.

Dr. William L. Gee, a public health dentist, headed the committee that hired Marie-Louise Ansak in 1971 to investigate solutions.