Living Independently for Elders (LIFE) is a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program, owned and operated by Penn's School of Nursing, designed to be an alternative to nursing home admissions for West Philadelphia residents.

Currently there are two LIFE Centers: one is located at 41st Street and Woodland Avenue and the other is on 38th and Market streets. Both facilities are modern, friendly and spacious.

At the core of the LIFE Program is an adult day health center, which includes primary care nurses and physicians, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, recreation therapists, clergy, home health aides, dieticians, and drivers.

"People want to remain in their homes," maintains Dr. Eileen Sullivan-Marx, Associate Nursing Dean for Practice and Community Affairs. To facilitate this goal, the teams of health care providers manage the complex medical, functional and psycho-social problems faced by elderly clients. LIFE also serves as a laboratory for research, interdisciplinary education and dissemination of new models of geriatric care.”

The West Philadelphia LIFE centers pay for the cost of their services with funds from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as with grants from private donors. The centers run on a $17 million operating budget per year, according to Sullivan-Marx.

Under the direction of the new LIFE executive director, Wayne Pendleton, the staff now cares for over 250 West Philadelphia members by providing meals, recreational activities, health care, treatment, physical therapy, art and music therapy and personal care services like laundry, showers and hair care. The centers also have dental, podiatry and occupational therapy equipment. "We have all of the services you'd find in patient-care service," Sullivan-Marx said. The type of care LIFE members receive is very personal -- you get to know the members by name and every aspect of their lives," LIFE volunteer and Nursing senior Daniel Kaumpungan said.

Entrance to the LIFE Center on 3823 Market Street

Most of the over 75 staff members are not students, though. The majority of the staff are nurses, physicians, social workers, nursing assistants, rehabilitation therapists and van drivers.
	Most senior citizens hear about the program through community churches, aging agencies and word of mouth. LIFE also sends representatives to advertise the program at senior citizen centers and city block-captain meetings. "The families and the senior citizens are very satisfied," Sullivan-Marx said concerning the popularity of the program. "We keep them out of the nursing home," said April Martin, the 38th and Market center supervisor. One of the biggest appeals of the LIFE program is its cost-effectiveness -- namely, that members don't have to pay for medication or services and get to meet people and go places. In addition, if members ever need to go to the hospital, they receive care from their LIFE medical team instead of doctors from the hospital, thus making the patients more comfortable and ensuring continuity of care.
Ms. Everett and Ms. Leidel at the new LIFE Center

AWARD-WINNING ART WORK BY LIFE MEMBERS SELECTED for NATIONAL EXHIBIT
	A unique aspect of the LIFE programs in West Philadelphia is the incorporation of art and music therapy into their daily routines. Last May, LIFE members won the American Art Therapy Association Award for 10 pieces of artwork they had created. One of these pieces, called "Patchwork" is depicted on the left. (Click on the image to enlarge.) Carol Johnson, art therapist at LIFE, has been notified that art works submitted by LIFE members have been selected for a national exhibit "Art in the Senate: Exhibition of Art by Older Americans" sponsored by the American Art Therapy Association.
“Patchwork” 2004 Art from LIFE (click on image to enlarge)

The artwork was hung at the U.S. Capitol, and some still hangs in Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's office. Other pieces of artwork decorate the walls of the LIFE center, including a timeline from 1910-2000, in which the members wrote about what the different time periods mean to them.

In addition, many LIFE members also won the National Freedom Day Association essay contest, whose theme was, "What Freedom Means to Me."

"You'd be surprised what they put down through art to express themselves," Martin said.

HISTORY OF THE LIFE PROGRAM and ITS DISTINCT GOALS

The Philadelphia LIFE program is modeled after On Lok, a successful PACE program in San Francisco's Chinese community. Recognizing a need in West Philadelphia, Penn Nursing decided to launch the LIFE Program as part of its Penn Nursing Network about ten years ago.

Dr. Mary Naylor, Marian S. Ware Professor in Gerontology, and Dr. Karen Buhler-Wilkerson, Professor of Community Health Nursing and director of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, became the faculty directors of the LIFE program. According to Dr. Lois K. Evans, Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor in Nursing; Chair, Family and Community Health Division, the West Philadelphia LIFE centers are unique in their mission and structure. They are owned and operated by a university and as such not only provide services to the community, but they also function as a laboratories for research, interdisciplinary education and dissemination of new models of geriatric care.”
	Monda Spool, our HCGNE's administrator, is assisting a LIFE member complete a form
To date, Penn students in over 16 nursing courses and students from the University's Schools of Medicine, Social Work, Engineering and Law, Occupational Therapy, as well as students from Philadelphia University Physical Therapy, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USIP), and Art Therapy students from Drexel University have participated in LIFE programs .

Visit "Living Independently For Elders" online
by browsing LIFE's website.

For more information, please contact
Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, CRNP, FAAN
Associate Dean for Practice & Community Affairs
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing