KarunaNews Story

When Jennifer Lai’s mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she scrambled to find a residential care facility where the Cantonese-speaking 88-year-old could live. Her mom had lost her English-speaking ability by then. The pair visited many facilities that only had English- or Spanish-speaking staff. “How could I put her there?” Lai said she thought to herself. “Without language, she cannot communicate. How could people help her?” The Bay Area faces a shortage of culturally competent residential elder care facilities. Amid these challenges, a unique model of home-based care offers an alternative: supporting older adults to age in place. When Lai discovered On Lok, the nonprofit that runs the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, she couldn’t believe it would take care of virtually all her mom’s needs, covered entirely by MediCaid and MediCare. A Cantonese speaking caregiver started coming weekly to help her bathe her mom. Home-cooked Chinese meals are delivered regularly. Three times a week, Lai’s mom goes to a specialized day center for adults with Alzheimer’s to play mahjong and socialize. A driver takes her to her medical appointments. “Before On Lok, everything was on our own,” Lai said. “It is very lucky I have On Lok…She settled down, she is happy, and I have released a lot of stress.” This kind of home care will be critical as the Bay Area’s population aged 85 and older is projected to more than double from 2020 by 2040, according to state projections analyzed in a January report by the Public Policy Institute of California.