“How do you measure ‘person-centered’?” asks Jennifer Martchek, acting director for the Southwest Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging (SWPPA). The question is not rhetorical. “Obviously, some of it is subjective,” she says, “but we have developed a formal guide that will allow people to evaluate regulations, proposals, and initiatives for long-term care in order to expose contradictions and inadequacies, and realign things toward person-centered principles.”

She is talking about SWPPA’s recently published document, “Principles of the Ideal Long Term Living System for Pennsylvania’s Older Adults” (pdf), which was formulated by SWPPA’s Futures Workgroup and has already been distributed to all 253 members of the state legislature.

Keeping the Persons at the Center

Martchek says the workgroup consisted of nearly 20 people “from all walks of life related to providing services for older adults. The goal was to agree on a set of principles that kept the person in the center.”

The document states that the ideal long-term living situation for Pennsylvania’s seniors must be:

1. Person-Centered
2. Able to Acknowledge that Risk Exists While Supporting Maximum Independence
3. Focused on Quality of Life and Quality of Care
4. Simple to Understand and Access
5. Coordinated, with Seamless Transitions through a Comprehensive Array of Services
6. Focused on Prevention, Wellness and Early Connection to Home and Community-Based Services
7. Vested in a Viable and Competent Direct Care Workforce
8. Focused on Continued Learning and Quality Improvement
9. Financially Feasible and Encourage Public/Private Participation

“It’s meant to foster a broader understanding of the key elements of a viable long-term living system, and to evaluate all future policy options as to whether they align with these principles,” says PHI’s Pennsylvania State Director Joe Angelelli, Ph.D., reinforcing Martchek’s point.

Formed in 1990 as a non-profit organization, SWPPA is regional coalition that provides a neutral forum for networking, collaboration, discussion, and advocacy, all for the purpose of serving as a catalyst to promote policies, programs, and system change that will improve the quality of life for older adults. Angelelli says the organization, of which PHI is a member, is distinguished by its representation from all elements of the long-term living spectrum, including nursing homes, home care agencies, adult day centers, assisted living residences, local government agencies,  senior centers, and foundations.

An Exciting Time

Pennsylvania Aging Secretary John Michael Hall has committed to working with SWPPA to assure department initiatives align with the principles laid out in the SWPPA document.

Martchek says SWPPA has already seen results from using the new principles to conduct test evaluations of state legislation, including a bill that would form a new Department of Aging and Long-Term Living. This initially scored poorly on the SWPPA principles,  after which the Department of Aging used the principles in working with legislators to mark-up the legislation, which passed in the PA House and is now before the Senate.

“The legislation to create a new Department of Aging and Long-Term Living is a good start for putting the principles into practice,” says Angelelli. ”But considering the Commonwealth will need an additional 56,000 direct-care positions by 2016, to be truly vested in a viable and competent direct care workforce the new department should make specific commitments to build a training infrastructure that supports direct-care workers as key members of care coordination teams.  There’s the potential for Pennsylvania to be a real pioneer among states if we work together toward that goal.”

When asked what’s next, Martchek says she is currently planning to talk to a group of older adults in order to get their perspectives and to stage talks with local legislators.

“We’re currently redefining who we are,” she says. “For many people, our former director, Mary Anne Kelly, was synonymous with SWPPA. She passed away only a month ago after having stepped down from her position last year due to illness, and we’re now continuing the mission by carrying on with existing projects and investing in new ones. The baby boomers are coming down the pipe, and they have different expectations and will demand to be heard. It’s just an exciting time.”