New facility addresses growing needs for senior care
The Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) recently celebrated the grand opening of a new Downtown Oakland Center. The center provides care for seniors aged 55 and older with multiple health challenges, giving them the comprehensive support they need to live safely at home, rather than in nursing homes. Located at a beautiful historic building in Oakland’s Uptown district, the 7,540 square foot facility has the capacity to serve up to 300 residents from Oakland, Piedmont, Alameda, Moraga, and Emeryville.
The Area Agency on Aging reports that 1 in 5 Alameda County residents will be over 65 in 2030. By transforming what was once an urban bar/nightclub into a state-of-the-art senior facility, CEI is addressing the needs of the fastest growing segment of the population, while at the same time making a significant investment in revitalizing community infrastructure.
“As Alameda County ages, the need for quality healthcare for seniors will continue to increase,” said Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. “CEI’s innovative programs help us meet our growing needs for senior care. I welcome CEI’s newest facility to downtown Oakland and am very pleased that this leading-edge center is opening in my district,” added Carson.
The new Center features a lounge for socializing, a dining area, a 1,000 square foot senior gym, and activity rooms for group projects and celebrations. The Center also provides a computer lab, a quiet room, and a demonstration kitchen to involve seniors in food preparation. Center participants receive full healthcare services at CEI’s nearby PACE medical clinic.
Currently, fifteen percent of CEI participants identify as Hispanic, and about 13 percent are monolingual Spanish speakers whose needs are supported by bilingual staff members and interpreters.
Mr. Gregorio Duran, 89, has been at CEI with his wife Maria de la Luz Roman de Duran for six years.
“Our whole lives changed when we came to CEI,” said Duran. “I was shut down and my wife Maria had serious health issues. Suddenly, they gave us everything we need – attention, entertainment, medicine, delicious food, excellent doctors and nurses. We both feel much better now. There are so many good things at CEI, but for me the best is the people. From the time the bus picks me up in the morning until they bring me home, the staff attention is exceptional. And I have many Spanish speaking friends here. We are really close; it feels like a family.”
Through its national integrated healthcare model known as PACE (the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly), CEI provides full medical, dental, vision, podiatry, home care and case management services. PACE also supports participants with physical, occupational, and massage therapy, transportation to medical appointments and PACE centers, nutritious food served in centers and at home, social outings and activities, and fitness gyms.
Even though every senior enrolled in PACE meets the requirements for nursing home care, 96 percent of CEI’s participants remain safely in their communities with CEI’s support. By caring for the whole person, not just a few aspects in isolation, CEI enables hundreds of at-risk East Bay seniors to live and thrive at home.
In addition to opening the new Downtown Oakland Center, CEI is implementing a vigorous expansion plan to address the healthcare needs of East Bay seniors with new and refurbished facilities throughout the region. The highly innovative San Leandro PACE Center, which opened in March 2018, serves as a model for the renovated Guardian Adult Day Health Center in El Sobrante, the new Downtown Oakland Center, and a new 15,000 square-foot state-of-the-art Concord PACE Center, scheduled to open in January 2020. Currently, CEI is renovating the medical clinic at its downtown Berkeley location, and plans are underway to triple the size of the existing medical clinic in downtown Oakland.
According to Linda Trowbridge, CEO, Center for Elders’ Independence, CEI’s new facilities provide benefits that go well beyond aesthetics. “We’re redefining what a nursing home looks like,” she says. By asking our participants to detail their needs and preferences, we’ve created the ambiance of a comfortable club rather than the institutional feel of most care centers.”