Elderly residents on Milwaukee’s south side will soon have access to all-inclusive care services and cultural programming, thanks to a partnership recently established by Community Care, Inc. and the United Community Center.
While Community Care supports older adults and adults with disabilities in maintaining their independence, the United Community Center acts as a social services agency catering to south side residents. The two nonprofit organizations are teaming up to help older adults needing long-term care services live independently and avoid having to move into nursing care facilities.
In collaborating, the United Community Center will open its Adult Day Center on Ninth Street to Milwaukee County residents who belong to Community Care’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
“The United Community Center is the premier provider of family and social services for the Hispanic community, and we’re excited to give our PACE participants the opportunity to experience this great organization and its outstanding programs,” Kenneth Munson, chief executive officer of Community Care, said in a statement. “This partnership is an ideal match – it optimizes our strength as a national leader in delivering personalized, high-quality coordinated care and the United Community Center’s strong reputation of providing outstanding cultural programs to residents in the Milwaukee area.”
While the UCC primarily focuses on Hispanic cultural programming, it welcomes older adults of all ethnic backgrounds.
“We are proud to partner with Community Care and (have) the opportunity to provide our services to more elderly in Milwaukee,” said Ricardo Diaz, executive director of the UCC. “Our goal is to help families keep their elderly family member at home and not in an institution. With a fully bilingual staff and a program that focuses on cultural sensitivity and a wide range of activities where clients can enjoy socialization and stimulation, we feel confident we can provide a unique benefit to clients of the PACE program, while also saving money long term through preventative care and services. We hope this is just the beginning of a partnership that will allow us to ensure our most vulnerable elderly, no matter their ethnicity, receive appropriate and effective care.”
PACE is funded by Medicare and Medicaid and wraps long-term care services, medical care and prescription medicine into one program. Individuals enrolled in PACE are granted a team of health care professionals who address their long-term care and medical needs.
Community Care’s PACE program serves residents in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.
To introduce the partnership to the community, the UCC and Community Care on Friday, Nov. 20, will host an open house at the UCC Adult Day Center, located on 1028 S. 9th Street in Milwaukee. The open house, free and open to the public, will run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
