Gary and Mary West PACE

West PACE participant Scott S. joined us in late 2020, and has been working with our staff occupational therapist, Ally A. to regain mobility after a medical emergency. His goal is to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. Jeff Zevely from CBS 8 - San Diego News recently visited our day center in San Marcos to capture the remarkable bond between Scott and Ally. Watch their story now. #OTMonth... West Health Gary and Mary West Foundation CalPACE National PACE Association San Diego North Economic Development Council American Occupational Therapy Association - AOTA San Marcos Chamber of Commerce

Our medical director, Dr. Ross Colt, spoke to MedCity News about how we safely support some of our in-home PACE participants with the care.coach platform. It provides social interaction and the option of drop-in video visits which allows us to care for participants without taking them out of their homes. More: https://tinyurl.com/t9mah47n

May is Older Americans Month! West PACE recognizes the important role older adults play in fostering the connection and engagement that build strong, resilient communities. We encourage you to celebrate #OlderAmericansMonth by making connections with family, friends, and neighbors. Together, we can find strengthand create a stronger future.

April is Occupational Therapy Month, and we’re recognizing the amazing work of OT professionals like our own Ally, who have worked around additional challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver exceptional care to our participants. Here’s Ally spending time with one of our participants, GW, during a recent session at our center in San Marcos. As you can see, nothing stops Ally from helping North County seniors live independently! GW is working on his balance, specifically walking and kitchen skills.

If you are a senior age 65+ and need a COVID vaccination, please dial 2-1-1 for appointment availability at our site here in San Marcos. In this interview today with Joe Little from NBC 7 San Diego, you can see how our site is specifically designed for seniors. Thank you to 211 San Diego, County of San Diego - Government, City of San Marcos - Government, and West Health for their support of our site operations.

This month, the team at West PACE visited two senior communities in Escondido to provide the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to residents and family caregivers. These locations are within the priority neighborhoods identified by the County of San Diego as underserved. The seniors have difficulty accessing the larger vaccination super sites, so we are bringing the vaccine to them! We are doing our part to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines to populations who have suffered the worst outcomes from the pandemic in North County San Diego.

WATCH: Our community engagement manager, Mary Jurgensen, connects with Ally Armstrong about her role as our center's occupational therapist. They discuss what "OT" is, what an assessment looks like, and how it may be of benefit for you or someone you love.

April is Occupational Therapy Month! Meet Ally, who shares what inspired her to pursue a career as an Occupational Therapist: When I was 17 years old, I was a high school junior and competitive soccer player with plans to study nursing when an accident left me paralyzed below the waist. I knew I wanted to continue my career path in healthcare, and this was confirmed after seeing the work of my own Occupational and Physical Therapists and how I developed cool relationship wit...h them. My own personal experience has helped me tremendously. As an OT, I can relate to people a lot more and I find that I can meet them where they are at. I know how much that I had to adapt to my situation, and I think this helps me get on a different level with our participants, and it helps to strengthen our relationships during the therapy process. Learn more about Ally’s story on our website: https://tinyurl.com/3v9yeh2d #OTMonth

Dr. Ross Colt, medical director at Gary and Mary West PACE in San Marcos, CA, gives an update on COVID-19 vaccinations for seniors. He provides tips on how best to follow the CDC guidelines for vaccinated persons so we can all stay safe and healthy. Dr. Colt also gives a preview on the safe re-opening of our day center.

There are many announcements about the re-opening of our communities as more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Watch this discussion hosted by San Diego Oasis featuring local experts including our own RN Care Coordinator, April Hall, who share their knowledge and predictions on how best to plan for the future: https://tinyurl.com/5fkdhwbn

West PACE on the road! Several of our team members hosted a mobile vaccination clinic for seniors on March 19 at the Los Arcos Senior Apartments in the city of Poway. The seniors received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine. Thank you to Sharon Young, resident service coordinator at Los Arcos for welcoming our team to assist your residents stay safe and healthy.... If you are a senior and need to make a vaccination appointment, please call 211 San Diego.

Join us Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Gary and Mary West PACE in San Marcos for our Everyday Necessities Drive for North County Seniors! The contactless drive-thru collection event begins at 7:30 a.m.! Drop-off new and unused toiletries, games, puzzles, socks, masks, and other care items to help support local seniors with chronic care needs. These everyday basics which many of us might take for granted, are a vital lifeline during the pandemic. All donors receive a coffee and a holid...ay treat! This event will be socially distanced and participants will need to wear a face covering. Thank you to our partners: San Diego North Economic Development Council, West Health, Bryan Devore of Devore Realty Group, and Qualicare (Oceanside, CA). Learn more and see the full wish list at www.westpace.org. LinkedIn 2:

Seniors often need to make difficult decisions between buying food or personal care items and now that San Diego County is in the restrictive purple tier, it wi...ll be difficult for seniors to shop for the essentials. That’s why West PACE is hosting their first-ever Everyday Necessities Drive for North County Seniors now through Dec. 31. See more

Help us meet our goal of collecting hundreds of items to create 200 care packages which will be gifted to vulnerable North County seniors with chronic care needs. We encourage our neighbors to drop off their donations at Gary and Mary West PACE during their normal business hours, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Learn more and see the full wish list at www.westpace.org.