Welcome to “Paying it Forward,” a monthly interview series made possible by Piedmont Health. In this series, we hear from the folks at Piedmont about the importance of community health centers – and why they chose a career in community health.
This month, in honor of National PACE Month in September, Aaron welcomes two special guests: physical therapist Nicole Brown and Johnnie Douglas, who’s been a participant in Piedmont’s PACE program for the last eight years. (PACE stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.)
“I had a grandmother with dementia and we (took) care of her at home for many, many years,” Brown says about her journey to PACE. “I didn’t know about a program like PACE – whose whole mission is to give people independence and keep them living at home in the community for as long as possible. I wish I would’ve had knowledge of PACE when we were taking care of my grandma…so when I did hear about PACE, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s a chance for us to help other people (and) keep them living in their community, which is an awesome thing.”
PACE is an interdisciplinary program, with doctors and nurses working in collaboration with social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and home-care coordinators – and even transportation services, to get patients from place to place. Brown describes it as a “one-stop shop,” and Johnnie Douglas agrees.
“I joined PACE about eight years ago: one day I was just looking at a brochure and said, ‘I’m gonna give ’em a call,’” Douglas says. “And it’s been a good ride. It’s been a real good ride to have doctors that care, staff that care, helping people do what they need to do (to stay) at home…
“I want to be independent and PACE helped me to be independent, to be stronger, to stay healthy at home. I watch out for falls and everyday occurrences…and nutrition. I’ve been diabetic 43 years, so that has helped: I’ve lost about 114 pounds since (I joined PACE). I’m better at eating healthy now.”
Click here for more information on Piedmont Health’s PACE program.
And with the help of physical therapists like Nicole Brown, Douglas is also better at walking – just a few months after having to have one leg amputated below the knee.
“Walking (became) a job for me,” he says. “Walking turned out to be a career. (But) I had to walk again for myself, my family, for the community, and to show other people that just because you lose a limb, that’s not the end of your life. You have to keep going. You have to get back up – (and) to show other folks that I can walk, it inspires them. ‘If Johnnie can do it, I can do it.’”
“I’ve been (Johnnie’s) physical therapist for seven years,” Brown adds. “You’re able to develop a trust and a relationship, (and) really PACE becomes a little family. We’re there for each other, and we go through the best times of people’s lives (and) the hardest times of people’s lives. I think those relationships are ultimately what’s most rewarding…to be a support for (patients) and their family members, I think that’s one of the biggest gifts we get.”
97.9 The Hill WCHL and Chapelboro.com are your headquarters for local news and local voices in Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Every weekday morning, 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck chats with government officials, UNC scholars, business and nonprofit leaders, area musicians, and others in our community as they share their thoughts, their experience, and their expertise on the central issues of today. Click here to listen back to all of Aaron’s conversations – and tune in to “This Morning with Aaron Keck” at 7:30 a.m. on 97.9 The Hill to hear those conversations live.
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