Being able to provide clients the care they need enriches the life of Amanda Tanner, RN, home-care manager for the Valir PACE field staff in Oklahoma City.
“There’s so many of them who need help and they don’t have the resources,” Tanner said. “Hospice led me here because there are so many things people need before they get to that time of life.”
Tanner became a registered nurse in 2017 after graduating from Brown Mackie College in Oklahoma City. She worked in labor and delivery for multiple years. Some of the babies passed away which led her to hospice. She felt drawn to help the senior population stay in their home when in critical need for assistance.
Tanner joined the team at Valir PACE in March and has since helped vulnerable people through some of the toughest times of their lives.
“Someone reached out to me and gave me information on PACE. And I’d never heard of PACE and thought it intriguing with all the services we provide,” she said. “I wish people knew about all of the resources that are available.”
Valir PACE helps navigate about 360 clients, ages 55 and older, to be the strongest they can. Some patients are in their 90s. They learn how to remain safe at their personal best.
PACE stands for Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Valir PACE utilizes a team-based care approach providing a personalized, comprehensive healthcare plan to those without access to quality healthcare. It provides a clinic and gym and offers speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, medicine, and counseling under the guidance of doctors, nurses, social workers, and therapists. A daycare center offers meals for those in need. A clothing pantry is made possible by community donations.
“It is an indefinite experience they can be on until they pass,” she explained.
Tanner likes the all-encompassing atmosphere of Valir PACE. Some clients of Valir PACE have lived in fear that they will not be able to afford groceries.
Poverty had left them with few options of choosing between food, medicine, rent, and daily living expenses.
“We have been able to facilitate and find them housing,” she said. “We do have a food pantry and we provide meals.”
As a field manager she instructs all the LPNs, RNs, and home-care staff that visit participants in their homes when they are not feeling well.
“We have RN case managers that manage a set number of patients and talk through things with them,” Tanner said. “If they feel we need to send somebody out, they’ll let me know and I’ll send one of our field staff out, too.”
Social workers are available for assistance. The home-care staff goes out to help clients bathe or shower. Home-care assistants also provide housekeeping for participants.
Tanner admires the compassion and care of the nursing staff and therapists.
“They care very deeply for each of these participants. They’ve gotten to know them,” Tanner said.
Some older participants will tell stories of when they were in the military. Valir PACE gives them opportunities to develop friendships. They come to sit in the facilities and enjoy hanging out, Tanner continued. People seem to open-up more to the world.
“It’s enriching to me that we can help them through the phases of life that they’re in,” she added. “It is nice to see them be like family.”
Tanner said her experiences as a nurse has enlightened her about the acute hardship experiences people endure.
“They can hide many things and you just have to be compassionate and care for them how you would want to be cared for. Some of these people are experiencing some of the hardest times of their life,” Tanner said. “It just makes you go about your day differently by thinking how you could help others. It’s so sad because there’s so many things we could do for people, and PACE itself could provide things for many people to help them struggle less.”
Some participants have only Social Security or not even that.
“So many don’t have much at all, and just seeing them struggle is heartbreaking. And I wish more people knew what we have to offer because we could help so many more.”
Her inspiration to continue at Valir PACE comes from the participants themselves, she explained.
“If they can wake up every morning and just keep moving forward, that can help motivate me to do the same because they are struggling a lot more than I am,” Tanner said. “If they can do it, then I should be able to as well.”
Tanner has three daughters who are a rejuvenating influence in her life, too.
For more information about VALIR PACE: https://valir.com/pace
