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Thursday August 23, 2007

S.F. program strives to keep frail seniors vital, at home

by steven friedman
correspondent

Dr. Caren Gould sees Jewish ideals in action every day at On Lok Senior Health Center, where she has worked for 18 years. “Judaism and On Lok Senior Health have shared values, such as promoting the well-being of people,” said Gould, a specialist in geriatrics.

“Judaism is about people and doing things here on Earth and making the world a better place. One of On Lok’s highest principles is respect for people and promoting patient-centered care.

“On Lok’s principles have a lot in common with Judaism.”

On Lok, which is Cantonese for peace and happiness, originated in 1971 in the Chinatown/North Beach and Polk Gulch neighborhoods of San Francisco. The not-for-profit organization was founded by a group of citizens concerned about the plight of frail elders and the lack of long-term options in the community. 

Now, nearly 30 years later, On Lok provides a wide array of services for 5,000 elders in eight centers in San Francisco and a small office in Fremont, said Amy Shin, the center’s chief administrative officer.

On Lok’s primary goal, said Gould and Shin, is to keep elders in their communities so they can spend their twilight years, when they are often frail or addressing health issues, in a comforting and familiar environment.

“Over 10 years ago On Lok recognized a need to serve people in all parts of San Francisco,” Shin said, “so we contracted with the Institute on Aging [then named the Goldman Institute on Aging], who were already serving seniors and partnered with them.

The institute runs two of On Lok’s facilities, one on Geary Street and the other on Fillmore Street. The physicians there are On Lok employees paid by the Institute on Aging. On Lok also contracts with other specialists — cardiologists and radiologists, for example — throughout the city to ensure they provide seniors with the most comprehensive medical services.

“Many of the seniors we serve are at risk of not being able to live in their communities,” Gould explained, “due to dementia and other health problems affecting their independence. On Lok provides health care and other services to prevent institutionalization.”

On Lok’s programs are often free to those eligible for Medicare and Medi-Cal; many of the seniors served have annual incomes of less than $10,000.

Shin said that On Lok, which serves elders regardless of their religious or ethnic background, has several programs available in partnership with the Jewish community.

“We do significant outreach in the Russian community, a majority of whom are Jewish,” she said. “We do in-service outreach with Jewish Healing Services, because they see so many seniors. We also work with the Jewish Home for the Aged, because the Jewish Home has a long waiting list.

“So we identify seniors who might want to join On Lok. We serve people who the Jewish Home can’t get to right away.

“We also work with the Montefiore Center and we partner with Senior-at-Home, a nonsectarian division of the San Francisco’s Jewish Family and Children’s Services, to do as much outreach as possible.”

Dr. Jay Luxenberg, medical director at the Jewish Home and a specialist in geriatrics, recently joined On Lok’s board of directors. “When I had a private practice, if people needed services that On Lok provided, to keep them out of a nursing home, I would refer them even if it meant losing them as a patient.”

Luxenberg said the collaborative relationship between On Lok, the Jewish Home and other care facilities, such as Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, is vital.

“It enables us to come up with the most effective ways to provide medical care within our communities.”

Moreover, now that the Jewish Home has a new research lab and is dependent on federal funding, partnering with On Lok on various projects broadens the research base ethnically and religiously and maintains the flow of grant money, he said. It is a win-win situation for both institutions and elders in the immediate Bay Area.

Shin noted that On Lok offers a complete program of health and health-related services including preventative, primary and acute medical services and long-term care. The primary focus is on preventative measures to maintain the health and well-being of the participants.

On Lok is a certified PACE program (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), a model-program network developed at On Lok with 35 health plans in cities across the country. The model “supports and promotes the quality of life of frail elders in the community,” said Gould, who did her residency in internal medicine.

“I love serving people,” she said. “And On Lok is filled with devoted and committed people who treat elders as we would want our family members to be treated. Our work is done with love.

“Compassion and respect for people’s individuality are what we practice at On Lok. I think those are Jewish values.”

For more information about On Lok, call (888) 886-6565 or visit www.onlok.org.

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