For elderly West Philadelphia residents, two may not necessarily be better than one.
In April, Living Independently For Elders, an all-inclusive health care program owned and operated by the School of Nursing, will move from their current two centers to a single new center that's double the size.
The main motive for the move was the growing reputation of two centers, causing them both to reach their capacity.
One reason for its huge popularity is the program's unique feature of an adult day-care setting. The elderly can receive all the professional health care a nursing home or hospital would provide but are able to go back home at the end of the afternoon to their families, unlike the institutionalized setting of a nursing home.
"It's a model of care that works well for the community," said Eileen Sullivan-Marx, associate dean for Practice and Community Affairs in the Nursing School.
"Oftentimes, health care is fragmented, so the family has to pull it all together," she said.
But with LIFE, participants can receive their health care from a single setting.
At any given time in West and Southwest Philadelphia, there are probably about 500 to 600 eligible seniors who would choose to be a part of the program.
"There is a lot of opportunity for growth, which is why we are expanding into this new building," LIFE Executive Director Wayne Pendleton said.
One benefit of merging the two centers is that it will give members better access to the health care team.
Although some staff are designated to one center, a lot of them go back and forth between the two - one at 38th and Market streets and the other at 41st Street and Woodland Avenue - which limits members' access to staff, Chief Nursing Officer Mary Austin said.
The staff have been able to redesign the space to fit the differing needs of participants as well as caregivers, Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis said.
The new location, 4508 Chestnut St., once housed a closed-down nursing home that has been vacant for seven years.
Improvements to the building include expansion in key areas such as dining and kitchen, primary care, nursing care and rehabilitation.
As a result of the move, "we feel we will be able to serve the West Philadelphia community better," Meleis said.
And it's not only the staff that is excited about the move.
"I think it will be a change," LIFE member George Parks said.
"It'll give us a chance to communicate with [the people at] Woodland Avenue," LIFE member Martha Stewart said.
The new LIFE center will officially open its doors on April 3.
"We'll all be together as one big, happy family," Parks said.
