A little-known Medicare/Medicaid program now has a dedicated center in Orlando that can keep a frail parent living at home instead of in a nursing facility — here's how it actually works.
By Orlando Senior Advisor Care Team · September 24, 2026
PACE stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, a federal Medicare and Medicaid model that has existed for decades but only recently opened a dedicated center in the Orlando area. Unlike a typical assisted living community or home care agency, PACE is a single program that bundles medical care, therapy, social services, transportation, meals, and adult day health care into one coordinated plan — built specifically for older adults who qualify for nursing-home-level care but who would rather stay in their own home.
The Orlando center, run by InnovAge in partnership with Orlando Health, opened at 8410 S. Orange Blossom Trail in April 2026 and serves Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. That footprint covers most of the families this site hears from — whether a parent is in College Park, Kissimmee, Sanford, or Clermont.
Each participant is assigned an interdisciplinary care team — a primary care provider, nurse, social worker, therapist, and dietitian — that meets regularly to adjust the plan as needs change. The center itself functions like a one-stop clinic: a primary care suite, dental services, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral health support, and a day room where participants socialize, eat, and take part in activities several days a week. Door-to-door transportation to and from the center, and to outside medical appointments, is included rather than something the family has to arrange separately.
Because PACE is capitated — the organization is paid a set monthly amount per participant rather than billed per service — it can authorize a wheelchair ramp, a home health aide, or an extra therapy visit without the family fighting a separate insurance approval for each one. For a parent bouncing between a home health agency, a separate transportation service, and a string of specialist appointments, that single point of coordination is often the biggest practical relief.
To enroll, a person generally needs to be 55 or older, live within the PACE service area, be assessed by Florida's Department of Elder Affairs as meeting a nursing-home level of care, and be able to live safely in the community with PACE's support at the time they enroll. Most participants qualify through Medicaid, Medicare, or both; for those who are dual-eligible, the program typically carries little to no monthly cost. Someone with Medicare only, but not Medicaid, can still enroll by paying a monthly premium for the long-term-care portion of the benefit.
PACE is worth comparing against two paths families already know: Florida's SMMC Long-Term Care Medicaid waiver, which pays for services but still requires the family to piece together individual providers, and a move into assisted living or memory care, which is a full relocation. PACE sits in between — it's built for someone whose needs have grown past occasional help but who isn't ready, medically or emotionally, to leave home. It isn't a fit for everyone; participants generally must be able to get to the day center, and the program is not a substitute for 24-hour supervision if that level of safety risk is already present.
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