AS SANTA CLARA COUNTY’S POPULATION AGES, health and community service nonprofits are growing to meet their needs.
On Lok, a community-focused care provider for older adults, held a Wednesday grand opening for its 20,348-square-foot PACE center in South San Jose. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) expands access to comprehensive care, providing and social services for and is designed to serve up to 400 participants at the site. PACE, funded through Medicare and Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, provides and coordinates preventive and primary healthcare, prescription drugs and transportation.
CEO Grace Li said the center offers a high level of care for people who would otherwise be in a nursing home, allowing them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
“As one of the largest community-based, nonprofit PACE organizations in Northern California, we also have the responsibility to represent and advocate for the populations we serve,” she said at the opening. “Opening this center affirms our commitment to our local communities and the increasing number of older adults who can benefit from an alternative to nursing home care.”
Clients are picked up at their homes in the morning and transported to the center, where they may spend four to six hours twice a week. Someone with mild dementia, chronic kidney disease and diabetes can be seen by doctors and provided with medication and a warm meal, as well as socialization and supportive services, Li said.
Five PACE centers exist in Santa Clara County, all in San Jose. With the opening of its South San Jose facility at 151 Martinvale Lane, there are three On Lok PACE centers — with the other two locations in downtown and East San Jose.
The two other older adult care facilities that fall under the PACE umbrella are run by North East Medical Services, which opened last year in Vietnam Town, and WelbeHealth that opened in 2024 on Hamilton Avenue along the Campbell-San Jose border.
The PACE model of care integrates insurance, medical services, home care, meals and transportation, Li said, with the flexibility to provide whatever an individual needs to maintain their health and independence. She said the average client age is between 79-81.
“Our program was founded by a community dentist who recognized if you don’t have good dental hygiene and dental health, you won’t have good nutrition. If you don’t have good nutrition, you won’t have good health,” Li told San José Spotlight.
From primary care to social services
The center’s primary care clinic includes physicians, family practitioners, internal medicine, geriatricians and nurse practitioners. The center provides rehabilitation, social workers and social activities including exercise and art. Optometry, dental, podiatry, audiology and memory care needs are also met.
Andrew Cheng, director of business operations for On Lok, said as people grow older, they seek routine.
“When participants come, they find their own community,” he told San José Spotlight.
There are about 50 adult daycare and adult health centers throughout Santa Clara County. In the county, 19,958 adults age 65 and older receive In Home Supportive Services, which enable them to safely remain in their homes, according to Justice in Aging.
Santa Clara County has 440,000 adults age 60 and older — and by 2040 older adults will make up 31% of the county’s population, according to the county’s Department of Aging and Adult Services annual report for 2025. Over this same period, the number of children in the county is projected to decrease from 22% to 14%.
“Opening this center affirms our commitment to our local communities and the increasing number of older adults who can benefit from an alternative to nursing home care.”
CEO Grace Li
This underscores the need to prepare for increased demand for healthcare, social services and beyond, Vanessa Merlano, director of the Department of Aging and Adult Services, told San José Spotlight.
These 65 and older adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level qualify for both Medi-Cal and Medicare. In Santa Clara County, there are 63,991 older adults dually eligible. About 32% of county adults 65 and older don’t have enough income to meet their basic needs, according to Justice in Aging.
Li said On Lok, a San Francisco based-nonprofit, strives to have its staff and services reflect the diversity of the communities it serves — providing social workers and doctors who are fluent in various languages to build trust and connection.
San Jose Councilmember George Casey, who represents District 10 where the PACE center is located, said the centers are beneficial for family members as well as clients, knowing their relatives have a safe place to go and interact with other older adults while still being able to live at home.
“I was really impressed with the level of professionalism at the East Side facility, the doctors, the caregivers,” he said. “I have an aging parent … and the idea this is available, the idea that you took the time to invest in this district as well, we appreciate it.”
Michele Lew, chair of On Lok’s board of directors, who also has an aging parent, said On Lok provides the type of care she’d want for her loved ones and herself.
“This space is not only functional, it’s beautiful,” she said at the event. “This is a place where you want to come every day.”
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at lorrainegabbertsjspotlight@gmail.com.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.