Sept. 5, 2026
Michele Pilon
Transylvania Regional Hospital
September is healthy aging month, and since we have a growing population of 55+ individuals in Transylvania County, it is important to think about what services exist to care for them.
It is such a trending topic that some communities are adopting aging-in-place initiatives like being certified officially as an “age-friendly community.”
Brevard is doing just this. The project was initiated by the American Association of Retired Persons Network of Age-Friendly State and Communities in 2012. Communities that participate get assistance with making changes to become easier places for seniors to live in by increasing community safety and walkability, expanding transportation and housing options, enhancing access to services, and creating more community activities specifically aimed at older residents. Brevard’s City Council voted to adopt the city’s Age-Friendly Action Plan in January, 2025.
A big part of aging in place is ensuring that your home is safe and doesn’t present fall hazards and other dangers. There are systematic things you can do to make your home safer as you age, such as removing clutter and small throw rugs from your space, installing grab bars in your shower/tub and toilet areas in the bathroom, ensuring that all areas of your home (especially hallways and stairways) are well-lit, and securely taping electrical cords down on the floor or along the baseboard.
Transylvania Regional Hospital is proud to offer a wide range of services and care that addresses the needs of adults age 55+. These include our orthopedic services and total joint program, our cardiac rehabilitation and wellness programs, and our diabetes outpatient program which offers both guidance and support to people living with diabetes, many of whom are older.
We also provide rehabilitation services that include physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy which serves patients coping with many conditions including Parkinson’s disease, stroke recovery, and vertigo. Additionally, our extensive outpatient behavioral health services are designed specifically for the population that uses Medicare.
TRH also offers levels of post-acute care for patients who are in recovery, but not quite ready to return home. These include our transitional care unit which is for patients in need of short-term skilled nursing care and who are not yet ready to return home and our swing bed unit which offers a slightly higher degree of short-term skilled nursing care than our transitional care unit.
A key program that CarePartners offers that’s specifically designed to serve older adults is the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly program, and it will soon be offered in Brevard and serve residents of Transylvania and surrounding counties. The program’s goal is to consolidate diverse services to help elderly patients stay in their homes living independently rather than having to go to a nursing facility.
Many of the services that PACE provides are innovative and all-encompassing, and many of the medical services are offered at TRH. Participants are able to access everything from primary care, nutritional counseling, and medical specialty services to recreational therapy, dentistry, and adult day care and nursing home services. The PACE program also provides emergency services, X-ray imaging, hospital care, lab services, medical transportation, meals, and more. It’s easy to see why this is an indispensable program that’s critical to so many.
To get in touch with the PACE program, please call 828-213-8442, option 3 or email PACEenrollment@hcahealthcare.com.
I also want to note that September is rostate cancer awareness month. Since prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men after skin cancers and more than 333,800 men are diagnosed each year in the United States, this is an urgent issue.
It’s critical for men to be screened for prostate cancer, and your family history, personal medical history, ethnicity and race, and other factors will contribute to the recommendation that your doctor makes about when to start getting screened and your screening frequency. We test for elevated prostate-specific antigen levels with a simple blood test, as elevated levels may indicate prostate cancer.
Everyone at TRH is committed to providing the very best care to our older community members. Don’t hesitate to learn more about our many programs and services that can make your life easier and support your health.
Michele Pilon, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, is the chief executive officer and chief nursing officer of Transylvania Regional Hospital. Her professional experience includes service as a bedside nurse and over a decade as a leader at healthcare institutions in Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. She is also a board-certified nursing executive.
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