Clinical and Inter-Professional Practice

Nursing

Our goal at Louis Brier Home & Hospital is nothing short of excellence in geriatric nursing care. We have set incredibly high standards of care and work hard to create a community of continuous learning and skill development.

We are fortunate to have staff who are not only deeply committed to being excellent gerontological nurses and nursing care aides, but who are also personally committed to caring, loving and nurturing our residents. This personal investment can be seen in the quality of daily care, our staff’s receptiveness to resident and family concerns and a general spirit of perseverance and commitment. Developing a relationship with your primary care nurse ensures consistent, compassionate care and helps you make informed decisions about your health.

We are strongly committed to ensuring our nurses and nursing staff have access to solid ongoing nursing education, current research and professional counsel to support the achievement of professional standards. We are constantly asking ourselves the same question: “How can we provide even better care for our residents?”

Our Clinical Educator provides nursing practice and education meetings centred on best practices, innovative research in the field and preventative measures. Additional education is provided by our Medical Director, Vancouver Coastal Health initiatives and other healthcare experts.

As a teaching facility, Louis Brier Home & Hospital regularly hosts students from accredited nursing schools. This helps us consistently keep on top of current best practices.

Additional Nursing Services:

·      Foot care

·      Dental services

Rehabilitation

The Rehabilitation Team consists of 1 Physiotherapist, 2 Occupational Therapists and 3 Rehabilitation Assistants. The goals of rehab therapy in long-term care are to assist in maintaining strength, function and quality of life to reduce risk of injury from falls and to maintain skin integrity.

Upon admission, residents are assessed by the Rehab Team. This assessment includes an evaluation of physical function and mobility, ability to do activities of daily living, cognitive ability, falls risk and condition of skin. After an assessment, residents are encouraged to attend various exercise programs that suit their needs.

The Rehab Team offers group mobility and strengthening programs, walking programs, activities of daily living maintenance, cognitive assessment/stimulation, seating and support surface assessments, wound management, falls management, wheelchair assessments and short-term 1:1 rehabilitation following hospitalization if required.

The Rehab Team continually assesses and adjusts care plans in response to any changes that may occur in residents’ functional level. They will also make recommendations regarding assistive devices, falls prevention equipment, mobility aids and seating systems that will benefit residents in terms of function, comfort and safety. The Rehab Team may provide advice on appropriate furniture and room environment to ensure safety.

Dietetics

Our Registered Dietitians play an integral role in maintaining the optimal standard of care for our residents. Not only do these professionals have specialized knowledge of the nutritional needs of many disease states and allergies, but they also play a role in menu planning, counseling residents, conducting swallow assessments and administering therapeutic and/or texture modified diets to best meet the needs of our residents. Our goal is to help maintain the quality of life of our residents while promoting optimal nutrition through foods that are both appealing and appropriate for resident individual needs.

Social Work

Social Workers are an integral part of the Louis Brier experience. Upon admission to Louis Brier Home & Hospital, Social Work will be the first point of contact. Social Workers will assist with completion of admissions documents, provide orientation of the facility, conduct psychosocial assessments and assigns a doctor to the resident based on our Physician Neighbourhood Model. This model aims to keep doctor assignments localized to one unit to offer seamless delivery of care to all residents.

Throughout your stay at Louis Brier Home & Hospital, our Social Workers provide psychological and emotional support, resource counselling, advocacy and facilitate care conferences for residents and families. Social Workers help to foster and encourage an environment of person-centred care that impacts all aspects of care. Social Work’s support services provided to residents and families at Louis Brier Home & Hospital include, but are not limited to:

·      Brief individual and family counselling

·      Crisis intervention

·      Grief counselling

·      Mental health assessments & support

·      Group therapy facilitation

·      Goals of care discussions

·      End of life decisions

·      Life transition support

·      Coping strategies

·      Connection to community resources

Spiritual Care

Spirituality is an important part of each resident’s well-being. At Louis Brier Home & Hospital, spiritual care is part of the interdisciplinary approach to the health of each resident. Highlighting this approach is the presence of the Chaplain, available every day to provide spiritual support for residents and families. This support is available to those of any religious affiliation, as well as those who have no religious affiliation.

As a full and contributing part of the Interdisciplinary Care Team, the Chaplain provides a visible presence that recognizes and advocates for the human need for acceptance, hope, love and faith. The goal is always to affirm the dignity and value of each individual and seek to enable every resident to find meaning and joy in life, improve their quality of life and cope with end of life in concert with each person’s faith tradition.

Upon admission, the Chaplain is available to residents and families to discuss any spiritual support and/or religious needs they might have. The Chaplain meets with residents on an individual basis, holds inter-faith services, which enables prayer independent of religious tradition and holds discussions on secular and religious topics in ethics and culture.